Irvinestown: Festivals, Nature and History

When planning your trip to Irvinestown, you can choose from a range of interests: the Lady of the Lake Festival, nature trails, sport and history. If you are looking for a hotel in Irvinestown, consider whether your stay should coincide with a festival date, or whether outdoor activities, sports facilities or historic sites are the deciding factor.

Shorelines, Forests and Estates

Castle Archdale Country Park is on the shores of Lower Lough Erne. Walking trails in the park follow the lake shore and pass through woodland. Near Irvinestown is Necarne Forest, a 90-hectare lowland mixed forest of deciduous and coniferous trees that can be explored on foot. Castle Irvine, also known as Necarne Castle, is an estate of more than 230 acres in Irvinestown, County Fermanagh. Visitors can explore the castle and courtyard; numerous paths lead through the estate’s woodland. To clarify the names: Necarne Forest refers to the forest, while Necarne Castle is another name for Castle Irvine. The places offer different highlights depending on your interests: Castle Archdale combines shoreline trails and woodland, Necarne Forest is a lowland mixed forest, and Castle Irvine combines woodland paths with a castle and courtyard.

Lady of the Lake Festival

The Lady of the Lake Festival takes place every July in Irvinestown and is a family-friendly summer tradition. The programme includes street entertainment, musical performances, workshops for children and parades. Dates and programme items may change from year to year. If a particular event is important to you, check the dates and programme for that year’s festival. This helps you distinguish the recurring July timeframe from the changing details of the annual programme.

Sport at Bawnacre Centre

Bawnacre Centre has a full-size, floodlit Gaelic 3G pitch that can be booked. It also has four full-size, floodlit outdoor tennis courts. If you are planning to use the Gaelic 3G pitch during your trip, check whether it is available to book for your preferred dates.

History and Memorial Sites

The “Castle Archdale at War” exhibition explores Castle Archdale’s role as an important flying-boat base during the Second World War. It displays old aircraft parts, fuel tanks and wartime documents. The objects and written records offer complementary material and documentary perspectives on the history of the flying-boat base.

The Famine Memorial Garden beside Sacred Heart Church in Irvinestown commemorates the Great Famine. It is divided into four clearly distinct areas: a potato field, a famine kitchen, a workhouse door and an emigrant ship. The distinct motifs make the memorial site a way to experience a sequence of different themes.

Annual Commemorative Events

Joint commemorative events are held every year at both burial sites in Irvinestown and the surrounding area.

Discover more destinations: Derrygonnelly, Aghnablaney, Enniskillen, Newtownbutler, Drumgoon, Belleek, Letterbreen, Ederney

For the broader travel overview: Fermanagh.