Enniskillen Castle
Enniskillen Castle is situated in Enniskillen beside the River Erne in the north west of Ireland.
The restored castle consists of a central keep built over two floors with semi circular half towers and a surrounding wall built of grey stone.
Facilities
The castle is now home to the Fermanagh and Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers museum which is open all year round and also houses the castle's gift shop.
The museum has a collection of over 8,000 artifacts about Fermanagh, Enniskillen and the Fusiliers displayed over the course of the year as well as organizing events such as history lectures, craft demonstrations and story telling.
One of most popular displays in the museum is the collection of weapons and uniforms dating back to the 17th century.
Enniskillen Castle was built in the early 15th century by the Maguire clan in a strategic position on the River Erne, the north western part of their territory.
The original castle was originally built as a small square tower house surrounded by a curtain wall which frequently came under attack, after one such attack in 1508 by Hugh O'Donnell the castle was burned to the ground. Following the castle's destruction it was rebuilt, this time much larger and in a rectangular shape. Between 1508 and 1602 the castle was besieged, taken and returned to the Maguire's no less than six times before it was totally destroyed by the English and Naill O'Donnell. Captain William Cole was responsible for the rebuilding of the castle in 1607 and added the Watergate Tower to the south side of the site, during the 18th century the castle was remodelled again to become a military barracks.
The castle was taken into the care of the state and is classified as a National Monument.