Have you ever been to County Fermanagh?

In another in my occassional series about Northern Ireland, I thought I would show you what Co. Fermanagh has to offer.

Co. Fermanagh is the most westerly county in NI and is the only county not to border Lough Neagh. Tourism is one of the most important industries in this area and a lot of it centres around Lough Erne. Watersports abound here and you can experience everything from fishing to waterskiing, canoeing to cruising. There is also caving, walking and golf.



For golf enthusiasts, there is the Lough Erne Golf Resort in Enniskillen. As well as a stunning hotel there is a Nick Faldo designed golf course - the first in Ireland. If golf isn't your thing, there is always the hotel spa to relax in.



If you get tired of all that the Lough has to offer and need some retail therapy, Enniskillen is the place to go. Enniskillen means Island of Kathleen, a mythical queen of ancient lore who was drowned there. As well as shopping the castle and museums are worth a visit. Enniskillen Castle was built almost 600 years ago by Gaelic Maguire chieftains. Guarding one of the few passes into Ulster, it was strategically important throughout its history. In the 17th century it became an English garrison fort and later served as part of a military barracks.



Co. Fermanagh is also famous for Belleek Pottery and if you wanted to find out more, you can visit the Belleek Pottery Visitors Centre

Finally, one of the things I used to love as a child was visiting stately homes and I remember visiting 2 beautiful ones in Fermanagh - Florence Court and Castle Coole Both are National Trust properties and well worth a visit.


Florence Court


Castle Coole

I hope this has given you a bit of interest in visiting Fermanagh and will try and do another of my whistle-stop NI tours soon!

Carrickfergus Castle

At the weekend my son Jamie went to a birthday party at Carrickfergus Castle. It was no ordinary party though, it was Sword School!



He and the other 11 boys were taught by a 'knight' how to sword fight with foam swords. Of course, a gang of young boys being taught how to fight each other without being able to hurt each other is the perfect party.

And he came home full of useful facts. Like did you know that knights couldn't be left handed as they wouldn't have been able to fight on a spiral staircase as their arm would have hit against the wall? That rules me out as a knight then.



But Carrick Castle is worth a visit even if you don't apply to Sword School- just watch out for small boys playing knights.

Treasure Trails

Last week I met up with my old friends Gillian and Allan and their 2 youngest children Holly and Conor to do a Treasure Trail

Now I'd never heard of these, but there are over 320 trails throughout the UK.

So what are they?

Well here's the blurb - The Trails are a fun, healthy, and educational way to get you out and about exploring. Some Trails require you to solve a murder mystery whilst others require you to find the location of hidden treasure, or crack the code to save the world!

Basically you download the trail from the website and then follow the trail while solving the crime. We did our murder mystery around one of the most picturesque villages in Northern Ireland, Hillsborough. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland lives in Hillsborough Castle and the village is full of interesting facts and quaint pubs and shops.

Hillsborough Castle


We followed the clues around the village trying to find our murderer and weapon used. The kids loved the old courthouse, within the Tourist Information and had a ball running around the Fort.



I was amazed the trail kept the kids attention throughout and with the promise of a Curly Wurly for the winners, all 4 kids tried their best to solve the crime.

Definitely worth the £5 it cost to download the trail and a great way to explore somewhere I thought I knew quite well, but didn't really!

Have you ever been to Northern Ireland?

Last week when I was in Belfast I was stopped by 2 Australian ladies, who were asking for directions. It suddenly hit me that people are now actually coming to Northern Ireland as tourists.

Up until a few short years ago, Belfast was synonymous with The Troubles and the only direction people were going was out.

Thankfully with the Peace Process Northen Ireland is becoming a popular place to visit, especially with those who want to trace their roots.

So I thought I'd do a short series on my homeland and act as unofficial tour guide!

It may surprise some that even though it is part of the island of Ireland, it is part of the United Kingdom. (Long story!) It has a population of 1.6 million and is made up of 6 counties. The best way to remember the 6 counties is Fat Lad - Fermanagh, Antrim, Tyrone, Londonderry, Armagh and Down.

I'm going to start my tour in the capitol - Belfast.
Belfast has changed beyond all recognition from I was a child. Then there was little investment and no tourism. The only hotel was The Europa that had the dubious record of being the most bombed hotel in Europe.


The only high street shops I remember are C&A and Marks and Spencer. but with millions of pounds having been poured into the city in the past decade, it is now buzzing and there is an almost palpable sense of excitment and expectation.

Without a doubt the best way to see the city is to hop on an open top bus I did this with some Scottish friends and it's a brilliant way to get to see the sights.

Did you know for example, that The Titanic was built in Belfast and there is the Titanic Quarter where the ship was built and which is being totally regenerated.

Then there's Stormont where the Northern Ireland Assembly sits and a few years ago you could have bumped into The Chuckle Brothers, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness - political foes that made an uneasy truce.


Or how about stopping at Crumlin Road Goal that has now become a tourist attraction and is open to the public.


Of course, no visit to Belfast would be complete without a visit to the murals that are part and parcel of Belfast. This artwork on the gable ends of terrace rows tell as much of the history of Northern Ireland since the 1960's as any historical textbook.


And finally, though I could add much more, I'd say have a look at Queens University


City Hall and Belfast Wheel


Belfast Castle overlooking the lough


and of course finish off your day having a meal at one of the many restaurants that the city has to offer. And onto a pub or a club if you so desire!