First off, what’s so special about Devenish Island that makes me so full of praise for it? Nothing. And everything. Really, it’s not a tangible something: it’s a feel. I’m sure part of the magic was the culmination of a great day of seeing wonderful things, but we aren’t the only ones to sing the praises of this little island. I was interested in going because there was an ancient Irish High Cross on it, but then we kept hearing the place mentioned by locals. Our curiosity was piqued. We knew that the only way there was by boat. Ugh. Boats and I have a long history of nausea. I want to like them — really, I do — but that bobbing and swaying thing makes me green just thinking about it. I told myself “this is a lake and it is a calm day, it will be fine”. Turns out that I was right (for once…).
When we went to Enniskillen Castle and bought our admission tickets, the lady at the desk mentioned that they had a water taxi to Devenish. I informed the Husband that we would be doing this. He must have realized that I was very serious, as I was volunteering to ride in a boat. Allow me to take a moment here to clarify: this was a boat, not a ship, regardless of what the Oldest Son (who is assigned to a submarine in the Navy) says. Navy says that boats are subs, anything above water is a ship. Again, this was no ship…this was a yellow bath toy.
We had elected to take our trip to the island after our visit to the caves, so we selected the last trip of the day at 5pm. The day had been clear and calm and the light that evening was spectacular. The sky was a brilliant blue, the water was a deep blue surrounded by gorgeous green hills. What a place. Lough Erne (pronounced Lowg) is actually two lakes that are connected and is the fourth largest lake on the island of Ireland. It’s big. Really big. Not Lake Michigan big, but still big. Our cabby captain driver? was a really nice guy whose name I didn’t get. Sigh. And we got to wear super stylish flotation devices. Not. Well, we did wear them. We had a couple from northern Massachusetts, a single guy from Berlin (doing a Game of Thrones drive of Northern Ireland) and ourselves on the boat. All super friendly people – we had some great conversations. Anyway, boat riding itself aside, the trip out was very enjoyable.
It was about a half hour trip and, as we were arriving, the last bigger ferry was departing which meant we had the place to ourselves! Wow. Before I get into what we saw, it’s time for your historical lesson. Stop rolling your eyes and pay attention. In the 5th century, Saint Maloise (Malosh) founded a monastery on the island and it flourished. The monastery was along a popular pilgrimage route and was well known for providing hospitality. There were several buildings, including a small stone structure (still partially standing) that is said to have been the home of Saint Maloise. As late as the 19th century, many of the buildings were far more complete than they are now. That is because, as Enniskillen town grew they, thought “hey! Let’s go get some of that great, pre-cut stone that’s just sitting there unused.” And we all know my thoughts on damaging history so I will be quiet. Fortunately, before it was all hauled away, it was realized what they were destroying and stopped. And the tower wasn’t touched.
So, without much further ado…here is what we saw. With complete credit to the Husband for his excellent photography…
This round tower is the best preserved and finest example in all of Ireland. It is almost perfectly intact. I was sad that we were unable to go in it, but it is understandable, as it was late in the day. This tower was built by master masons and every exterior stone was hand carved to create the round shape. Stunning craftsmanship.
Hopefully these photos are able to convey some of the beauty of Devenish Island and Lough Erne. It was a perfect finish to a wonderful day. I can’t recommend it enough: if you’re in the northern part of the island, come to Enniskillen and Devenish Island. It’s absolutely worth the effort.