The History
The surname McGuire is a variant of the Irish Maguidhir. The name is most often associated with County Fermanagh, Ireland. It first appears in the Annals in the
year 956, but the clan did not come into dominance in the region of Fermanagh until the 14th century. The Maguires ruled Fermanagh from 1300 to 1589, and their
chief was one of the most powerful in Ulster. Their first king was Donn Maguire, who died in 1302, began his reign when the clan was still relatively small. For
300 years the Maguires expanded their control. By 1400 their superiority was unquestioned. By 1500 they actually possessed most of the present county. By 1600 they
controlled absolutely everything in the county. Not only that, but Maguires manned every position in the county. Had the Maguire expansion not been held in check
by the English, after 1600 it would have been hard to find any other family in the county.
The last Maguire prince was Hugh Maguire (1589-1600), who came to power during the reign of Elizabeth I in England. This was a time when the English conquest to
effectively control England was most urgent. At first, he continued the policy of his predecessor, which was one of appeasement of the English. He even went to
Dublin in 1591 to become Sir Hugh Maguire, in Christ Church Cathedral.
In 1592, the Governor, Seneshal, and Sheriff of the neighboring provinces began to raid and plunder Fermanagh (probably under suspicion of Maguires involvement
with the Tyrone-led plot against the English). When Maguire appealed to the Lord Deputy for protection, he was answered by more plundering.
Hugh saw that a war for survival was unavoidable. In May 1593 he expelled the new English sheriff. This attack on the English is considered by many to be the signal
for the opening of the Nine Years War. Hugh was killed by Sir Warham Sent Leger in an encounter in Cork. The war ended with the surrender of the Irish princes to
the English. It also effectively signals the beginning of the end of the Maguire reign in Fermanagh. Though they were not entirely stripped of their lands, no Irish
prince in Ulster was allowed to breathe freely under the English regime, and many eventually left their native land.
The Maguires seem to have provided fair government of the county. In all there were 15 Maguire princes and of them, only one was assassinated. Their expansion
efforts did not necessarily bring war, and there are occasions when the Maguires are found making peace between rival clans.
Apart from government, the Maguires were great benefactors of the Church. They endowed churches, they introduced new religious orders and they respected the rights
of the church. In general, Fermanagh under the Maguires was a peaceful place.
Enniskillen Castle
Situated beside the River Erne in County Fermanagh, was built almost 600 years
ago by Gaelic Maguire chieftains. The chieftain at the time, King Thomas Maguire, (Thomas the Great) ruled from Lisnaskea in the south-eastern part of the county.
His younger brother, Hugh "The Hospitable" Maguire, was deputy chieftain and he is credited with building Enniskillen Castle, locating it in a strong defensive
position beside the River Erne.
The original castle, a small square tower-house, guarded one of the few passes into Ulster and defended Fermanagh from attack, particularly from the neighbouring
O'Rourke and O'Donnell clans. Guarding one of the few passes into Ulster, it was strategically important throughout its history. In the 17th century it became an
English garrison fort and later served as part of a military barracks. More Info