Tempo, County Fermanagh

Tempo, historically called Tempodeshel (from Irish An tIompú Deiseal, meaning 'the right-hand turn'),^[2] is a small village at the foot of Brougher Mountain in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The 2021 census recorded a population of 458 people.^[3] It lies within the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area.

Tempo Irish: An tIompú Deiseal[1]
Location within Northern Ireland
Population	458 (2021 Census)
Irish grid reference	H351478
• Belfast	72 miles
District	Fermanagh and Omagh
County	County Fermanagh
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ENNISKILLEN
Postcode district	BT94
Dialling code	02889
UK Parliament	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
NI Assembly	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
List of places UK Northern Ireland Fermanagh 54.379°N 7.460°W / 54.379; -7.460

History

The name An tIompú Deiseal ("the right-hand turn") may refer to a bend in the Tempo River near the village. There is a local legend that Saint Patrick left a manuscript here on his way to Enniskillen and that he told his servant to "turn right" to go back and retrieve it.^[2]

On 25 October 1920, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) raided the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks in Tempo for weapons. RIC sergeant Samuel Lucas was shot and fatally wounded, but a group of armed Ulster Volunteers arrived and drove off the IRA unit. Shortly after, a Catholic civilian with republican sympathies, Philip Breen, was shot in the doorway of his family's pub in the village and later died of his wounds.^[4]

Tempo is the birthplace of Young Irelander Terence MacManus, one of the leaders of the 1848 Rebellion.^[5]

Education

Schools and pre-schools serving the area include Tempo Controlled Primary School, St. Mary's Primary School and the Tempo Community Playgroup.^{[citation needed]}

Places of interest

Tempo Manor is a Victorian Manor House, built in 1863 and standing in 300 acres (1.2 km²) of grounds and woodlands.

Campbell's Bar is the oldest public house in the town and is known for its reported supernatural sightings.^{[citation needed]} The Fermanagh News reported the bar as the most haunted place in Fermanagh in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

2001 Census

Tempo is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000 people). At the 2001 census there were 533 people living in Tempo. Of these:

• 23.2% were aged under 16 years and 21.5% were aged 60 and over
• 48.2% of the population were male and 51.8% were female
• 69.0% were from a Catholic background and 30.4% were from a Protestant background
• 5.7% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

See also

• List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland