CIMS Outing June 2005

Leaving from St Nicholas' on the Lisburn Road in Belfast   we picked up members at Lisburn, Portadown and Armagh, before proceeding to the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan for coffee and scones. We then drove on via Clones to Enniskillen.

Enniskillen’s strategic situation in the Erne Valley marked it out as militarily important. It was a key stronghold of the Maguires until the conquest of the North. When King James I wanted the Province of Ulster he granted this area to a Captain William Cole.

In 1611 Captain Cole created the new town of Enniskillen. A few years later he sited the parish church of St Anne on the highest of the two hills on the island.

 Because the Cathedral in Clogher was remote from most of the diocese General Synod in 1921 elevated the status of St Anne's to be the Cathedral church of St Macartin.

Enniskillen is noted as the only town in the British Isles which raised two regiments bearing the town’s name, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. The colours of both regiments have been laid up in St Macartin’s Cathedral. 

On arrival in Enniskillen we held a  service of Holy Communion in the Cathedral.

  

After the service we had an enjoyable  lunch prepared by St Macartin's Mothers' Union.  

Castle Coole, which is designer James Wyatt’s masterpiece and regarded as the finest Classical Mansion in Ireland, was the seat of the Earls of Belmore, but now belongs to the National Trust. Two guides brought members on a most enjoyable conducted tour of this historic house. 

We then proceeded to the Lough Erne Hotel in Kesh for our evening meal before returning to Belfast via Omagh, Armagh and Portadown.