Page 278 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

276  IRELAND REGION B Y REGION

o Enniskillen
Road map C2. Co Fermanagh.
* 15,000. @ n Wellington Road
(028 6632 3110). ( Thu.
∑ fermanaghlakelands.com
The busy tourist centre of
Enniskillen occupies an island
between Upper and Lower
Lough Erne. The town gained
fame for the wrong reason in
1987, when 11 people died
in an IRA bomb attack, but it
deserves a visit for its setting
and sights.
At the west end of town
stands Enniskillen Castle,
dating from the 15th century. Enniskillen Castle seen from across the River Erne
It houses Fermanagh County
Museum and the Inniskilling + Enniskillen Castle pavilions at each end. The stone
Regimental Museum. Its most Tel 028 6632 5000. Open Jul & Aug: was shipped from Dorset to
stunning feature, however, is 10am–5pm Tue–Fri, 2–5pm Sat–Mon; Ballyshannon. The first Earl of
the Watergate, a fairy-tale twin- Apr–Jun & Sep-Oct: 10am–5pm Belmore, who commis sioned
turreted tower, best admired Tue–Fri, 2–5pm Mon & Sat; Nov–Mar: the house in the 1790s, was
from the far bank of the river. 10am–5pm Tue–Fri, 2–5pm Mon. almost bank rupted by the cost
Further west, Portora Royal Closed 23 Dec–2 Jan. & = 7 of it. The original design was by
limited. ∑ enniskillencastle.co.uk
School, founded in 1618, counts Irish architect Richard John ston,
among its old boys the play- but the Earl then com missioned
wrights Oscar Wilde and Samuel Environs a second set of drawings by the
Beckett (see pp26–7). Just outside town, set in a park fashionable English architect
The Cole Monument stands with mature oak woodland James Wyatt. The extravagant
in a pretty Victorian park on overlooking a lake, is Castle Earl died, deep in debt, in 1802
the east side of town. It is a Coole, one of the finest Neo- and it was left to his son to
tall Doric column with a spiral Classical homes in Ireland. It has complete during the 1820s.
staircase that can be climbed for a long Portland stone façade, The glory of Castle Coole is
views of the lake country. with a central portico and small that almost all the house’s
ori ginal furniture is still in place.
Family portraits from the 18th
century line the walls of the
dining room. In the lavish State
Bedroom there is a bed made
specially for King George IV on
the occasion of his visit to
Ireland in 1821, though in the
end he never came here to
sleep in it. One of the finest
rooms is the oval saloon (or
ballroom) at the back of the
house. The furnishings may not
be to everyone’s taste, but the
spacious oak-floored room
produces a magnificent effect
of unostentatious luxury.

P Castle Coole
Off A4, 2.4 km (1.5 miles) SE of
Ennis killen. Tel 028 6632 2690.
House: Open mid-Mar–end May &
Sep: 11am–5pm Sat & Sun; Jun–Aug:
11am–5pm daily. Closed Sep–Mar.
& 8 mandatory for house. 7 =
- Park: Open Mar–Oct: 10am–7pm
daily; Nov–Feb: 10am–4pm daily.
The saloon at Castle Coole, with original Regency furnishings ∑ nationaltrust.org.uk
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp302–3 and pp323–5

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2)
Date 14th November 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm