placenamesScribbagh
Scriobach
A fossil-bearing quarry, butterfly-rich grasslands and a country church distinguish this community near the Leitrim border.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- Scriobach · Irish · main form · validated name
- Scribbagh · English · main form
Place & story
A quarry recording an ancient sea
Scribbagh’s disused quarry exposes rocks near the top of the Dartry Limestone Formation. Limestone dominates the face, but lower layers include shale; a thin dark-grey band contains numerous fossils, especially corals. These remains record life in the shallow sea in which the Carboniferous sediments accumulated. The combination of rock layers and fossils gives the quarry its scientific importance and has secured its designation as an Area of Special Scientific Interest. [2]
Wet grasslands shared with neighbouring townlands
Part of Scribbagh also lies within the Tower More protected area, which extends into Cashelnadrea, Tower Beg and Tower More near the Roogagh River. Moist soils and varied ground conditions sustain rush pasture, fen meadow and wet heath, sometimes changing over short distances. The area supports breeding marsh fritillary butterflies. Devil’s-bit scabious, abundant in these grasslands and heaths, provides food for their larvae, linking the survival of the insect with this particular farming landscape. [3]
Care for a country church
St Joseph’s church serves the rural community near the Leitrim border. Its National Churches Trust entry records preparations for a 150 th anniversary in 2023 and describes support from people of different denominations. In 2021 the trust awarded £4,000 towards masonry repairs and repointing. That modest conservation project forms part of the continuing upkeep of a building used for worship, family ceremonies and community preparations throughout the church year. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Fermanagh
- Barony
- Magheraboy
- Civil parish
- Devenish
- Within
- Scribbagh
- Coordinates
- 54.38055, -8.03078 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1413436 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Scribbagh. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Scribbagh ASSI · Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
- Tower More ASSI · Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
- St Joseph, Scribbagh, Garrison · National Churches Trust
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2012-01-11. How this page was prepared.