Ederney is the name of a townland and a small village in north Fermanagh. It is my native place. I was born and reared there and I have a huge affection for the place and the people.
I was always told that the origin of the name was an Irish word ‘Eadarnaidh’ meaning ‘ambush’ or ‘the place of an ambush’. I was never happy with this explanation but went along with it for the want of a better one. There was no historical record of any ambush in the local area.
Only recently, I have discovered the correct meaning of the place-name Ederney and it is much more significant than I ever imagined. My discovery of the real meaning of the place-name came about as a result of reading a reference in a book written by retired bishop and historian Seosamh Ó Dufaigh called Tiarnach of Clones published in 2018.
It so happens that this Tiarnach was the founder of a monastic settlement in a place near Ederney called Kiltierney (the Abbey of Tiarnach).
In his book Bishop Seosamh Ó Dufaigh mentions a townland called ‘Lisaderny’ (the fort of Derny) between Maguiresbridge and Lisnaskea which he says is linked to the cult of Saint Tiarnach in this part of Ireland. Local historian Brian MacDomhnaill suggested to me that the similarities were too great for them not to be connected.
The similarity of ‘Lisaderney’ with ‘Ederney’ was so great that it convinced me that the name of Ederney is also linked to the cult of Tiarnach -especially since it is situated so close to the place called Kiltierney.
It became obvious to me after reading Ó Dufaigh’s book that the ‘derney’ part of Ederney derives from an earlier version (and probably a spoken version) of Tiarnach/Terney/Derney.
Recently, I came across a reference to ‘Magherilterny’ in McKenna’s ‘Parishes of Clogher’ (published 1934). He suggested that this was an earlier word for Kiltierney. I concluded that Ederney must be a shortened version of Machaire –Derny (the field of Tiarnach).
I think this understanding of the cult of Saint Tiarnach opens up a whole new understanding of the rich Christian history of this part of Fermanagh. It also means that the place we call Ederney is part of a rich history which must be explored and developed along with the monastic site at Kiltierney.
This historic site has been ignored and neglected for far too long. It is of immense significance in the early history -pre-Christian and Christian- of this part of Ireland. I would urge all who are interested in the cultural development of Fermanagh as a place of exceptional historical interest to do whatever they can to preserve this site and develop it for future generations.
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