GALLOON, a parish, partly in the baronies of
KNOCKNINNY and CLONKLLY, but chiefly in that of
Coole, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER,
5½ miles (S. S. E.) from Lisnaskea, on Lough Erne, and
on the road from Cavan to Enniskillen; containing
10,506 inhabitants. The parish, according to the Ordnance
survey, comprises (including islands) 25,287
statute acres, of which 432½ are in the barony of Knockninny,
9341¼ in that of Clonkelly, and 15,513¼ in that of
Coole; about two-thirds are good arable and pasture
land, 1455½ are m Upper- Lough Erne, 1072 in small
lakes, and of the remainder a very large portion is bog,
which is easily reelaimable. The system of agriculture
is in a very unimproved stae; limestone is abundant,
and freestone of good quality is procured for building
and other purposes. The only seat of importance is
Crom Castle, the residence of the Earl of Erne, about
three miles from Newtown-Butler, a handsome mansion
recently erected, in which is still preserved the armour
worn by McCarthy Moore at the battle of Kilgarret.
The lake affords considerable facility of water conveyance,
and it is in contemplation to open the port of
Ballyshannon by the river Erne; there is a large flourmill
at Roosky, in this parish. The living is n rectory,
in the diocese of Clogher, and the corps of the chancellorship
of the cathedral of Clogher, in the patronnge of
the Bishop: the tithes amount to £410, and the grows
annual value of the benefice, including glebe, is £540.
There is no glebe-house; the glebe comprises 128 Irish
acres. The old church was burnt by an accidental fire
in 1819, and the present spacious cruciform edifice was
erected in 1821, by aid of a grant of £2000 from the
late Board of First Fruits. In the R. C. divisions the
parish is the head of a union or district comprising also
four townlands of the parish of Drummully; there are
two chapels, situated at Newtown-Butler and Donagh;
the former erected in 1830, at tiu expense of £400, and
latter in 1826, at an expense of £500. There are also
places of worship for Wesleyan and Primitive, Wesleyan
Methodists; the latter is a fine new building, one-half of
the expense of which was contributed by J. Butler Danvers,
Esq. About 670 children are taught in five national
and four other public schools; and there are six
private schools, in which are about 540 children, and
ten Sunday schools. There are several raths in the
parish; and at Mulnagone is a chalybeate spa, strongly
impregnated with sulphur, which has been found effiencious
in chronic diseases. There are some ruins of old
churches on the island of Galloon and also at Donagh.
See Newtown-Butler.