Festival Lough Erne showcases the best of Fermanagh Lakelands

Festival Lough Erne returned last week for a 6th year with a week long programme of activity taking place across the Erne water system.  Featuring over 90 events throughout the week, visitors and locals alike enjoyed a flavour of Fermanagh Lakelands both on land and on water.

The Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Errol Thompson, said;

“Once again, Festival Lough Erne delivered on its promise to showcase everything that is good about the lakelands be that on land or water. To sustain a festival for a week is incredibly difficult, but attendances at all the events and the popularity of the attractions, provided ample proof that there is an appetite for such a festival and I am confident that it will continue to grow and develop. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in delivering Festival Lough Erne 2021 and also to thank everyone who supported it.”

Starting on Sunday 12 September, festival goers enjoyed heritage tours of Upper Lough Erne, plenty of splashes at the Water park at Share Discovery Village and the new addition of paddle boats at Fermanagh Fun Farm.

Firm favourites, the wee red boats, canoeing, island kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and new to the Island Town offering, the Hydrobikes by Lights were all enjoyed throughout the week. Lough Erne yacht Club offered a number of sailability sessions throughout the week which afforded individuals with disabilities the opportunity to experience sailing on Lough Erne.

The land-based programme, supported by our partners Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark Heritage Champions and Lough Erne Landscape partnership, featured a number of lough shore activities and guided walks including Castle Archdale heritage walk, a bat walk, Around the Meadow, bushcraft skills at Ely Lodge, Flora and Fauna at Tully Castle and a wonderful evening of history, music and food at the stunning  Belle Isle Castle.

Of course, the wonderful hospitality for which Fermanagh is renowned featured heavily on the programme and foodies were treated to many delights throughout the week with new partnerships resulting in hugely successful events. For Tipple and Tour, The Boatyard Distillery and Erne Water Taxi partnered up for a unique tour of the island town while another collaboration, Taste Lough Erne saw Enniskillen’s newest passenger vessel, the fully electric “Island Discovery”, and Enniskillen Taste Experience coming together to offer a unique  amphibious tasting menu.,  Lakeside Luxury at Finn Lough offered high end dining with stunning lakeside views and for the first time ever the Enniskillen Taste Tour was offered “as Gaeilge”.

The Dine Out with Festival Lough Erne Gift Card, a collaboration between Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Enniskillen BID which offered significant discounts at eateries across Fermanagh during the week proved incredibly successful selling out within 24 hours of going on sale and is an indicator of the popularity of the growing food offering in the island town of Enniskillen.

If you were lucky enough to secure a ticket to one of the Wilde Dining events at Castle Caldwell which included Feast over Fire, Style & Dine and Enchanted Forest Picnic you really did experience something special from the Lakelands; for those who didn’t nab a spot, keep posted to Wilde Dining to hear more about these amazing events in the future.

Festival Lough Erne is funded and organised by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, sponsored by Enniskillen BID and supported by Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism, Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark, Lough Erne Landscape Partnership and Waterways Ireland.