Fermanagh
County of Northern Ireland
Area:
1,680 sq km/648 sq mi
Towns and Cities:
Enniskillen (county town), Lisnaskea, Irvinestown
Physical:
In the centre is a broad trough of low-lying land, in which lie Upper
and Lower Lough Erne
Industries:
Clothing, tweeds, cotton thread, food processing, light engineering,
china, tourism, electronics
Agriculture:
Small farms, livestock, potatoes
Population:
(1991) 50,000
Physical
Upper and Lower Lough Erne bisect the county, the southwest portion
of which consists of a series of scenic limestone hills that rise
to 663 m/ 2,175 ft in Mount Cuilcagh, and contain several remarkable
cave systems, notably at Marble Arch. Eastwards, the hills are
lower and largely composed of sandstone. Lough Erne has many wooded
islands and is used for fishing and sailing. Upper Lough Erne
is particularly noted for its game fishing.
Features
There are a number of fine castles and tower houses dating from the
plantation period, most notably the well-preserved remains of
Monea Castle. On Devenish Island, Lower Lough Erne, are the extensive
ruins of a monastery, originally founded in the 6th century by
St Molaise. Florence Court, a Georgian mansion and forest park,
was the home of the Earl of Enniskillen. Castle Coole is a neo-
classical, late 18th-century house, and was the home of the Earls
of Belmore. Crom Castle Estate, on the shores of Upper Lough Erne,
is an important wetland conservation area and has 770 ha/1,903
acres of woodland and parkland, and the ruins of a castle built
in 1611 stand in the grounds. (Florence Court, Castle Coole, and
Crom Castle are now in the curatorship of the National Trust.)
|
Top
