@ History


JOHN GREY VESEY PORTER - Founder of Knockninny "Hotel" now Knockninny Marina
"Knockninny Hotel" as it was then, was founded and built by JOHN GREY VESEY PORTER and was the first hotel on Lough Erne. The house, marina and lands as pictured below is now known completely as Knockninny Marina. JGVP was also responsible for many other constructions on the Erne and Shannon Waterways and was instrumental in the betterment of the people, particularly tenant farmers.

THE PORTER FAMILY- A BRIEF HISTORY
The Porter family were an extraordinary family in terms of property acquisitions and achievement and are an unusual example of an English clerical family who throve in the Church of Ireland and settled in Ireland permanently . JOHN GREY VESEY PORTER, was by all accounts not a well liked man, but in working for ultimately his own gain, also brought numerous benefits to the local community. His marriage was childless and would seem, unhappy, partly due to the age gap between he and his wife, but also we can assume to do with JGVP's "cantankerousness". The 4th Earl of of Belmore wrote of Porter "He is a very peculiar man indeed, and not easy to work with ..." (but, if you read on, there is reason to this comment)

The founding Porter was John Porter who was Bishop of Clogher and he remained from 1797 until his death in 1819. His son and heir, the Rev, John Grey Porter was in 1813 preferred to the prebend and rectory of Kilskeery, also in the diocese of Clogher, which he held until his retirement in 1831. But the Bishop's rectory palace and the son's rectory were "official" residences, so it was natural that a family bent on putting down roots in Ireland should be on the lookout for their "family seat".

THE PORTER PROPERTIES
In 1830, the Belle Isle estate came on the market and was sold to JGV Porter's father for £68,000. The entire Belle Isle estate was acquired consisting of the Manors of Belle Isle and Carrick together with a small leasehold addendum.

The deed of conveyance dated 1st May 1830 provides a comprehensive description of the townlands and other components of Porter's purchase

"all that and those the manor or reputed manor of Carrick estate with the several sub denominations thereof. Viz.: Carrick, Ballymacmanus, Beragh, Behon, Beacho, Carrowkeel, Clogtogal, Coolbuck, Cloone, Crichamuack, Crogh, Crigaragallan, Derryclane, Derrihoney, Drumdron, Derryclawer, Agherdereoghlisk, Ederaglush, Fahort, Fanghart, Farragh, Foxhill, Gorteene, Inish, Killee, Killigoan, Kildermot, Lagnaught, Lisreagh, Liskellaw, Lisbellaw, Portslinnagh, Motiernon, Mogairah, Mullybrill, Stoney Park, Mayonragh, Shanco, Snow Hill, Tallymacall, Topitnow, Track, Tatygar, Barniskie, Lanehill, Kiew, Loughie, Glasdrommond, Drumbrughas, Clonenowrane, Aughvagh and Tatenamallard, all situate, lying and being in the parish of Fermanagh aforesaid ... and also all other messuages lands and hereditaments being part of or appendant to the said amanor and reputed manor with the several sub denominations thereof ... Viz.: Aughekillymaude, Derryholaght or Blackrock, Derryharney, Innishbeg and Belle Isle, all siturate, lying and being in the parish of Cleenish, baronies of Tyrkennedy and Magherastephana and county of Fermanagh aforesaid ...

RATHER A LOT OF TOWNLANDS IN THE DEED ONE OF WHICH WAS "AUGHEKILLYMAUDE" THE TOWNLAND OF KNOCKNINNY.

Porter also attained the now abandoned palace and demesne of Clogher Parish and renamed it Clogher Park where he undertook much renovation work and it was described in summer as follows:
"... smothered in purple clematis and red and yellow climbing roses ..., like the warmth of a smile on the formal facade."

INHERITANCE
By his will made in 1869, he left Belle Isle, Clogher Park and effectively all his property to his son and heir John Grey Vesey Porter.

JGVP & THE RAILWAYS
JGVP endeavoured to benefit the estate indirectly by becoming in 1854, one of the original shareholders of the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway Company which obtained parliamentary authority not only to make the main line from Dundalk to Enniskillen, but also to make branch lines, among other places, to Lisbellaw (nearest town to Belle Isle) and sensibly enough concentrated on making the line direct from Dundalk to Enniskillen. But the 3rd Earl of Erne who owned Lisnaskea and who was Chairman of the Company, decided to make the direct line to Lisnaskea instead of Lisbellaw.

JGVP & LIBEL ACTIONS
Consequently, Porter opposed the change by way of petition to Parliament and when this didn't work published a "malignant production" accusing Lord Erne of using his position in the Company to promote the prosperity of his own estate. Lord Erne responded by bringing a libel action against Porter and was only awarded damages of £300 as opposed to the £2000 he had claimed.

THE EXTRA MARITAL AFFAIR
A further court appearance was undertaken by JGVP of an altogether more distressing nature. His wife, Elizabeth Jane Hall, whom he married in 1863 when he was 47 and she was 18 formed a liaison with Captain Leonard Poynter of the 16th Regiment, Enniskillen. When Porter found out, he lured Poynter to Belle Isle with the help of his butler and other servants and he was "considerably knocked about, had his hair and one side of his luxuriant moustache cut off, and was then severely horse whipped by Porter himself."
Poynter sued for damages of £10,000 and Porter in his obstinacy, rather than settling out of court, appeared at a packed Dublin court room and had to undergo the tales of his wife and the captain at Belle Isle. The stern Victorians found in favour of Poynter but only awarded him a farthing in damages(?!)

DIVORCE
JGVP then successfully filed for divorce and his wife and her parents moved to London where Mrs Porter died only in her early forties in 1887.

NEWSPAPERS
He founded the Lisbellaw Gazette and Co Fermanagh Advertiser although these were used as a vehicle for expressing his own opinions. The LG revealed Porter's sympathy for the improvement of tenant farmers and it advocated the reestablishment of an Irish parliament but with loyalty to the British Crown. It was also critical of the Orange Order, some landlords and prominent local people.

OTHER VENTURES
As already said, Porter was instrumental in benefiting the locals. He played a huge part in pressing for the Inishmore Viaduct, Carrybridge and largely financed this, pressed for the opening of the Model School in Enniskillen, invited John Eadie and John Henderson to come to Ireland and take over the woolen mill at Lisbellaw which was then in an embryo state.

FIRST HOTEL & PASSENGER VESSELS ON LOUGH ERNE
John Grey Vesey Porter also founded Lough Erne's first hotel the "Knockninny Hotel" and operated two passenger and freight steam vessels from Knockninny which he called the "Royal Erne Navy".

One of his most memorable ventures however, was the building and running of two steamboats named the "Knockninny" and "Belturbet". Local man George Johnston, who has lived his entire life in the area, can still recall tales of the days the big boats traveled up the lough from Enniskillen. "The boats could take hundreds of people," revealed George, "and would carry both cargo and passengers. They were a great help to the people in the area. Apparently, it was 6 pence to have your pig transported from Knockninny to Enniskillen, and they say that the local shopkeeper used to drop the takings from the bridge onto the deck of the boat as it sailed underneath him. Someone on the boat would then lodge the money for him at the bank in Enniskillen."

HIS DEATH
Porter died in 1903, of old age but had also become blind and was succeeded at Belle Isle by John Porter Porter, second son of his sister Adelaide Mary.

KNOCKNINNY - NINNIAN'S HILL (Ninnidh's Hill)
ST NINNIAN (or St Ninnidh) & ST NINNIAN'S WELL Located on the East Side of Knockninny House.

The mission field of St. Ninnidh covered a large area south of Lower Lough Erne. This area, over the years gradually developed into a definite parish known as Inishmacsaint or Inis Maighe Samh. In pre-Christian times this area was sparsely populated. Pagan priests known as druids held sway over the people. The learned class included judges, prophets, historians, poets, doctors and teachers. Their religion consisted of the worship of the old celtic gods. Indeed the name Derrygonnelly, is thought by many to mean "The Oak Wood of the Candle" as the druids often worshipped one of their gods, Baal, by placing a rush candle on the branch of an oak tree. Little is known of druidism in Ireland but it is thought to have had its chief seat at Tara.

There is much evidence in our part of the country which tells us of the presence of a pre-Christian people. Relics of the Stone Age have been found on the shores of Carrick Lake and a court grave at Tully has revealed pottery and flint instruments. Ringed forts, raths and crannogs are common throughout the parish. The arrival of the Celts brought improved methods of farming, together with new laws and customs.

THE EARLY CHRISTIANS
St. Patrick arrived on our shores to spread the Christian religion in 432 A.D. but almost a hundred years were to pass before Christianity was to reach Fermanagh. In 523 St. Molaise arrived on the island of Devenish to establish his church and around the same time St. Ninnidh arrived on Inishmacsaint. It has often been said that these monasteries were established on islands for protection but this is not entirely true. Lough Erne was a vast highway stretching from where Belturbet is today to Belleek. The surrounding countryside was a mass of bogs and woods and almost impossible to pass through so the lake was the most obvious and easiest way to travel. It was still the main highway of Fermanagh until roads were made in the 17th Century.

St. Ninnidh, who was a grandson of the High King Laoire, was born in Donegal and from an early age it was seen that he was interested in religious matters. He was therefore sent to Clonard to be educated under St. Finnian. His fellow students at this establishment were said to be St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, St. Molaise of Devenish and St. Aidan of Ferns. St. Ninnidh was one of the twelve students supported on the milk of St. Ciaran's Dun Cow. St. Ninnidh, St. Aidan and St. Molaise were all close friends and St. Ciaran, their colleague, visited Inishmacsaint in 534.

St. Ninnidh preached along the south shore of Lough Erne making the island of Inishmacsaint (Island of the Plain of Sorrel) his headquarters around 532 A.D. He likely journeyed up and down the southern portion of Lower Lough Erne in a hollowed-out boat, coming ashore at intervals and making his way inland, in order to meet the people and spread the Gospel. No doubt having the odd heated discussion with the local druid. He probably established a little church or residence at Glenwinney (Ninnidh's Glen), visited Ninnidh's Hill (Knockninny) above Roscor to meditate and pray and quenched his thirst at nearby Ninnidh's Well. A route led from Inishmacsaint Island to Maherahar and Inishway; thence to Glenwinney where there was a small church; through Urros and Beagh along what was later to become the old coach road from Dublin to Ballyshannon through Magho. The route then turned to Ninnidh's Hill above Roscor where a small church was established and then through Killybig to another little church at Kilcoo. This route was probably used by St. Ninnidh and the early Christians of the area during rough weather when it was dangerous to go by Lough Erne.

He is said to have fasted during Lent on Knockninny, which still bears his name, no doubt making his way there by boat from Inishmacsaint. The saint was bishop over an area stretching from the outskirts of Derrygonnelly to Bundoran and the saint's feast day is celebrated on the 18th January, which is the date he died but the exact year is unknown. St. Ninnidh's Bell, which was cast and presented to him by St. Senach of Derrybrusk, was still in existence on the island in the middle of the seventeenth century, probably until the dissolution of the monasteries of 1630. Later the Bell was in the Castle Caldwell Museum and is now in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Archdall, writing in the early 19th century stated "The Saint's Bell is yet preserved here as a precious relique and is holden in so great a veneration that it is often judicially tendered them to swear on". Most abbeys during this period kept students who were taught Greek, Latin and other subjects. Some students were destined for a monastic life but others rejoined their families when their education was completed. According to P. W. Joyce, St. Molaise had 1,500 students attached to Devenish. So one could assume that a number were attending Inishmacsaint. Some of these students lived within the monastic enclosure itself and the poorer ones were boarded out with the local people. It is not known who succeeded St. Ninnidh on his death but the next parson mentioned is Fiannamail, descendant of Boghaine, who was slain in 718. It is not known how Fiannamail met his death, probably at the hands of a druid who was perturbed at the spread of Christianity. The religion of the druids still held a sway in the remote areas as the countryside was covered by forest and bog and sparsely populated. Wild animals, including wolves, roamed the area, not to mention suspicious natives. All these obstacles were responsible for the slow spread of Christianity. The Oriel invasion of Fermanagh which took place in the late 8th century was another upheaval and there is little mention of Inishmacsaint for the next hundred years.