Ireland Guide
Tyrone and Fermanagh
Castle Coole
Evidence of how the richest of the Enniskillen colonists lived is found about a mile southeast of the town centre at Castle Coole (house open St Patrick's Day and Easter week daily 1–6pm; April, May & Sept Sat & Sun 1–6pm; June Fri– Wed 1–6pm; July & Aug daily noon–6pm; guided tours hourly, last tour starts 1hr before closing; grounds open daily: April– Sept 10am–8pm; Oct– March 10am–4pm; house £5, grounds £2 per car unless visiting house; 
www.ntni.org.uk ; Heritage Island), designed by James Wyatt and completed in 1798 as the lakeside home of the Earls of Belmore. The house can be approached either from the Dublin road (signposted just opposite the Ardhowen Theatre) or across the golf course from the Castlecoole road.
A perfect Palladian-fronted building of silver Portland stone, the mansion is part of a huge seven-hundred-acre estate, whose beautiful landscaped grounds feature an impressive avenue of stately oak trees and a wealth of woodland walks. Inside, the house features scagliola columns, exquisite plasterwork, a cantilevered staircase, a state bedroom decorated for George IV (who didn't actually come – the room was never subsequently used), Hogarth prints and an elegant library boasting Regency furnishings and fireplaces. The informative guided tour is well worth taking.