Irvines of 'The Castle Irvine'

In the 1920's school children in the Irvinestown area sang a little song:

"Up the airy mountain
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go hunting
For fear of D'Arcy's men."

The dark shadow of D'Arcy Irvine, the last Irvine incumbent of Necarne Castle, lay heavily upon them. They were afraid to roam the castle grounds for fear of being caught by the bailiff. Little were they to realize that all was to change a few generations later. As old men and women they would have the freedom to walk the grounds at their leisure and savor the beauty of the estate.

Necarne Castle or Castle Irvine, as it was formerly known, is situated within walking distance of Irvinestown in the lakeland County of Fermanagh. It is just a few miles from Lough Erne, a broad expanse of waterway waiting to be explored.

Necarne is rich in history. Edward Warde was the first undertaker of the land around Irvinestown at the time of the Plantation of Ulster in 1610. Undertakers were civilian groups who undertook, depending on the acreage of the ground they were given, to build a house and bawn, take in only British tenants at the rate of 24 men per 1000 acres, and to keep a number of armed men. Warde's patent was dated 13th May 1611. In those days the land was known as Nakarney or Nakarna (Necarne). The land changed hands a few times until finally Gerard Lowther took possession of it in 1615.

The has always been much speculation as to how Necarne got its name. Legend has it that Hugh Roe O'Donnell, an Irish chieftain, was on one of his marches to discipline the O'Briens who were collaborating with the English. He noticed an army fortification on his left flank and ordered his men to investigate it. They returned to say "Ni carn e" or there is no building there. Hence, the name Necarne.

Folklore has it that the inmates of the castle or building learned in time of the proposed march and covered their building with sods from a nearby field. This story has been passed down in Irvinestown through the years. We can still see this field known as the "Sod Park." It lies just to the left of the castle.

(Necarne Castle and the Ulster Lakeland Equestrian Park, Breege McCusker, 1995, pg. 2.)
This book may be purchased directly from the author for £3.50. Breege McCusker, Drumharvey, Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland, BT94 1ET.