Enniskillen is the County Town of Fermanagh, located almost exactly in the center of the county on the natural island which separates the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne.
Enniskillen Castle was built in 1428 and houses the Fermanagh County Museum and a museum for the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
We stayed at Manor House Country Hotel. The original estate predates acquisition of the property by the Irvine family in 1660.
Located in Killadeas, the area is named for the Culdees (Ceile-De) of Devenish, a religious community founded by Saint Laisrén mac Nad Froích (aka St Molaise) in the sixth century.
St. Molaise built a monastery on Devenish Island on Lower Lough Erne as a stop on a pilgrimage route to Croagh Patrick in County Mayo. The monastic settlement was raided by the Vikings in 837 and was burned in 1157and again in 1360. The earliest stone buildings on the island are a magnificent round tower; St. Molaise’s House; and a small oratory, which probably enshrines his relics.
We took a two-hour roundtrip visit the site on a gloriously warm and sunny day aboard the 48-seat MV Kestrel. It departed the Round ‘O’ Jetty in Enniskillen’s Brook Park and passed Enniskillen Castle, Portora Royal School (where Oscar Wilde was an honor student), and other historic sites.
Descended from a royal Irish family, St. Molaise was one of the 12 Apostles of Ireland who spread Christianity across the country. Although renowned for his hospitality, St. Molaise lived a frugal life.
The earliest stone buildings on the island are a magnificent round tower; St. Molaise’s House; and a small oratory, which probably enshrines his relics.
The round tower rises as a beacon of faith pointing towards heaven. Built in the 12th century, it is one of the best preserved in all of Ireland. Its presence indicates the prestige of the monastery, serving as a bell house, a watch tower, and a place of refuge. From the top floor, a bell called the monks to prayer.
During attacks, the tower was used as a safe house. The door is raised well above the ground to restrict access. Between the highest windows and pointed roof are four carved faces thought to be Saints Patrick, Colm Cillle, Brigid or Fanchea, and Molaise (of course!)
After his death in the late sixth century, a powerful cult of followers developed.
Not all has been peaceful during the tower’s 800-year history. The monastic settlement was raided by the Vikings in 837, burned in 1157, and again in 1360. In 1176, soon after it was built, Domhnall, the son of a Fermanagh king, was burnt to death here by his own kinsmen.
Devenish was a place of worship, scholarship, and burial, accessible only by water. In addition to being a haven for pilgrims, it was an established community where people lived, worked, and prayed. It was also a safe meeting place for powerful chieftains and religious leaders, thus earning it the name Devenish of the Assemblies. In 1259, the King Brian O’Neill of Ulster met here with the King Hugh O’Connor of Connaught during which They agreed to unite against the English invaders.
Large, free-standing and ornately carved stone crosses were some of medieval Ireland’s greatest artistic achievements. This 7-foot, 15th-century cross is among the finest surviving examples today. There is no other quite like it in Ireland.
It would have stood on a raised platform, acting as a focal point for pilgrims. The cross was discovered in scattered fragments in the late 1800s and was skillfully reconstructed. The monks probably used the intricately carved biblical scenes on it to teach parishioners, many of whom could not read.
For a thousand years, faithful parishioners worshiped at the Teampull Mór, the Great Church of Devenish. Built in the 13th century, it served the large parish of Devenish, which stretched across both sides of the Lough, attracting pilgrims and parishioners until the 1600s.
Legend has it that St. Molaise drifted into a slumber lasting a hundred years. When he awoke, his monastery had been built around him.
St. Molaise’s House is the most sacred place on Devenish Island. Inside the small building, the faithful could revere the sacred relics of St. Molaise as well as other saints. In the early 1100s, a beautiful gospel stand, Soicél Molaise, was crafted. It is now kept at the National Museum of Ireland.
The medieval stone coffin inside Teampull Mór is known as St. Molaise’s Bed. Followers believe that lying in the coffin and turning around three times cures ailments. This tradition continues today. We didn’t try it.
Many earthworks that pre-date the stone buildings cover the island. Literature states that remnants of that earlier history remain hidden beneath your feet—as does an earring I lost while photographing the ruins.
As I untangled sunglasses, hat, and camera straps from around my neck, I saw a small jade and gold-toned earring fly off my right ear and onto the ground. I reached down to retrieve it, but it was nowhere to be found. Bob joined me. On hands and knees, we searched. Other tourists joined us, until a dozen of us knelt amidst the ruins.
“I think you’ve just made a sacrificial offering to St. Molaise,” Bob said.
Since my options were to spend the next 40 minutes searching for something lost in plain sight, or to tour the ruins. I agreed with him and chose the latter.
St. Molaise, in turn, granted us a wonderful visit to his home.
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