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KILLADEAS AND IRVINESTOWN |
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In KILLADEAS churchyard, seven miles north of Enniskillen on the
eastern side of the lough (take the B82), stands the Bishop's Stone ,
carved some time between the ninth and eleventh centuries. It's one of
the most striking examples of the appearance of pre-Christian images in
early Christian culture, having a startled pagan-style face on one side
and a bishop with bell and crozier on the other. There are other
interesting carved stones in the graveyard, too, including two cross
slabs and a rounded pillar, possibly a pagan phallic stone. If you want
to get out onto the water from here, Manor House Marine (tel 028/6634
8267) rents motor boats for £40 for a half-day, £60 for a full day.
The only site of any interest in IRVINESTOWN , a few miles northeast and
inland, is Dr Patrick Delany's church built in 1734, though the clock
tower and pinnacled battlements are all that remain. Jonathan Swift
played an unlikely cupid to the rector, introducing him to court
favourite and London society hostess, Mary Granville. They married, and
Delany later became Dean of Down, while she left a revealing record of
eighteenth-century Anglo-Irish society and gossip, gathered during their
visits to the Big Houses. Irvinestown has a few B&B s, including the
central Harlow's , 60-62 Main St (tel 028/6862 1241; £40-55) and the
more rurally-set Lettermoney House on the Enniskillen-Omagh road (tel
028/6638 8347; £26-33). Just outside town there's accommodation and
equestrian activities in the splendid, woodland-situated Necarne Castle
(tel 028/6862 1919; £40-55); to get there take the road behind the town-centre
clock and turn right at its end.
To immerse yourself thoroughly in the beauty of the lough scenery, you
could hardly do better than stay in the HINI hostel set in the Castle
Archdale forest park (March-Oct; tel 028/6862 8118), near Lisnarick,
about five miles west of Irvinestown. If you're relying on public
transport, the Pettigo bus (4 daily) will drop you a mile away at the
park entrance; otherwise take one of the buses from Enniskillen to Kesh
(4 daily) as far as Lisnarick and walk or hitch. The hostel is a perfect
place for getting out to the lough and is a stone's throw from a large
caravan park and campsite (tel 028/6862 1333), which has a small
supermarket and a fast-food outlet in high season. The ferry to White
Island leaves from nearby, and you can also rent boats and bikes here in
July and August. And, should you fancy exploring the area on horseback ,
Drumhoney Riding Stables (tel 028/6862 1892), is handily adjacent too.
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