Tattycam

Tattycam is a townland in South-East County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Area 132:4:6 including part of Tattycam Lough

Etymology

• 1834 - Taite Cam "crooked tate" - J O'D (OSNB), B143
• 2004 - An Táite Cam "the crooked tate" - PNP talk, PMcK/K'fole DA

Tattycam mean "crooked tate"

Fuarán Mor - Spring

There is a remarkable stream rises in Tattycam called Foorane Mor under the rock and flows in a rapid stream at once and turns the mills at Kerrinbeg and Lisnamallard. It sinks higher up the mountain and rushes out at this point but is called by the people a spring well.’'

– Ordinance Survey Memoirs, 1835

Fuarán Mor translates to "Big Spring/Fountain" and is still there today, however it is very grown over. The mills at Lisnamallard and Keeran Beg are long gone. The Lisnaskea Rural District Council put in a bridge at road level and lowered the bed of the river to take the water away. The Johnston (Tully) and McCormick (Tattycam) families had rams working in the spring to supply their farms with water. The bridge building work prevented these from working, so the council had to build a retaining wall to keep up a depth of water. In times of heavy rain, the Foran would produce a wall of foam across the road. Even with the retaining wall, the spring kept finding different paths to break free from the retaining wall and the rams were superseded by a piped water supply.

There are a number of sink holes in the townlands of Tattycam and Tully. One of the most remarkable is in the glenn between Tattycam and Tully, where the stream 'disappears' under the roots of a tree. Most of the time the water is crystal clear and runs constantly without drying up even in the hottest of weather. In wet weather the sink holes can no longer take the extra water and it rushes down the Glenn. The excess water used to flow behind and over the retaining wall, causing a churning effect which produced a wall of yellowish foam. In recent years this no longer happens as due to cattle moving between Tattycam and Tully the Glenns path has been altered. At present, in times of flood, the water simply runs over the road at the gate just before the hill.

Cattle Rath

Located in Tattycam is a smaller rath thought to be part of the rath at Rathmoran. In is believed that while the higher and larger rath on Rathmoran was a dwelling place, the rath in Tattycam was for keeping livestock and close to the spring water as it makes it's way from it's source in Tully to Tattycam Lough.

Tattycam Lough

There is an island in Tattycam Lough thought to be man-made (known as a crannog). We are not aware of any studies regarding this crannog, but probably dates back to about the same time Killyfole was occupied.

Tattycam School

At the time of the Report of the commissioners of Irish Education in 1826, there was a school in Tattycam. This was a clay building of two storeys with the master living over the school. His name was Francis McCegney and the enrolment was then 45. One former pupil of this school was Fr Bernard McCaffrey who was born in Tattycam in 1814. He was a founder member of New Melleray Abbey, Dubuque, Iowa. Fr. Bernard had such a reputation for holiness that the little town of Bernard in Iowa was named after him and people took earth from the top of his grave, claiming it cured many illnesses. McCaffrey

Griffiths Valuation 1862

Occupier	Lessor	Tenement
James & Patrick McCaffrey	James Haire	Land
James McCaffrey	James Haire	House, Offices & Land
Matthew Quinn	Patrick McCaffrey	House
Patrick McCaffrey	James Haire	House, Offices & Land
Patrick McElroy	Patrick McCaffrey	House
William Johnston	James Hare	Land
John Johnston	James Hare	Land
John Reihill	John Johnston	House & small garden

1901 Census

National Archives : Census of Ireland 1901

Houses in Tathycam (Coolnamarrow, Fermanagh)

House Number	Surnames in House
1	Kelly
2	Beggan
2	Carroll
2	Langan
2	Mc Manus
2	Tierney
3	McCaffrey
3	Murphy

1911 Census

National Archives : Census of Ireland 1911

Surnames in 2005

Bannon

O’Neill