by Danielle Andrews Sunkel
When choosing a location for a dream "Wedding Away", not only must the location be perfect for the Bride and Groom, but you need to make sure that surrounding area boasts a wealth of entertainment and sightseeing for the wedding guests as well.
We firmly believe, the only way to know what a place really has to offer, is to go see it in person. It would be impossible to see all that the island of Ireland has to offer in a week, so we focussed our "Irish Wedding Adventure" on the County of Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The Irish say there are no coincidences, so I guess it was providence that we were invited to stay in Enniskillen, Fermanagh's largest town, and unbeknownst to them, the birth-place of our great-grandfather.
The wonderful George, of Diamond Taxi, brought us from Dublin to Fermanagh in his beautiful Mercedes 320, a great way to travel indeed!
With the backdrop of castles and green rolling hills, Fermanagh has much to offer the Sportsperson, the Daytripper, the Historian or the Spa-enthusiast. There are so many unique ways to occupy ones-self. We'll be highlighting some of the castles in further Blog Posts, so right now I'll focus on other activities.
The world famous, Beleek Pottery, calls Fermanagh it's home. A tour of the facility is a must, to truly understand all the work that goes in to every hand-made piece. Maeve took us on a tour of the facility, introduced us to the potters and the painters and showed us step-by-step 12 day process each piece goes through. We then shopped (and bought!) in their on-site store. A piece of the very reasonable, famous pottery would be a great Wedding Favour for the guests who made the trip to Ireland with the couple! Beleek showed us items from their gorgeous new Wedding and Jewellery lines. They were so gorgeous, Tracey even tried to buy some of the samples that have not yet made it to production! Manager, Tricia, treated us to lunch in their Tea Shop and we even got to meet some of the top Executives. The Belleek Pottery factory is a sight in it's own right. While in Fermanagh, we were fortunate to have the tour guide of all tour guides:Lough Erne, (which is really two lakes that widen from the River Erne), runs 38 miles through Fermanagh, travels north, then west in to the Atlantic Ocean. This allows for boating/cruising, waterskiing, jetskiing, rowing, kayaking, fishing, any watersport you can think of! There are also many bike paths throughout the County, which offer challenging or pleasure trails. If Shooting is your thing, Ireland still allows the practice. The mountains offer a challenging hike and Tracey made sure, there are no bears to worry about, LOL!
For those who enjoy fine-dining, we had amazing meals at both Catalina's and Scoffs Restaurant & Uno Wine Bar. Going to the Pubs in the evening is a must and Enniskillen has many to choose from. Blake's of the Hollow has been operated by the same family since 1887! Pat's Place, Charlie's and Crowe's Nest are all quite popular. (We went to Charlie's.)
Tanya Cathcart, Marketing Manager of the Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism Board ushered Tracey and I around to show us some of the highlights of the County. Before taking us to see the Mummers and Knockninny (which will be featured in their own Blog Posts), we went for lunch at the quaint, thatched-roof Sheelin Tea House, a must for ladies visiting Fermanagh.
Rain or shine, winter or summer, this beautiful County has something to offer everyone.
Wow your trip sounds amazing so far!!!
Posted by: Julia Pringle | 02/09/2010 at 11:52 AM
That's it. I'm going to start googling travel sites and creating my own FAM trip to Ireland. lol
Posted by: sandra aaron | 02/09/2010 at 08:08 PM