Lower Lough Erne
 Abbeys |  Castles |
Lower Lough Erne has had a profound effect on the history of Co. Fermanagh. The earliest people to settle in the region lived on and around the two lakes, many of the islands here are in fact crannogs (early Celtic artificial islands). Of the Lower & Upper Loughs, by far the most popular of the Erne's ancient sites are found in the Lower Lough. A tour around Lower Lough Erne is a journey through cultural history from the prehistoric, Celtic and Iron Age period, which began roughly around 500BC, through the long transition to Christianity a millennium later and down the ensuing centuries to the Plantation of Ulster and the 1641 uprising. The journey is recorded through a series of remarkable stone monuments, pagan and semi-pagan deities, early Christian images, round towers and castles.
White Island lies off the western shore of the Lower Lough and is home to a ruined abbey, the remains of which date from the 12 th century. There is archaeological evidence of an earlier wooden structure, which may well be contemporaneous with the curious stone figures built into the interior north wall. These carvings are thought to date from the 8 th and 9 th centuries and despite their appearance being eerily pagan, many authorities consider their presence as compelling evidence for White Island being one of Ireland's earliest Christian sites. There remains something mysterious and even haunting about these large grimacing faces, but Christian significance has been attached to their belongings - bell, staff, sword, shield, pouch and small griffins. One of the figures is certainly less easy to attribute to Christianity, the Sheila-na-Gig . With bulging cheeks, a big grin, open legs and arms pointing to her genitals, this could be a fertility figure, a warning to monks of sins of the flesh or an expression of the demoniacal power of women, designed to ward off evil; these hags were usually associated with medieval churches. The church cemetery also contains 11 th century gravestones, while the large earthworks round the outside date from the period of an earlier monastery.
One of the most evocative of the carvings of Lower Lough Erne is the double-faced Janus figure of Boa Island, located at the northern end of the Lower Lough; Boa is barely an island at all these days as its connected to the mainland by a number of bridges. The Janus is quite extraordinary, two figures joined by their backs, with interwoven hair and sharing a belt; they have strange penetrating eyes that evoke Celtic magic in a startling manner. The figure was quite probably an invocation of fertility and a depiction of a god-hero; despite being pagan in conception the idol is situated in an early Christian burial ground. Virtually nothing is known about how the transition from paganism to Christianity was experienced in Ireland. Alongside the Janus figure stands another smaller idol known as the Lustymore or Lusty Man since it was brought to Boa Island from nearby Lusty Beg Island. Although not as intriguing, it is carved in a squatting posture, and has been likened to Sheila-na-gig figures - however, this is mostly conjecture.
An important site in the Lower Lough, and definitely worth a trip, is Devenish Island, located off its southern shores just north of Enniskillen. St Molaise founded a monastic settlement on Devenish in the 6 th century, which became important enough during the early Christian period to have 1500 novices attached. Though plundered by Vikings in the 9 th and 12 th centuries, the monastery continued to be an important religious centre up until the Plantations. It's a delightful setting not far from the Lough shore and the ruins are considerable, spanning the entire medieval period. Most impressive are the sturdy oratory and the perfect example of a round tower over 80-ft high; both structures are dated to the 12 th century. This round tower is a particularly fine example and can be climbed right to the top - the Gaelic name for tower is cloig theach meaning ‘bell house'. The 13 th century St Molaise's Church is also very striking as is the ruined Augustinian priory, a 15 th century reconstruction of an earlier abbey. The priory has a fine Gothic sacristy door decorated with birds and vines. To the south is an unusual Celtic High Cross, one of Ireland's finest, with highly complex delicate carving. The island's own small museum includes some notable relics as well as detailed information about Devenish itself.
Monea Castle, 7-miles northwest of Enniskillen on the eastern shores of the Lough, is a particularly fine ruin of a planter's castle found in a beautiful setting at the end of a beech-lined lane. Built in about 1618, the castle bears the signs of Scottish influence in its design; four storeys high, with imposing towers, it was constructed with defence in mind. Monea suffered fire damage in the Great Rebellion of 1641 and again in 1689 when attacked by Jacobite armies; it was eventually abandoned in 1750 after yet another fire. Now the ruins slumber on, evocative of past times. Five miles further north the fortified house and bawn (castle enclosure) of Tully Castle, sits down by the Lough shore, itself set aflame by the Maguires in 1641. The castle and its formal garden have now been restored.
Belleek is a quiet little village on the northern shores of Lower Lough Erne, home to the Belleek Pottery Works, originally established in 1857. Visitors are permitted to see the firing, glazing and decorating processes in situ , where the craftsmen still employ 19 th century techniques to produce the world famous porcelain known as Belleek China.