Overview
For much of its length the Erne is barely a river at all. It rises on the east shoulder of Slieve Glah, about three miles south of Cavan town, and over roughly 120 km to the Atlantic at Ballyshannon it keeps spreading out into water: Lough Gowna, Lough Oughter, then the great twin sheets of Upper and Lower Lough Erne, scattered with more than 150 islands. Ulster’s second-longest river is really a chain of loughs threaded together, and that’s the single most useful thing to know about visiting it.
It means the Erne is meant to be seen from the water. You can drive to Enniskillen, look at the river and leave – plenty of people do – but the islands, the monastic ruins and the quiet are out on the loughs, reachable only by boat. If you do one thing here, hire one, even for an afternoon.
History and heritage
In the 15th century the Gaelic Maguires built Enniskillen Castle on the narrow neck of water between the two loughs, controlling the crossing; it was a key plantation stronghold afterwards and now holds two museums. The islands carry far older marks. Devenish Island, reached by boat, has a 6th-century monastic settlement with a fine 12th-century round tower and a high cross. Boa Island is known for the Janus figure, a two-faced stone idol, and for the crannogs – artificial island dwellings – in the water around it. White Island, on Lower Lough Erne, has its own row of enigmatic carved stone figures.
Upstream in Cavan, Clough Oughter Castle is worth knowing about: a 13th-century tower house standing alone on a tiny island in Lough Oughter, best seen from the shore or a kayak. The Erne has a place in song, too – the ballads ‘Buachaill Ón Éirne’ and ‘An Mhaighdeán Mhara’ both take their name and mood from this water, and both have been recorded by the likes of Clannad and The Corrs.
On the water
Live-aboard cruisers and day boats run from marinas at Belturbet, Knockninny, Carrybridge, Bellanaleck, Enniskillen and Killadeas. Operators including Carrickcraft, Erne Boat Hire, Castle Archdale Boat Hire and the electric Erne Water Taxi offer licence-free cruisers, guided trips and island-hopping packages; the Water Taxi runs covered 8- and 12-seater boats if you’d rather be skippered than skipper.
One real word of caution on navigation. Upper Lough Erne is the tricky one – a dense maze of small islands and channels where it’s easy to lose your bearings, so take a chart or GPS. Lower Lough Erne is more open, but that openness lets a strong wind build a genuine, sea-like swell. Check the forecast before you push out.
Fishing
The Erne’s fishing story is more interesting, and more honest, than ‘premier angling waters’. This was once a great salmon river, with eight famous beats between Belleek and Ballyshannon. The hydroelectric stations at Cliff and Ballyshannon – work began in 1945, the first came on stream in 1950 – flooded those beats, and the big salmon runs never recovered. What did come back is the trout: since pollution controls were brought in from 1987, brown trout fishing on the Erne and its tributaries has been good again, and it’s the trout, along with coarse species like pike and perch, that most anglers come for now. Hire a boat and you reach the quiet coves the bank can’t.
Belleek and the shore stops
Belleek Pottery sits on the Erne at the Fermanagh–Donegal border. Admission is free, the guided tour walks you through the sixteen stages of making the famous porcelain, and there’s a hands-on studio if you want to try the clay yourself; it’s wheelchair-accessible with on-site parking. On Upper Lough Erne, the National Trust’s Crom Estate has marked trails through ancient oak woodland, wildlife hides and yet more crannogs. Near the river’s mouth, the 12th-century Cistercian ruins of Assaroe Abbey overlook the final run to the sea at Ballyshannon.
Practical information
- Enniskillen Castle: The visitor centre and courtyard are free; gallery admission, at the time of writing, is £5.80 for adults, £4.20 for children, students and seniors, and £15.80 for a family (2 adults + 3 children). Dogs on leads are welcome in the grounds; only assistance dogs may enter the buildings.
- Marinas and launch points: Belturbet, Knockninny, Carrybridge, Bellanaleck, Enniskillen and Killadeas all have slipways, moorings and parking. Free car parks ring Enniskillen, and Castle Archdale Country Park and the Round O Jetty both have free lakeside parking.
- Shannon–Erne Waterway: Restored and reopened in 1994, this 63 km canal links the Erne to the Shannon for leisure craft. It’s open year-round, but low water in winter can restrict navigation – check waterway notices before a multi-day trip.
- Getting there: A car is much the easiest way to explore the lakeshores. Bus Éireann serves Enniskillen, but there’s no rail line to the town; the nearest stations are Sligo and Derry, and the nearest airports Belfast International (about 80 km) and Derry (about 120 km).
Nearby
If you’ve time beyond the water, Annagh Lake and the Ballyconnell Bridge and canal walk are easy County Cavan add-ons, and Cavan Burren Park swaps the water for a limestone karst landscape of dolmens and wedge tombs.
Go in late spring or early autumn for calmer water and fewer boats, and pack a waterproof whatever the forecast says – the one thing the Erne valley does reliably is change its weather.