Enniskillen Castle, Enniskillen, United Kingdom

The first Enniskillen castle was built on this site by Hugh Macguire in 1428. It featured greatly in Irish rebellions against English rule in the 16th century and was taken after an eight-day siege in 1594. Captain William Cole remodelled and refurbished the castle adding the riverside tower at the south, known as the Watergate, in 1609.

The castle was remodelled as “Castle Barracks” as part of the response to a threat of a French invasion in 1796. Castle Barracks became the home of the 27th Regiment of Foot in 1853. The barracks continued to be used by other regiments and, from November 1939, they became to home of the North Irish Horse, a Territorial Army unit.

The barracks were decommissioned in 1950 and were converted for use as council depot. The castle was subsequently opened to the public as a heritage centre.

The castle consists of two sections, a central tower keep and a curtain wall which was strengthened with small turrets called Bartizans. The design of the castle has strong Scottish influences. This can be particularly seen in the Watergate, which features two corbelled circular tourelles which were built about 1609.

The castle is now home to the Fermanagh County Museum, which focuses on the county's history, culture and natural history. Exhibits include the area's prehistory, natural history, traditional rural life, local crafts and Belleek Pottery, and history of the castle. It also contains information on the Maguire family. The castle also houses the Inniskillings Museum, which is the regimental museum of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Michelle Puddu (5 months ago)
Great walk around the outside, lovely place to visit. A scenic location on the water.

Nathan Tsang (6 months ago)
Had a great experience here and learned about a lot of history that I didn't expect here. You must stop by here if you get a chance. The area is very scenic

Lisa (6 months ago)
Had a great wee day in Enniskillen Castle. It was raining but actually a perfect way to spend a wet day. Lots of interesting things to see. There is a cafe there too but we had already ate so didn't go to it. It cost £5.80 for me (adult), I had 2 of my kids with me and they got discounted rate as they are students.

M L (6 months ago)
Castle grounds are fanatic - didn’t go to he museum (unless you are a military, esp WW1 enthusiast maybe it’s for you). Also be aware one part of the museum closes for lunch between 1-2pm. Free parking all around, plenty of walking ground and benches for sitting down all around which is just fantastic. We had a lovely walk after dinner in this area. Even had our takeaway in this beautiful area too. Ducks and swans followed us around quaking after we finished ??☀️? but overall really nice peaceful area (the peace may depend on the time you go). The walkway around the boat area was also so nice ?

Michael Gregory (6 months ago)
The improvements to the castle visitor centre have enhanced this historic place. Spent nearly 2 hours looking around. Will come back again.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Enniskillen Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus