Hotels in County Fermanagh

County Fermanagh occupies an area of 1,676 sq km (647 sq miles) of land. It is hilly, rising to a height of 668 m (2,192 feet) along the southwestern border with the Republic of Ireland. The county is divided in two by the upper and lower sections of Lough Erne, an area of outstanding natural beauty, which traverses the county from one end to the other.

The area has been settled since prehistoric times, as numerous megaliths and cairns show, but early Christian settlement tended to be on the islands within the loughs. Later trouble between local chiefs laid the area open for occupation by English migrants as part of the Ulster Plantation scheme. In the 19th century during the Irish Famine the population fell by two-thirds, and the area is still sparsely populated in comparison to other counties.

Much of Fermanagh is given over to sheep and cattle farming, but 23,400 hectares (58,000 acres) is covered in forest. Tourism plays an important role in the local economy, Lough Erne offering excellent fishing, boating and bird watching. Many of the islands in the Lough were once occupied, and Devenish Island in Lower Lough Erne features the ruins of an ancient monastery and also a fine Round Tower, 25 m (82 feet) high, complete with its conical cap.