Kinawley or Kinawly is a small village, townland and civil parish straddling County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland and County CavanRepublic of Ireland. The village and townland are both in the civil parish of Kinawley in the historic barony of Clanawley, while other areas of the parish are in the baronies of Knockninny in County Fermanagh and Tullyhaw in County Cavan. In the it had a population of 141 people. Kinawley has been twinned with the German Village of Ammerndorf a municipality in the district of Fürth within Bavaria in Germany since 2008 following the county of Fermanagh's "Green and Green alike" campaign assigning each village and town land with a similar counterpart to follow the example of an environmentally friendly living manner.
St Naile's Church in the Parish of Kinawley, in the Diocese of Kilmore, was built between the years 1867–1876 near a site that was used for worship from the 6th century. It was rededicated on 4 August 2002. The church is dedicated to Saint Náile, a contemporary of Saint Colmcille. St Naile became the second Abbott on Devinish, which was one of the great monastic settlements during the Golden Age of Christianity in Ireland. According to the 'Life of Saint Naile', the original Christian church of Kinawley parish was in Hawkswood townland, Swanlinbar village, and was founded by St. Ternoc. The Life states that Naile arranged a meeting with Saint Mogue at Cluain Caomh, which was the old name for Hawkswood. While he was waiting for Mogue to turn up, he asked St. Ternoc for a drink of water but was refused. He then in anger hurled his staff three ploughlands and where it landed a spring gushed forth and he founded his church there, where now stands the church of Kinawley and Naile's Holy Well. Oddly enough there are indeed six townlands between Hawkswood and Lismonaghan townland, Kinawley village, where St. Naile's church is situated today. The Life of Naile was composed c. 1520 from earlier sources and is probably a reflection of what originally happened, i.e. Hawkswood church was on the boundary between Tullyhaw or Magh Slécht and Fermanagh. The Airgíalla were moving into the area and then took the overlordship of the church occupied by Ternoc and gave it to their own priests.
Transport
route 58 from Enniskillen to Belturbet serves Kinawley several times a day Mondays to Saturdays. The Donegal-Enniskillen-Cavan-Dublin Airport-Dublin Bus ÉireannExpressway route 30 serves Derrylin which is approximately 7 km distant. There is a coach in each direction every two hours during the day as well as an overnight journey. Services operate daily including Sundays.
