The Irish Cottages at Portagaria Wood is a hamlet of luxury Irish character cottages nestling on the shores of Lower Lough Erne at Aghnablaney, Leggs, Co Fermanagh. With Lough Erne, the jewel in Fermanagh’s crown, immediately outside your door, you’ll be assured of magical moods and stunning views.  Each spacious cottage is fitted and furnished to the highest standard, to ensure you enjoy home from home luxury with modern comforts. Finished in pine and furnished in traditional oak, retaining the charm of a traditional Irish cottage, to make your holiday truly splendid

The peace and tranquillity at Portagaria Wood is an experience never to be forgotten, with much to see and many places to visit in Fermanagh and Donegal.  Many great days out nearby, including woodlands, scenic drives, historic buildings, water based activities and sandy beaches

Bed linen, towels and first supply of logs for log stoves included.  Cot, high chair and stair-gate available by prior arrangement.  Sorry, no pets.

•  Lakeside location in an area of outstanding natural beauty
•  Golf courses within an easy drive
•  Excellent fishing
•  Visitor Services Manager & help with itinerary planning
•  Welcome pack and flowers
•  BBQ's
•  Available by prior arrangement: shopping service, evening meal, babysitting

* Available by prior arrangement during summer months: kayaks, rowing boat, boat engine for hire, bicycles for hire

ONSITE FACILITIES

On site facilities include woodland and loughside walks, picnic and barbeque areas, lough access and children's playground.

BLUEBELL COTTAGE

Bluebell Cottage has a large comfortable lounge with a log stove.  The lounge opens into the sun room to the rear with magnificant views of Lough Erne.  Flatscreen TV, DVD player and CD player available.  WiFi Broadband available.

Bluebell Cottage has a spacious well equipped kitchen/diner finished in oak that leads onto an enclosed sheltered patio with wonderful Lough views.  The kitchen has a fridge, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, electric oven, hob and microwave, flatscreen TV and CD Player.

The ground floor of Bluebell Cottage is fully accessible to wheel chair users.  The kitchen has been subtly modified to give wheel chair users easy access to appliances and work surfaces.  The modifications are barely noticible to able bodied users.

SHAMROCK COTTAGE

Shamrock Cottage has a large comfortable lounge with a log stove.  The lounge opens into the sun room to the rear with magnificant views of Lough Erne.  Flatscreen TV, DVD player and CD player available.  WiFi Broadband available .

Shamrock Cottage has a spacious kitchen/ diner that leads onto an enclosed sheltered patio with wonderful Lough views.  Shamrock is equipped with a modern kitchen (with fridge, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, electric oven and hob and microwave) finished in oak and stainless steel.  Flatscreen TV and CD Player. 

LOCAL ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS

Good food, a drink and local Irish music all await you in the local towns and villages. Spring and Summer festivals are a great occasion to see local arts, crafts and costume events. You can’t beat the local Irish craic in the pubs, cafes and restaurants!

LOUGH ERNE

Lough Erne, is regarded as the jewel in Fermanagh’s crown, and rightly so. The Lower Lough is only 20 miles long and 5 miles wide, but offers some of the finest views and scenery anywhere in Europe. Fishing, sailing, canoeing and walking are just some of the activities that you can enjoy in this most picturesque of settings.
Although Lough Erne is a haven for both wildlife and pleasure seekers, if you stop, look and listen, you can’t fail but to be captivated by the peace and beauty of your surroundings. And the best bit about Lough Erne is that it’s literally outside your door.

FISHING

With its abundance of Loughs and Rivers, the Fermanagh Lakeland is a haven for anglers offering fishing for salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout. Coarse anglers will find fine fishing for salmon, bream, roach, perch, tench and pike. The angler can fish during all 12 months of the year. Game angling takes place mainly on Lower Lough Erne.

AMERICAN FOLK PARK MUSEUM

The American Folk Park museum tells the story of emigration from Ulster to America in the 18th & 19th centuries and provides visitors with a "living history" experience on its outdoor site. Costumed demonstrators go about their everyday tasks in the traditional manner in authentically furnished Old and New World buildings.
The Ship and Dockside Gallery features a full-size reconstruction of an early 19th century sailing ship of the type which carried thousands of emigrants across the Atlantic and a major indoor exhibition "Emigrants" compliments the outdoor site. The Centre for Migration Studies can assist those who wish to find out more about emigration history and the way of life of emigrants and settlers.

BELLEEK POTTERY

Belleek, gateway to Fermanagh and Donegal, is in a strategic position on the River Erne. In earlier times Neolithic settlers appeared around the village and legend has it that Fionn Mac Cumhaill's men sharpened their swords on the big limestone rock at Belleek Falls. Nowadays Belleek is a thriving market town with a variety of
pubs, shops and restaurants. It is linked to the River Shannon and is part of the most extensive inland  waterway in Western Europe. Cruisers can be hired at the Marina and this is fast becoming a popular holiday activity. Belleek is world famous for its pottery founded in 1858 by John Bloomfield, the local land owner and David McBirney a Dublin business man who financed the project. Belleek could be described as Ireland’s best known village, because of this fine pottery. There’s also the Celtic Weave China shop that is well worth a visit producing fine china baskets and floral wares created using handed down experience of four generations.

MARBLE ARCH CAVES

Simply stunning – Winner of Northern Ireland Tourist Board Tourism Attraction of the The Year 2005 & 2006.
Marble Arch Caves are one of Europe’s finest showcaves allowing visitors to explore a fascinating, natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers. Lively and informative guides conduct tours past a bewildering variety of cave formations – stalactites glisten above streamways and chambers, while fragile mineral veils and cascades of creamy calcite coat walls that spread as shimmering terraces across rock strewn floors. Spectacular walkways allow easy access while powerful lighting reveals the stunning beauty and grandeur of the caves. Electrically powered boats glide through huge caverns carrying visitors along a subterranean river. Once experienced – never forgotten!.

CROM ESTATE

"There is no place that conjures up in my mind more Irish romance than the wide and fair domains of Crom." John Ynyr Burges of Parkanaur, County Tyrone, wrote this observation in his diary when staying as a house guest at the Fermanagh Castle in 1863. His words remain a fitting tribute to the magnificent seat of the
Earls of Erne. Encompassing two romantic castles within a parkland of some 1,900 acres, the Crom demesne is surrounded by the glistening waters of Lough Erne. It is one of Ireland's most important nature conservation areas with many rare species, including red squirrels and the elusive pine marten. There are nature trails, a programme of guided walks, boats for hire and coarse angling.

DEVENISH ISLAND

The most important of Lough Erne's many island church settlements, Devenish was founded in the 6th century by St Molaise. It flourished in the Middle Ages as the site of the parish church and St Mary's Augustinian Priory. There are extensive low earthworks on the hillside, but the earliest buildings are St Molaise's House (a very small church) and the fine round tower close by, both with accomplished Romanesque decoration of the 12th century. Teampull Mór, the lower church, dates from the early 13th century with a beautifully moulded south window. St Mary's Augustinian Priory on the hilltop is of the mid 15th and early 16th centuries, with church, tower and small north cloister. In its graveyard stands an unusual, intricately-carved cross of the mid 15th century. There are several hundred loose architectural fragments on the site and among them are more
than 40 stones from an otherwise lost, richly-decorated Romanesque church. Guided tours available • Visitor Centre Exhibition • Toilets • Ferry from Enniskillen

LOUGH NAVAR FOREST

Lough Navar forest rises to the top of the Magho cliffs at a height of 1,000 ft with spectacular views over Lower Lough Erne, Donegal Bay and the Blue Stack and Sperrin Mountains. A seven mile long drive allows you to enjoy this beauty. Car parking facilities, picnic areas, viewpoints and short walks to interesting features have been provided and The Ulster Way, rising to a height of 800 ft, passes through the forest catering for those looking for a more energetic experience. On the other side of the road from the Forest Entrance is the start of the Correl Glen Nature Trail which runs through part of the extensive Largalinny National Nature Reserve. This Reserve contains some rare plants and almost all the Irish native species of butterfly. All this is framed by the majestic beauty of an untamed landscape.

THE GIANTS CAUSEWAY

For centuries countless visitors have marvelled at the majesty and mystery of the Giants Causeway. At the
heart of one of Europe’s most magnificent coastlines its unique rock formations have, for millions of years,
stood as a natural rampart against the unbridled ferocity of Atlantic storms. The rugged symmetry of the
columns never fails to intrigue and inspire our visitors. To stroll on the Giants Causeway is to voyage back
in time. Your imagination will travel along stepping stones that lead to either the creative turbulence of a bygone volcanic age or into the mists and legends of the past. In 1986 the Giants Causeway Visitors centre opened, coinciding with the World Heritage Convention’s addition of the Causeway to its coveted list of sites, which are of exceptional interest and universal value. The facilities at the Causeway Centre include Tourist Information, an Interpretive Audio-Visual Presentation, a Souvenir Shop and Tea Rooms. The Causeway Coaster bus runs from the Centre to the Causeway. Follow in the footsteps of the giants of Irish folklore – Finn MacCool and Benandonner and stand on these unexplainable hexagonal stones (that are estimated to be 62 – 65 million years old) whilst enjoying the awe inspiring and majestic views.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Sandy Beaches - nearby are the beautiful Donegal coast sandy beaches of Murvagh, Rossnowlagh, Mullaghmore and Rosses Point.

Castle Coole - a magnificent neo-classical house designed by James Wyatt, family home of the Earls of Belmore. It has remarkably fine interiors and exquisite furniture and furnishings from before 1830.

Castle Caldwell - originally built in 1612, the Castle remained in the Caldwell family for approximately 200 years.

Florence Court - built in mid eighteenth century by John Cole, the house has magnificent plaster work, the striking rococo dining-room ceiling was cleverly saved from the fire in 1955. The rest of the plaster work has been meticulously restored.

Bushmills - Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licensed distillery in the world where Bushmills whiskey has been distilled legally since 1608 when King James I granted its license. A guided tour of the distillery is provided where the secrets of whiskey production is revealed and the visitor can sample the distilled product.

The Argory - 315 acres of wooded countryside, with a house dating from 1824.

Enniskillen Castle - incorporating The Regimental Museum, The Watergate History and Heritage Centre.

The Buttermarket - crafts produced in craft workshops

GOLF

Green fees vary. All courses have club facilities. With adequate notice, most of these courses will offer the whole course to a large party.

Bundoran - 18 hole, championship course. Lessons available, two instructors. This course is one the oldest in the area and on the sea front. Clubs & carts can be hired Castle Coole - 18 hole, parkland course. Castle Coole is an old course set in the grounds of Castle Coole, (the National Trusts most important property), and amongst mature trees. 100 years old. Clubs & carts can be hired.

Castle Hume - 18 hole, championship course. The coarse has been built recently, well laid out but a bit tight. Clubs, carts & buggys can be hired.

Narin & Portnoo Golf Club - 18 hole, links courses. Very picturesque course in South-West Donegal. Some very challenging holes.

Fintona - 9 hole, park land course. This course is set amongst mature trees and is 75 years old.

Sleive Russell - 18 hole, champion course. A new course built to the highest standard. Clubs, carts & buggys can be hired.

Murvagh - 18 hole, links course. Murvagh is a very beautiful course on the edge of Donegal Bay.

Omagh - 18 hole, parkland course. Originally a 9 hole course with another 9 holes added recently. Clubs & carts can be hired.

Rosses Point - 18 hole, links course. This is one of Irelands great championship links, it was founded in 1894 and plays host to the West of Ireland Championship each year.

Lough Erne Golf Resort - 18 hole championship course designed by Nick Faldo

DIRECTIONS

Just an hour and a half from Belfast, Portagaria Wood is extremely easy to reach. Take the M1 and the A5 from Belfast to Omagh.  Then head for Kesh on the B4.  Take the A35 to Pettigo and head for Belleek.  3 miles along the B136 you arrive at Portagaria Wood.
Fly from the UK to Belfast: Easyjet • Ryanair • Aer Lingus • FlyBe • BMI • Jet2
Fly from the UK to Knock: Ryanair • XL
Fly from the UK to Derry: Ryanair
Fly from Manchester to Sligo: Aerarann – www.aerarann.com
Fly from Dublin to Sligo: Aerarann – www.aerarann.com
Fly from Dublin to Donegal: Aerarann – www.aerarann.com
Car Hire – All major car hire companies present.  
Some have deals with airlines.