Overview
The ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is neither a stairway nor really about heaven – it’s 450 wooden steps at the end of an 11 km boardwalk across blanket bog, climbing Cuilcagh, and it is why most people come to Killesher. The parish sits at a quiet crossroads in southwest County Fermanagh, between the Cuilcagh Mountains and Lough MacNean, inside the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark, where limestone karst, blanket bog and ancient woodland sit side by side. There are really two reasons to visit: the walk into the mountain, and the hilltop church that has served this community for centuries.
History and the hilltop church
The parish name comes from the Irish Cill Laisreach, ‘the church of Lasair’, after St Lasair, a 6th-century holy woman who founded the original settlement. Traces of that early life survive as a holy well, a ruined medieval church and an underground passage known as Saint Lasair’s Cell. During the Penal era, when open worship was suppressed, parishioners used hidden Mass-rocks and Mass-gardens across the hills.
The church on the hill today is more recent. A modest stone building went up in the 17th century, and in 1819 a Board of First Fruits loan paid for the tower and slender spire that still mark the skyline. It came through the Great Famine and 19th-century unrest, but a fire in 1979 destroyed the nave, leaving only the porch, tower and spire. The community rebuilt the interior by 1982, keeping the historic exterior and adding a marble altar and stained-glass windows depicting the Parable of the Sower and the Good Shepherd.
The churchyard holds five Earls of Enniskillen, including David Cole MBE, along with Rev. William Richey Bailey, who carved the original pulpit, and William Willis, a medical officer trained in Japan who went on to found the Tokyo Medical School. The church is open during daylight hours.
Walking the boardwalk
The Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail is the main event. The 11 km loop starts at the Cuilcagh Mountain Park car park and runs along elevated wooden walkways that protect the fragile blanket bog, before the final 450 steps to a summit platform looking over the lowlands of Cavan, Leitrim and Donegal, where a Bronze Age burial mound marks the high point of the Cuilcagh range. The boardwalk makes the ascent manageable, but the climb is continuous and demands reasonable fitness – this is not a stroll.
Beyond the boardwalk, a few quieter spots are worth the detour:
- Giant’s Grave and Giant’s Cave: megalithic tombs in the Burren Forest, tied to a legend of two giants competing for a giantess; one failed to leap a nearby chasm, still called the Giant’s Leap.
- Cladagh Glen: a short drive north, a limestone gorge with ancient ash trees and a natural stone arch left when a cave roof collapsed; the floor fills with bluebells and wood anemones in spring.
- Cavan Burren Park: a Stone-Age landscape of standing stones and forest trails through karst.
- Marble Arch Caves: about 15 minutes away, with guided tours of subterranean rivers and waterfalls and accessible pathways throughout.
Practical information
- Location and access: Killesher is on the A32 (Swanlinbar Road) between Enniskillen and the Cavan border, roughly 10 km southwest of Enniskillen. The main boardwalk trailhead is reached via the Marble Arch Road off this route.
- Parking: the official Cuilcagh Mountain Park car park charges £6 per vehicle for a 3-hour slot, and online pre-booking via theboardwalk.ie is essential – slots sell out in peak season. Free alternative parking is at Killykeegan Nature Reserve, adding about 1 km to the walk.
- Public transport: buses run to Derrylin; from there it’s a 5 km walk or short taxi to the trailhead. There is no bus stop in Killesher itself.
- Accessibility: St Patrick’s Church has level access and accessible toilets, with ramps on request. The boardwalk’s 450 steps and bog terrain rule it out for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
- Tips: pre-book your slot, wear waterproof boots (the bog walkways stay damp and slippery year-round), and start early in summer for quieter steps and better light.
Aim to reach the trailhead before 10am to secure your pre-booked spot and walk in calmer conditions before the crowds build.