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Baile-Mic-Maghnusa

Published 9 November 2021Research by Kevin McManus
Belle Isle Castle is an 18th century house on Belle Isle, an island previously known, in Gaelic times, as Ballymacmanus Island or Senadh-Mic-Maghnusa or, simply, Senad.
Belle Isle Castle is an 18th century house on Belle Isle, an island previously known, in Gaelic times, as Ballymacmanus Island or Senadh-Mic-Maghnusa or, simply, Senad.

Baile-Mic-Maghnusa (aka Belle Isle)

The Fermanagh family’s origins are identified as Senat, or Baile-Mic-Maghnusa, an island in Lough Erne.

We are told in the old records that the island received the fancy name ‘Belle Isle’ from its beauty.

Belle Isle Estate - Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Annals of Ulster

One of the most celebrated characters associated with this family was Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa chief of his clan and compiler of the Annals of Ulster.

An entry in the annals for 1488 notes his inauguration by Maguire and the nobles of Fermanagh.

Annals of Ulster: a chronicle of Irish affairs from A.D. 431 to A.D. 1540