Lough Erne (from the Irish: Loch Éirne meaning "Lake of Ernai", one of the ancient Fir Bolg tribes.) refers to two lakes in Northern Ireland, situated along the River Erne. The waterway is mostly situated in County Fermanagh.
The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern-most lake is further up the river and so is named Upper Lough Erne. The northern lake is Lower Lough Erne.
A canal exists between the upper end of the River Shannon and the River Erne, allowing boat movements from the Shannon estuary in southwest Ireland, through the western midlands of the country, across to the northwest and out to the Atlantic again (although the final section to the Atlantic side of Belleek is not navigable).
Lough Erne is a particularly scenic waterway in Ireland, it is renowned for the beautiful setting. The area is also popular for angling. The town of Enniskillen is situated between the lakes. The Annals of Ulster were written in the late 15th century on Belle Isle on Lough Erne.
Interestingly, it escaped the Irish Potato Famine better than any other county. Because it has so many islands, the potato blight had difficulty travelling over the water to those islands, compared to the green hills of most of Ireland. Those Erne islands produced surprising amounts of potatoes (the staple diet on the over-populated island, from 1845-1849), whilst the mainland was largely starving in comparison.
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