135 Knock More Road, Rossinure Beg, Derrygonnelly, Co Fermanagh, BT93 6GM

A single-storey, three-bay vernacular house built of squared random limestone rubble, located on an exposed hillside high above Rossinure Beg with spectacular north-easterly views. The building occupies a long lane setting and sits within a small enclosed field with associated outbuildings.

The main house has a pitched corrugated metal roof aligned north to south, now collapsed at the south end. Two rubble limestone coped chimneys survive — one on the right gable and another on the party wall between the left and central bays — while a third chimney on the left gable is missing, though the brick chimneybreast remains. The walls are built of rubble stone with remnants of lime render in places, and rubble stone skews complete the gable treatment.

The centre and right bays appear to form the original two-bay structure. The main entrance is positioned to the right of the central bay, sheltered within a small shallow porch built from the same stone as the main block and roofed in cast concrete; the left side of this porch has collapsed, and the door and frame are gone. To the left of the entrance is a small window opening with rendered reveals, no cill, and a stone lintel. A similar single window to the right bay has partially collapsed. The left bay contains a slightly larger and similarly detailed window set to the right of centre, suggesting a later addition, although no visible wall break is evident. Both gables are blank. The rear elevation has a partially collapsed window to the central bay and a blocked window to the left bay.

The walls retain dressed stone quality but have lost much architectural detail. A concrete paved yard to the front is enclosed by a five-coursed concrete block wall to the north and east.

Adjacent to the house stands a two-storey outbuilding with pitched corrugated metal roof aligned west to east, constructed of rubble stone walls with large squared stone quoins. The north-facing elevation (yard side) contains two doorways and a small window to the right end; the first floor has a loading doorway. The left (east) gable is irregularly cement-rendered with two small square window openings on each floor. The rear (south) elevation has a square window at ground floor and a loading door to the first floor. The right (west) gable is blank and partially collapsed at the top.

To the south of both buildings is a small enclosed field, possibly a former kitchen garden. A small modern single-storey office in rendered concrete blockwork has been erected on its east side. Nearby are several chambered graves and caves.

Historical Context

The house is believed to have been the freehold of Hugh Acheson, listed as a registered freeholder at Rossinure Beg in 1767 and commemorated by a headstone in the old Derrygonnelly graveyard dated to his death in 1807 at age 71. The house appears on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map but was not cited in the first valuation, indicating a value of less than £5 per year. The second valuation (1860) cites Edward Acheson as occupant, with the house valued at £1. Charles Acheson appears as occupant from 1867, Jane Acheson from 1877, and William Hugh Acheson from 1914; the house value remained at £1 throughout this period. The property remained in the hands of the same family until the late 1950s, and the owner in 1999 was also of this lineage.

The farm has local historical significance through its connection with Dominic Noon, a well-known local figure in Ribbon Men history. It is believed Noon worked on this farm before joining the Ribbon Men movement. He was later discovered to be a police informer and was murdered by the Ribbon Men in 1845; his body was disposed of at a location now known as Noon's Hole near Boho, approximately 5 kilometres from the site.

The building functioned as a dwelling until the late 1950s and remained thatched until 1961, after which it was converted to use as a byre. The outbuilding is not shown on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map, indicating it was a later addition to the farmstead.