Overview
The ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is neither a stairway nor really about heaven – it’s a final flight of some 450 wooden steps at the end of an 11 km boardwalk across blanket bog, climbing Cuilcagh, and it’s why most people come to Killesher. The parish sits at a quiet crossroads in southwest County Fermanagh, between Cuilcagh and Lough MacNean, inside the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark, where limestone karst, blanket bog and old woodland run together. There are really two reasons to visit: the walk into the mountain, and the church down at the crossroads.
History and the church
Killesher takes its name from the townland of Killesher, on the western side of Claddagh Glen, and the parish has a long Christian history – by tradition it traces back to an early church of St Lasair, with a holy well and a ruined medieval church among the older sites scattered through the hills. Penal-era records catch a glimpse of that continuity: a government list of 1714 notes Doctor Mac Hue, priest of Killesher, as registered but unwilling to take the oath then demanded of Catholic clergy.
St Patrick’s Church – the Crossroads Chapel – is the building the parish is centred on today, a post-Famine Catholic church tucked beneath Benaughlin Mountain. Its showpiece is an unexpectedly fine marble altar; the interior was rebuilt after a 20th-century fire, keeping the older exterior, and stained glass was added depicting the Parable of the Sower and the Good Shepherd. The door is open through daylight hours. The Famine left its own mark on the landscape here: relief work was cut through the hills along the road between Kinawley and Killesher, one more layer in a place that carries its history in field names and ruins.
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 a final flight of steps – around 450 of them – 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 a per-vehicle fee (around £6 at the time of writing) for a timed 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 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.