Enniskillen always conjours up images of The Troubles for me so it was interesting to visit the town and castle I had heard so much about. I’d chosen a fantastic day for it, as the photos hopefully show. The strategic location of the town and castle is shown on the map below.
Visiting Enniskillen Castle
The castle and museum is signposted from the town and there is plenty of parking nearby. The river walks give great views of the castle although it is mostly the 18th century barracks that are now visible.
My Experience
The castle is in a fantastic location on the river and the outer walls are entirely intact. The barracks have been well restored and the courtyard hosts some military vehicles on display. The museums are held in the barracks and there are two museums there – Fermanagh County Museum and the Inniskillings Regimental Museum.
The main medieval feature that survives is the Watergate with its tower rooms reminiscent of the Scottish baronial style. The walls have been repurposed as walls for the barracks, losing the wall walks and crenellations in the process.
Enniskillen Castle Photo Gallery
History
Enniskillen Castle lies in the town by the same name, on the shore of the River Erne, in County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland.
The first castle at this site was a square tower house built by Hugh Maguire around 1415. Enniskillen Castle stood on an island between the canals connecting Lower an Upper Lough Erne, a strong defensive position, guarding one of the few passes into Ulster and defending Fermanagh from attack from neighbouring clans.
Enniskillen Castle was taken by the O’Donnells and the O’Neills frequently but often quickly retaken and rebuild by the Maguires. In 1508 the Maguires may have extended the castle to its present rectangular ground plan.
At the end of the 16th century, during the Nine Years War, the castle was taken several times by the English and retaken by the Maguires. In 1602 the castle was dismantled to prevent the English using it as a base and in the same year Niall Garbh O’Donnell and a force of English completed the destruction of the castle. The only remains of the medieval castle are the lower parts of the keep.
After 1607 the plantation town of Enniskillen was built on the island on which the castle stood. The present Enniskillen Castle was built on the foundations of its medieval predecessor by Sir William Cole, the Constable of Enniskillen. The turreted building, known as the Watergate, is the most important remainder of that time. Although its name suggests otherwise, this building never was a gate.
In 1796, because of the threat of a French invasion, Enniskillen Castle was refurbished as a barracks. Most of the buildings on the castle complex, besides the Watergate and the keep in the central courtyard, date from that time or later.
References
The museum site with visitor information is here.
The Discover Northern Ireland site has castle information plus further info on the surrounding area.
The Wiki site here has a concise history of the castle.
The history above is copied from the castles.nl site here.