Drumbegger

Drumbegger (possibly from Irish Druim Beagair 'ridge of the little tillage'^[1]) is a townland situated in County Fermanagh, Fermanagh and Omagh district, Northern Ireland. It is part of the civil parish of Boho in the old barony of Magheraboy and contains the sub-townland known as Oubarraghan.^[2]

Drumbegger
Part of the townland of Drumbegger, County Fermanagh, with the Sillees River in the distance
Drumbegger Location within Northern Ireland
Population	(2001 Census)
District	Fermanagh and Omagh
County	County Fermanagh
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	BT
Dialling code	028, +44 28
UK Parliament	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
NI Assembly	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
List of places UK Northern Ireland Fermanagh 54.3802°N 7.8399°W / 54.3802; -7.8399

This area was designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI 322, 17 August 2009) as a consequence of species-rich wet grassland.^[3]

Drumbegger species rich wet grassland

Habitats described as species rich wet grasslands are rare in Northern Ireland and are typically located in areas where traditional farming practices are still maintained.^[4] The meadows are categorised by botanists/ecologists as Fen-meadow, a specific type of purple moor-grass, rush pasture that is fed by a steady hydrological influence.^[4] The typical species found in Drumbegger are Devil’s-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), sharp-flowered rush (Juncus acutiflorus), meadow thistle (Cirsium dissectum), lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) together with mosses such as glittering wood-moss (Hylocomium splendens) and neat feather-moss (Pseudoscleropodium purum).^[4] Drumbegger is also noteworthy as a habitat for two protected species, blue-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium bermudiana) and the marsh fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia).^[4] Marsh fritillary caterpillars thrive on two plant species found in Drumbegger which are blue-eyed-grass and Devil’s-bit scabious.^[4]

Fossil Crinoids in The Screenagh River

Screenagh River Waterfall emerging from the Arch Cave in Oubarraghan

Screenagh River and Arch Cave

The Screenagh river enters Drumbegger from the subtownland of Oubarraghan from the Arch Cave (Grid ref: H1037 4790) which is itself an outlet of a series of subterranean passages originating from Noon's Hole.^[5] The river is a tributary of the Sillees River which feeds into Lough Erne.^[5] The waterfall and the cave were described by the famous French speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel on 14 or 15 July 1895. On this occasion he was aided by the Enniskillen archeologist Thomas Plunkett (who had previously discovered Moylehid ring cairn in Boho) and Lyster Jameson a Dublin born naturalist. Martel correctly deduced that Noon's hole and the Arch Cave were linked by a series of underground chambers.^[6]

See also

• Caves of the Tullybrack and Belmore hills

References

1. Place Names NI - Drumbegger
2. Boho Heritage Organisation (2009). Edel Bannon; Louise Mclaughlin; Cecilia Flanagan (eds.). Boho Heritage: A treasure trove of history and lore. Nicholson & Bass Ltd, Mallusk, Northern Ireland. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-9560607-0-9.
3. "Area of Special Scientific Interest". Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
4. "Drumbegger ASSI". Drumbegger ASSI. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
5. "Earth Science Conservation Review". National Museums Northern Ireland.
6. Martel, Édouard-Alfred. (1897). British caves and speleology (Reprinted from: Geographical journal (Nov. 1897) ed.). Royal College of Surgeons of England: Royal College of Surgeons of England. p. 504. Retrieved 4 August 2016.