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County Fermanagh

The least populated of Northern Ireland's six counties, Fermanagh is dominated by lakes and waterways. About 80km long, Lough Erne is made up of two sections: the Upper Lough to the south of Enniskillen, and the Lower Lough to the north. The two are connected by the River Erne, which begins its journey in County Cavan and meets the sea at Donegal Bay west of Ballyshannon. This is a great region for exploring with your own wheels, picnicking at will and enjoying no end of water sports and other aquatic activities.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout County Fermanagh.

  • See

    Belleek Pottery Visitor Centre

    The imposing Georgian-style building beside Belleek's main bridge houses the world-famous Belleek Pottery, founded in 1857. It has been producing fine Parian china ever since, and is especially noted for its delicate basketware; pieces are available to buy in the shop. You can see the pottery being made on guided tours of the factory floor, which run every half-hour from 9.30am to 12.15pm and 1.45pm to 4pm weekdays year-round (to 3pm on Fridays), plus summer weekends. There's also a small museum, showroom and cafe.

  • See

    Caldragh Graveyard

    Spooky, moss-grown Caldragh Graveyard contains the intriguing Dreenan Figure. It's often called a Janus figure, but it's actually two separate figures placed back to back. It's thought to date from the early Christian period and perhaps represent the war goddess Badhbh, a frightening figure in local folklore. Nearby is a smaller figure called Lusty Man, brought here from Lusty More island. There's a sign indicating the graveyard about 1.5km from the bridge at the western tip of Boa Island. The exact origins and meanings of the figures remain unclear. The Dreenan Figure, which has been in the graveyard since at least 1841, was believed for many years to date from the pagan Iron Age and be as much as 2000 years old; it's now thought to date from the early Christian period, from 500 to 1000 AD. There's no information about the enigmatic figures at the graveyard itself.

  • See

    White Island

    White Island is the most haunting of Lough Erne's monastic sites. At the eastern tip of the island are the ruins of a small 12th-century church with a beautiful Romanesque door on its southern side. Inside are eight extraordinary stone figures, thought to date from the 9th century, lined up along the wall like miniature Easter Island statues. A ferry makes the 15-minute crossing to the island from the marina at Castle Archdale. The line-up is a modern arrangement; most of the figures were discovered buried in the walls of the church in the 19th century, where the medieval masons had used them as ordinary building stones. The six main figures, all created by the same hand, are flanked on the left by a sheila-na-gig (carved female figure with exaggerated genitalia), which is probably contemporary with the church, and flanked on the right by a scowling stone face. The age and interpretation of these figures have been the subject of much debate; it has been suggested that the two central pairs, of equal height, were pillars that once supported a pulpit, and that they represent either saints or aspects of the life of Christ.

  • See

    Castle Archdale Country Park

    This park has pleasant woodland and lakeshore walks and cycle tracks, in the former estate of 18th-century Archdale Manor and the adjacent forest park, which also contains the ruins of 17th-century Archdale Castle. The island-filled bay was used in WWII as a base for Catalina flying boats, a history explained in the small museum in the country park visitor centre.