The name An tIompú Deiseal ("the right-hand turn") may refer to a bend in the Tempo River near the village. There is a local legend that Saint Patrick left a manuscript here on his way to Enniskillen and that he told his servant to "turn right" to go back and retrieve it.^[2]

On 25 October 1920, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) raided the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks in Tempo for weapons. RIC sergeant Samuel Lucas was shot and fatally wounded, but a group of armed Ulster Volunteers arrived and drove off the IRA unit. Shortly after, a Catholic civilian with republican sympathies, Philip Breen, was shot in the doorway of his family's pub in the village and later died of his wounds.^[3]

Tempo is the birthplace of Young Irelander Terence MacManus, one of the leaders of the 1848 Rebellion.^[4]

Schools and pre-schools serving the area include Tempo Controlled Primary School, St. Mary's Primary School and the Tempo Community Playgroup.^{[citation needed]}

Tempo Manor is a Victorian Manor House, built in 1863 and standing in 300 acres (1.2 km²) of grounds and woodlands.

Campbell's Bar is the oldest public house in the town and is known for its reported supernatural sightings.^{[citation needed]} The Fermanagh News reported the bar as the most haunted place in Fermanagh in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

Tempo is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 533 people living in Tempo. Of these:

• 23.2% were aged under 16 years and 21.5% were aged 60 and over
• 48.2% of the population were male and 51.8% were female
• 69.0% were from a Catholic background and 30.4% were from a Protestant background
• 5.7% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

• List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland

• Enniskillen.com
• Culture Northern Ireland