Enniskillen is a small town of 13,500 inhabitants in Northern Ireland, in the heart of County Fermanagh, surrounded by numerous lakes and rivers, including Lough Erne. Renowned for its Enniskillen Castle, the town also boasts a number of top-quality tourist attractions that are sure to enchant you! Full steam ahead!

History of Enniskillen

A thriving medieval town

Enniskillen is a medieval town, once owned by the Maguire family of wealthy Irishmen, who were at the head of a fleet of over 1,500 boats stationed on the town’s various surrounding lakes. But it was in the 18th century that the British took control of the town. Numerous Irish-English confrontations resulted in bloody losses and bitter defeats for the Irish from 1641 to 1689.
Enniskillen, at the heart of the nationalist struggle

It was in the 19th century that Enniskillen once again became essentially Catholic, and took up the cause of Irish nationalism. Unfortunately for the town, the Treaty of London (December 21, 1921) led to the partition of the island of Ireland into 2, and Enniskillen became part of Northern Ireland, then under British rule.

From 1969 to 1998, Enniskillen was at the center of the so-called “Troubles”, a period of some 30 years when British troops clashed with IRA troops. through deadly bomb attacks and repeated assassinations. Of these, Enniskillen’s most significant event was the Remembrance Day Bombing of 1987, when 11 people perished in an IRA bomb attack.