Enniskillen Castle
Dated back to over 600 years ago, this magnificent place is a must see when visiting the county of Fermanagh. With some of the original Keep and Watergate still intact, and housing two museums within, Enniskillen Castle is definitely an impressive piece of history in Fermanagh.
Located by the side of the River Erne, Enniskillen Castle dates to around 600 years ago. It was originally built by the Gaelic Maguire Chieftains, who ruled Fermanagh at the time. The chieftain at the time was a King Thomas Maguire and it was his brother, Hugh ‘the hospitable’ Maguire who is said to have built the castle. In those early days, the castle was all but a small tower house and it defended one of the few passes into Ulster through Fermanagh and so for this reason it played a very important and detrimental part in the history of Fermanagh. From 1508 to 1602 the castle was attacked nine times, once being burnt to the ground in 1508 before being rebuilt, by the Irish and the English and sometimes both together! The castle was refurbished as a barracks in 1796 against a threat from French invasion, and throughout the 19th century was expanded on. Some of these expansion buildings still exist today. The original 15th century Keep is where The Inniskillings Museum and the Fermanagh County Museum is located today and visitors are welcome to come and experience what it was like to live in Fermanagh at the time the castle was built.
Enniskillen Castle by itself will entertain everyone of any age, however, with the museums and the castle shop where one can buy souvenirs for family and friends, the castle is just a small part of what visitors will experience when they visit. Accompanied with peaceful surroundings and an action filled history, Enniskillen Castle will fail to disappoint.