Enniskillen Castle Museums


Enniskillen Castle, a former stronghold of the 16th-century Maguire chieftains, guards the western end of the town's central island, its twin-turreted Watergate looming over passing fleets of cabin cruisers. Within the walls is the refurbished Fermanagh County Museum, which has excellent displays and interactive exhibits on the county's history, archaeology, landscape and wildlife. It includes a fascinating gallery dedicated to the history of Fermanagh's waterways as a route for pilgrims travelling via Devenish Island to Lough Derg in Donegal.

In the ground-floor Lakelands Gallery, look for the 1000-year-old 35lb block of bog butter, unearthed by a Fermanagh farmer in 1980; it was probably buried in the bog to preserve it for consumption during winter.

The 15th-century castle keep contains the Inniskilling Museum, full of guns, uniforms and medals, including eight Victoria Crosses awarded in WWI; it's dedicated to the regiment that was raised at the castle in 1689 to support the army of William I.


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2. St Michael's Church

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Dominating the centre of Enniskillen, this soaring church dates to only 1875, having replaced an early church that was collapsing. There's lavish artwork…

3. Clock Tower

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4. War Memorial

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A bronze soldier stands atop a monument in memory of Fermanagh's war dead. Doves on the plinth commemorate the 11 people killed by an IRA bomb at the site…

5. Castle Coole

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This National Trust–owned neoclassical palace sits in 600 hectares of beautiful parkland containing a lake that's home to the UK's only nonmigratory…

6. Devenish Island

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Devenish Island, from Daimh Inis, meaning 'Ox Island', is the biggest of several 'holy islands' in Lough Erne. The remains of an Augustinian monastery,…

7. Sheelin Antique Irish Lace Shop

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This lace shop also houses a small collection of Irish lace dating from 1850 to 1900. Lace-making was an important cottage industry in the region both…

8. Florence Court

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Set in lovely wooded grounds in the shadow of Cuilcagh Mountain, Florence Court, 12km southwest of Enniskillen, is famous for its rococo plasterwork and…