Of loughs and legends
Malcolm Rogers journeys to Co. Fermanagh, the most watery corner of Ulter’s nine counties.
Coarse fishing isn’t where you stand on the bank screaming at the salmon: “F*** you, fishies! Come and bite, would you!”
No, it’s all about the type of fish you catch. Pike would be coarse, but salmon or trout, for instance, would not. Not sure where tuna would fit in, but I heard no mention of them, so kept quiet.
Now I’m not a great one for fishing. I don’t mind eating them of course. I’m a fully paid up member of the hypocrites’ society — but just couldn’t really get any enjoyment out of doing it for sport.
On the other hand, if you could do it in the grounds of your own castle — even for a weekend — then it might be a different story.
And as you will have gathered from that last sentence, that very thing is indeed available. Belle Isle Castle sounds as if it should be in the Mediterranean, but is, in fact, a 17th century Anglo-Irish pile complete with own island, lough and fish, in one of the most radiantly beautiful parts of Ireland, near Lisbellaw in Co. Fermanagh.
Now, before I go any further, let me tell you what it costs: 1,550 of your British pounds, which is still the local currency in these far-flung parts where Tony Blair’s writ still runs.
But the various cottages and castle buildings sleep 14, so if you’re a couple of families — or as we were, a loose association of friends who have accumulated over the decades — it actually works out at just over £100 apiece. Which is tremendous value and absolutely first class craic as well.
If you don’t want to fish, you shoot and stalk (to be fair, nobody in our party did, not even the Scottish woman), or simply hire a boat and strike out for the surrounding lakes and neighbouring islands. There are 450 acres of private land to explore in all.
If you’re particularly sporty there’s an all-weather tennis court in the picturesque walled garden. And should you get bored of that (or the company) several castles nearby provide diversion: Enniskillen Castle is now a military museum, while Castle Coole boasts verdant gardens. And there’s the very horticulturally famous and significant Florence Court. (See under: TREES, VERY IMPORTANT.)
Actually, don’t bother looking up the trees bit — I’ll do it quickly for you now. Florence Court is the former demesne of the Earls of Enniskillen, now run partly by the Forestry Service — and so it should. Because as well as more trees than you could shake a very long stick at, the park can also lay claim to one VIT (Very Important Tree). This is the Florence Court Yew, from which the strain known as the Irish yew — familiar in graveyards throughout the world — was propagated. Every Irish yew tree in the world, no matter where you see it, came from this original plant. The original tree, grown from a seedling circa 1750, can be found lurking unassumingly near the main house.
Okay, if you want to get over the excitement of the yew tree, get the old walking boots on, muster the party together, and strike out for the summit of Cuilcagh. At 2,188 feet it’s a reasonable schlep — nothing too demanding, but if the weather closes in, you’d probably be better off heading back. They didn’t call my famous explorer uncle Hugo Furst for nothing. Caution is my middle name.
However, assuming that the day is as bright as the holiday brochures would suggest it often is, then it’s an idyllic walk. In spring, with the cuckoos calling, and the bluebells and primroses out, it’s hard not to believe you’re in a fairy tale. (See below: WB YEATS, DRUG-TAKING.)
The route up to Cuilgach summit is waymarked by yellow-painted posts, and begins in leafy lanes just beyond Florence Court.
The whole of Cuilcagh Mountain Park is an entrancing patchwork of woodland, peakland, wetland and mountain, and the surrounding land is made up of sleepy boreens and quiet back roads. In fact, the best way to see the area is by bike. Ireland is rightly proud of its cyclists Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche, and has even hosted the Tour de France, but growing numbers of less committed biking hordes now appreciate the country’s two-wheel touring potential. Let’s just say this is not part of the country that will be facing congestion charges anytime in the near future. The Kingfisher Trail, a 230-mile cycle route that takes you through Fermanagh and four neighbouring counties, is a figure-of-eight route utilising the area’s quietest roads. And if you don’t fancy lugging your luggage round Ireland, Irish Cycling Safaris will carry it for you. (See the Fact File.)
Fermanagh is the heartland of the historic province of Ulster, surrounded as it is by counties Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and Tyrone. In its midst lies the vast expanse of Lough Erne, the centre of a vast complex of waterways that covers a staggering one third of the county in fish-filled, pure water.
Open, clean and un-congested, Lough Erne is simply ideal for fishing and cruising. Since the re-opening of the canal link to the Shannon, from Lough Erne here down to the Atlantic is the longest navigable inland waterway in Europe. You can enjoy the scenery at the helm of a luxurious holiday cruiser, and watch as the lovely lough-land countryside slips gently by, while you sip from a mug of freshly-brewed coffee — or perhaps something a little stronger — on the gentlest waterways in Europe. (Visit www.a1.ie for operators offering holidays on the Erne waterways.)
Although Fermanagh is famous for its lakeland, you can’t really visit the county without seeing its exceptional underground water system, the Marble Arch cave system. This mesmerising world of subterranean rivers, waterfalls, winding underground passages and lofty chambers is one of Europe’s finest and most accessible collections of stalagmites and stalactites. (Handy tip: the mites go up and the tites come down.)
Spectacular walkways allow access to the caves where seeping acid water, lime and carbon dioxide have interacted since the Ice Age to produce chambers of silent beauty. Powerful, brilliant lighting reveals huge caverns and shimmering white terraces in all their undisturbed splendour.
Tours on board quiet electric boats will take you round this remarkable limestone cave system.
Back on dry land and out into the open air, where the verdant countryside of Fermanagh seems almost ridiculously green compared to the whiteness of the underworld you’ve recently glided through.
Fermanagh can provide you with holidays ranging from the subterranean to the sybaritic, and from the energetic to the plain slothful. It’s not on many people’s holiday list, and regrettably, that desperate old warmonger Winston Churchill probably said the most famous words ever about the county. In 1922 he told the House of Commons “The whole map of Europe has changed, but as the deluge subsides and the waters fall short we see the dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone emerging once again.”
Eighty years later, it is not just the map of Europe that has changed, but the map of the world. And to wax lyrical for a moment, you could say that everybody needs some oasis of tranquillity, some refuge of peace in these troubled times.
Which is why so many people have lately been discovering Fermanagh: soul-searching spiritualists, romantic couples, poets, as well as sports people and energetic families.
As WB Yeats put it: “Come away, o’ human child, To the waters and the wild, With a faery hand in hand.”
Old Willie knew a mystical place when he saw it.
Rolling in the isles
Both Upper and Lower Lough Erne have a maze of islands, the very stuff of Cú Chullainn legends. Most are suitable for landing by boat. The larger ones include:
White Island, Lower Lough Erne. With a 12th century abbey and pre-Christian artefacts. It’s on the B82, three miles south of Kesh. Tel: 028 6862 1333.
Devenish Island, Lough Erne. With a 12th century round tower and the remains of an Augustinian abbey with a carved 15th century high cross in the graveyard.
There’s a small museum, and a ferry crosses to the island from Trory Point. Take the lane at the junction of the A32/B82, 1.5 miles north of
Enniskillen.
Inishmacsaint Island, Lower Lough Erne. This is the site of the 6th century St. Ninniad’s abbey.
Boa Island, Lower Lough Erne. In Cladragh graveyard on the island stands a weird funeral statue, depicting human figures back-to-back. It is probably of pre-Christian origin.
Cleenish Island, Upper Lough Erne. Site of the famous missionary, St. Sinnell, where he prepared for his evangelising in Europe.
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