County Fermanagh (Irish: Contae Fhear Manach) is a largely rural county in the south-west of Northern Ireland and is famed for its numerous lakes. County Fermanagh belongs to the province of Ulster and is one of the six counties that form Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's western most county and covers an area of 1,691 km². Its capital (County Town) is Enniskillen housing the tourist attractions of Enniskillen Castle, Cole's Monument, the Ardhowen Theatre and Saint Macartin's Cathedral.
County Fermanagh is a rural area and therefore agriculture and tourism are the most important industries. The agricultural land is mainly used for hay and grazing than for other crops. The two lakes Upper Lough Erne and Lower Lough Erne are separated by the county's capital and linked to the river Shannon.
Towns
- 1 Enniskillen (Inis Ceithleann, "Ceithlenn's island") – situated between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne
- 2 Belcoo on the Irish border is near Florence Court and Marble Arch Caves.
- 3 Belleek (Béal Leice, "mouth of the flagstones") - with Belleek Pottery, the oldest pottery in Ireland producing the finest china.
- 4 Irvinestown near Necarne Castle and Castle Archdale is a good base for exploring Lower Lough Erne.
- 5 Lisnaskea is near Upper Lough Erne, with Crom Estate.
Understand
Get in
See Belfast for long-distance travel options. The principal airports in Northern Ireland are Belfast International (BFS IATA) and George Best Belfast City (BHD IATA), both a 2-hour drive away. City of Derry Airport (LDY IATA) is slightly closer, with a limited range of flights.
Dublin Airport (DUB IATA) is about a 2 hr 30 min drive; it has the best range of flights with competitive fares. Check the rules on cross-border driving, which changed in 2021.
There are ferries from Great Britain to Belfast, Larne and Dublin.
Enniskillen has buses from Belfast, Dublin, Sligo and Donegal.
Get around
Enniskillen is the county transport hub, with buses from Belfast, Dublin, Sligo and Donegal, so anywhere along those transport corridors (such as Belcoo) has a reasonable service. Anywhere else has little or no public transport, you need your own wheels. Car hire in Enniskillen is possible but you'll do better to hire from your arrival airport. "Drive on the left!" they warn you, but have you seen the width of the back lanes hereabouts?
A network of national cycleways crosses the county, though they're mostly on road.
See
- Castles: choose from the sternly functional (Enniskillen Castle became a barracks), the tumbledown (such as Necarne and Archdale at Irvinestown), and the decorative (such as Castle Coole in Enniskillen), and make-overs such as Crom near Lisnaskea.
- Shabby abbeys: all the religious foundations were broken by the Dissolution circa 1540, but some continued as parish churches and graveyards. These include Aghalurcher near Lisnaskrea, and Devenish Island reached from Trory near Enniskillen.
- Karst and caves: southwest along the border near Belcoo is limestone country, with Burren Park above ground and Marble Arch Caves below.
Do
- Boating: trips and hire are mostly from Enniskillen and marinas on the lower lough. There's less on the upper lough, though its many islets make it more sheltered - the lower lough is open and aligned with the prevailing breeze, so the waves can really mount up.
- Gaelic games: Fermanagh GAA play football and hurling at Brewster Park in Enniskillen. There are about 20 GAA clubs across the county.
- Caves: beyond the show caves of Marble Arch lies an extensive system for suitably skilled cavers to explore. They're often flooded, all that rainfall has to go somewhere.
Buy
Pounds sterling (£) are official currency, but many retailers accept Euro notes though not coins.
Eat
- Bar meals and the better hotels are always your go-to.
- Watermill Restaurant is a highly-rated thatched establishment on Upper Lough Erne near Lisnaskrea.
- Just for a change, Dollakis in Enniskillen is Greek.
Sleep
- Camp in style at Castle Archdale by Irvinestown.
- Fermanagh doesn't have chain hotels and the mainstay of local accommodation is B&B, but these mostly didn't open in 2020 or early 2021.
- Splurge places include Belle Isle and Knockninny near Lisnacrea, and Lusty Beg near Irvinestown.
Stay safe
- Your main hazard is always traffic, and never underestimate the local waters. Beyond that it's about protecting your valuables, eg in parked cars.
Go next
- North East to County Tyrone
- North West to County Donegal, Ireland
- South East to County Monaghan, Ireland
- South West to County Leitrim, Ireland
- South to County Cavan, Ireland