COUNCIL plans to redevelop Enniskillen’s old workhouse and turn it into a hub for aspiring entrepreneurs has been described as “insensitive” towards the many people buried at the site in unmarked graves.
The ambitious plans, to the tune of over £1 million, were outlined at a recent Regeneration and Community Committee meeting, during which it was explained that the Council would work in partnership with South West College (SWC), which is developing a new campus on the old hospital site, near the Workhouse, due for completion in 2019. 
The Council has already submitted a first-round application to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Enterprise Programme for the restoration and development of the former Workhouse building. 
A report, presented to Committee members stated that, once the work was completed, part of the building would be allocated to telling the story of the history of the Workhouse. 
But Enniskillen woman, Rita Cassidy, believes the future of the Workhouse and what happens to it should be in the hands of the general public.
“Could you imagine the reaction if somebody decided in 100 years time to build a ‘hub’ on top of Breandrum Cemetery? There would be outcry. So why would it be any different for a paupers’ graveyard?
“In America , they treasure every memory and every scrap of their history. But here, we seem to have a blasé attitude towards the rich local history we have.
“To me, that workhouse was for people that were in dire need. It should never be an entrepreneur’s hub. It is not for the Council to decide what to do -- that building belongs to the poor people of Fermanagh.”
The administrator of the Enniskillen Family and Friends community Facebook page would like to seemore recreational work carried out on the old workhouse in order for it to become an educational centre for school children to learn about their local history.
“I never learned anything about the workhouse when I was in school,” she says, “Anything that I know about it has come from me Googling about it and I think that is such a shame. I don’t think the history of the workhouse should be glossed over in any way -- it is a vital part of our local history. Any one of us could have family connections to the workhouse, but we might not know because people are buried up there in unmarked graves.
“The workhouse is a representation of the pain and suffering of our ancestors, we as a town lost many in the workhouse as poverty ravished our townland.”
A spokesperson for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said: “The Council in partnership with South West College is at an early stage of identifying potential funders which may have an interest in supporting the future development of the former Enniskillen Workhouse.  One such funder is the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).  In the event that the HLF wish to support the development of the Workhouse, the Council and College would embark on a detailed design process which would consider the future of the  building which is also sympathetic to its former use.
“The Council has not received any complaints in relation to the proposed project.”