Overview
A small lake in the townland of Drumclay, just north of Enniskillen, held a secret that only surfaced when road builders cut the A32 Cherrymount link road through it. A crannog is an artificial island, built up in a lake or river from timber, stone and brushwood, and this one had been mapped since at least 1835 – but nobody knew what was inside it until the rescue excavation began. The waterlogged ground had preserved everything: timber house walls, wooden bowls, leather shoes, more than 5,500 objects in all. It is one of the most productive crannog digs carried out in Ulster.
Here is the catch, and it shapes how you visit. The island was backfilled after the dig to protect its fragile waterlogged timbers, so there is nothing to see on the ground. The place to go is Enniskillen Castle, where the finds are displayed. Don’t make a special trip to the site itself.
History and significance
People lived on the island for the best part of a thousand years – occupation evidence runs from around the 7th century to the 16th or 17th. It was likely one of the seats of the Maguires, the Gaelic dynasty that controlled Fermanagh. At any one time, four or five timber-framed houses stood on the platform, each about the size of a modern living room, their walls packed with heather and native plants for insulation.
The waterlogged soil acted as a time capsule. Among the recovered objects:
- A wooden bowl carved with a cross, a rare find pointing to early Christian influence.
- Antler and bone combs in a Scandinavian style, evidence of trade routes reaching northern Europe.
- Log boats and a wooden oar, some predating the main settlement, showing how people moved across the lake.
- Leather shoes, dress pins, knives and a fine bone needle – the texture of daily life and craft.
- A large pottery collection alongside iron, bronze and bone ornaments, plus gaming pieces and a woven textile tablet.
Double-walled wattle houses and a double-layered timber foundation show how the inhabitants kept rebuilding and reinforcing the platform against erosion and changing water levels as the generations passed.
What to see and do
The exhibition at Enniskillen Castle
The crannog story is told at Enniskillen Castle, which also houses Fermanagh County Museum and the Inniskillings Museum. The Drumclay display walks you through the excavation, the daily lives of the island’s people, and the conservation work that followed, with the standout objects on show – the carved bowl, the Scandinavian-style combs, the weaving tablet and an array of dress pins. It is an indoor visit, so it works regardless of the weather.
Open days at the site
Occasional open days at the Drumclay site are organised through local heritage networks, usually with advance booking. They let you walk the ground where the island stood, though there is little to see above the surface. Dates change year to year, so call ahead on the number below before planning around one.
Getting there and practical information
The site lies near the A32 Cherrymount link road, just north of Enniskillen, though the island is no longer visible above ground.
- Parking: Enniskillen has council-run pay-and-display car parks near the castle; check signage for current charges.
- Public transport: Regular buses serve Enniskillen town centre and the Cherrymount area.
- Accessibility: The exhibition at Enniskillen Castle is accessible. The outdoor site, on open days, is uneven natural ground and not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
- Contact: For open days, tours and current museum hours, call 028 6632 5000.
Nearby attractions
The exhibition pairs well with the rest of the Erne lakelands. About ten minutes away, Castle Archdale Country Park & War Museum has lakeside trails, picnic spots and a collection tied to its wartime flying-boat base. For more medieval heritage, Devenish Island holds a 6th-century monastic site reached by boat, and Enniskillen Castle itself sits on the town’s central island with collections of arms, armour and local history – and the Drumclay finds.
If you are in Enniskillen with a fine afternoon, take a boat out among the Erne islands afterwards; it is the best way to understand why people chose to live on the water here in the first place.