Manorhamilton - Name

Name

Before the Plantations of Ireland the settlement was known as Clooneen (from Irish: Cluainín Uí Ruairc, meaning "Uí Ruairc's small meadow"). This lay on the west bank of the Owenbeg. Uí Ruairc (Anglicised as O'Rourke) was the local Gaelic chieftain based in nearby Dromahair whose land was seized by the English and then granted to Sir Frederick Hamilton for his services in the European wars of the 17th century. As a result of his actions Hamilton to this day is considered to have been a tyrant by the local people. He began building a new town on the east bank of the river, in the townland of Clonmullen, which he renamed Manorhamilton. After the town emerged, the name Baile Hamaltuin was adopted by Irish speakers and its anglicised form Ballyhamilton was used by English speakers for a time.