McBrien’s, Cornahoule, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, BT92 9FH

McBrien’s is a one and a half storey, three-bay direct entry thatched house located in the townland of Cornahoule, near Derrylin, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. Likely built between 1820 and 1839, it retains a largely unaltered layout and detailing, representing a rare survival of a vernacular thatched dwelling. The exterior walls are roughly plastered and whitened. The thatched roof terminates in cement skews and is punctuated by two corbelled chimney stacks without pots, one serving the kitchen and parlour fireplaces and the other the bedroom fireplace. The house faces southwest, accessed via a short lane branching from the Derrylin/Belturbet road about a mile and a half from the former village.

The front features a timber-sheeted entrance door within a gabled porch, topped with timber bargeboards and fibre cement slates. Flanking the door are three metal-framed windows with sills set in original openings. The gables are unadorned, and a small rear kitchen window now houses an electrical control box. A store abuts the northwest gable, roofed with corrugated iron and accessed via a timber ledged and braced door. The interior is notable for the retention of the original kitchen hearth, staircase position, and, crucially, the completely unaltered roof structure.

A building is depicted on an Ordnance Survey map from 1834/35, but it was not recorded in the first valuation of approximately 1835. It appears in the second valuation of 1862, occupied by Patrick Kearn, and owned by William Thomas Mulvanny, with a rateable value of 10 shillings. While the 1834/35 map shows the house without outbuildings, the 1857/62 map indicates the presence of an outbuilding to the southeast. The thatch was assessed as being in fair condition in 1992 and received some patching work in 1994, with further attention noted as required, particularly on the rear slope. A full re-thatching was undertaken in 1999 using rye straw. The building exhibits architectural interest due to its style, proportions, plan form, and structural system, as well as the quality and survival of its interior. It also holds local historical interest and demonstrates rarity.