Enniskillen

Introducing Enniskillen

Perched amid the web of waterways that link Upper and Lower Lough Erne, Enniskillen (Inis Ceithleann, meaning Caitlin’s Island) is an appealing town with a mile-long main street that rides the roller-coaster spine of the island’s drumlin. (The locals say you’re only a true Enniskilliner if you were born ‘between the bridges’; that is, on the town’s central island.) Its attractive waterside setting, bustling with boats in summer, plus a range of lively pubs and restaurants, make Enniskillen a good base for exploring Upper and Lower Lough Erne, Florencecourt and the Marble Arch Caves.

Though neither was born here, both Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett were pupils at Enniskillen’s Portora Royal School (Wilde from 1864 to 1871, Beckett from 1919 to 1923); it was here that Beckett first studied French, a language he would later write in. The town’s name is also prominent in the history of the Troubles – on Poppy Day (11 November) in 1987 an IRA bomb killed 11 innocent people during a service at Enniskillen’s war ­memorial.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009