The Ford of the Biscuits
The Arney is a small river with one very good story. On 7 August 1594, early in the Nine Years’ War, an English relief column under Sir Henry Duke was marching to break the siege of Enniskillen Castle when it was ambushed at a ford on the Arney by the Gaelic chiefs Hugh Maguire and Cormac MacBaron O’Neill. The English were routed, and their supplies – including the hard ship’s biscuits that fed the army – ended up floating down the river. That image stuck, and the fight has been the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits ever since.
A field beside the river is still called the Red Meadow. Local tradition ties the name to blood from the battle; it may just as easily come from the red brick fields that once lined the banks. Both explanations are repeated locally, and the honest answer is that nobody is certain.
What’s actually here
Set expectations first: this is quiet farmland with a river running through it, not a dramatic monument. What you get is a short, well-made community trail and the chance to stand where the ambush happened. The Arney Battlefield Trail, launched in December 2021, is a looped easy walk of about 1.9km (some listings say 1.8) starting at Cleenish Millennium Hall (Arney Hall) on the Arney Road. It rises gently over the surrounding countryside before dropping to the battle site, with interpretive panels covering the fight, the brickworks and the local wildlife. Allow about 40 minutes. During the heritage work that produced the trail, a rare Bronze Age sword was found on the riverbanks – a reminder that people have been living and fighting along this water far longer than 1594.
If you want more, the parallel Nixon Hall Trail (about 3.9km) starts from the same area.
The river itself
The Arney runs roughly 14km from Lower Lough MacNean to Upper Lough Erne through a wide, flat glacial valley between Belmore Mountain and the Cuilcagh uplands; the Cladagh River is its main tributary. There are six crossing points, five of them road bridges. The oldest, Arney Bridge, is the oldest bridge in County Fermanagh, dating from the early 1600s and now a B2 listed structure – it once carried the main coach road from Enniskillen to Dublin.
Paddling: the Arney is calm Grade 1 water, suitable for beginners and families, and forms a section of the Erne Canoe Trail linking the two loughs. Blue Green Yonder, a local outdoor-activity operator, runs guided trips in the area if you’d rather not go alone.
Angling: anglers fish here for salmon and trout, though the river is mostly perch. You’ll need the appropriate rod licence and permit before fishing – sort it out in advance rather than at the water.
The red brick
For two centuries the Arney was an industry as much as a river. From the 1700s into the 1800s, clay dug from the riverbed was fired into the distinctive red ‘Arney brick’, carried up to Enniskillen by water and used in buildings across the town and at Florence Court. In the 1850s William Cole, the 3rd Earl of Enniskillen, set up the Florencecourt Tilery to put the local clay and local labour to work. A community project in 2013–14 mapped the old brick fields and fired replica bricks, which is part of why the story is still told at all.
Practical information
- Parking: free at Arney Hall (Cleenish Millennium Hall) on the Arney Road (C438); access the trail between the hall and Mullymesker Primary School.
- Toilets: none on site; the nearest are in Bellanaleck, a couple of kilometres away.
- Terrain: the trail is uneven in places and not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Dogs: keep them on a lead – this is grazing land.
- Water quality: the river is rated moderate ecological status, with local groups working on bank fencing and restoration. Report pollution to the 24-hour Water Pollution Hotline, 0800 80 70 60.
- Getting there: about 10km south-west of Enniskillen; take the A509/A46 towards Bellanaleck, then the Arney Road. Signage for Arney Hall is clear.
Nearby
The Arney sits in the middle of Fermanagh’s best limestone country. The Marble Arch Caves and the wooded gorge of Cladagh Glen are a short drive south, Florence Court – built partly with Arney brick – is close by, and Enniskillen, the island town on Lough Erne, is ten minutes north. If you’re only stopping at the Arney for the trail, pair it with one of those to make the trip worth the detour.