In a message dated 5/14/01 4:20:39 PM, [email protected] writes: << I hate to show my ignorance here, but just exactly what Is a Townland? Was it a farm, owned by one family, an area that consisted of more than one farm?? >> Bonnie, Don't apologize--it's confusing, esp to us here in the States! A townland is the smallest civil division (at least, the smallest still in use) . It is a division of a parish, which is a civil divison (not to be confused with a church parish) A townland can be anywhere from less than ten acres to several thousand acres. These units do not necessarily contain towns or villages. (Some are completely unihabited! ) They usually consist of several farms, though the smallest ones could be just one farm. The largest ones could have 30 or 40 farms, depending on the size of the townland and the farms. They are the most specific address for rural people. Of course if you can have a townland with ten different families each on their own farm, each using the name of the townland as the address--the postman knows who is who and who lives in which house. But you could drive down the road and pass through several different townlands, and never know it, because there aren't any signs to say so. You'd have to ask a local person. Drumhack is a townland of 92 acres in the civil parish of Aghalurcher. The nearest sizable town is probably Lisnaskea, since it is in that "poor law union." For an explanation of that term, go back to the PRONI site! Maguiresbridge is a village in the same parish (Aghalurcher). I don't have a map handy, but Drumhack is probably not far from it. Aghavea is both the name of a townland and another parish, which borders Aghalurcher. In fact, Aghalurcher almost surrounds Aghavea. Go to the PRONI site and check the map for parishes of Fermanagh. Hope this helps a little! Janet C-S