ENNISKILLEN.- Enniskillen Castle reopened to the public after a multi-million pounds refurbishment programme.

The £3.5 million project – which received funding from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund; the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland 2007-2013 administered by Tourism Northern Ireland; the Department for Communities – Historic Environment Division; Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and the Friends of Fermanagh County Museum - has transformed the Enniskillen Castle complex into a state of the art visitor attraction.

Visitors to Enniskillen Castle are able to enjoy seven new galleries which tell the story of the local area from prehistoric to modern times, including the recent excavation of the Drumclay Crannog in Enniskillen. More than 5,500 artefacts were discovered during the excavation shedding light on people’s lives nearly a thousand years ago and the information gleaned from the crannog site is likely to rewrite the history books.

There are ‘behind the scenes’ rooms where visitors will be able to view restoration and remedial work being undertaken by the museum and for the little ones a ‘Cosy Corner’ with soft play and interactive learning.

The complex also boasts a stunning new purpose built visitor centre - with impressive views of Lough Erne and the Castle’s redeveloped grounds and gardens – with a genealogy service also available.

Chairperson of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Mary Garrity, said: “We are at a very exciting stage as we get ready to reopen Enniskillen Castle to the public and look forward to welcoming visitors from August 25.

At the outset of the project, the Council’s vision was to transform Enniskillen Castle into the heritage gateway for the area and with our new galleries and exhibitions, new visitor information centre and additional visitor services all on one site we see this vision becoming a reality.”

Paul Mullan, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund NI added: “We were delighted to award funding to this transformational museum project and we are very excited to see it reach this stage. The enhanced museum will provide a fantastic resource for the local people of Fermanagh and for its many visitors. We congratulate the project team on all their hard work and look forward to seeing around the new museum. It is thanks to National Lottery players that we can help support projects like this.”

John McGrillen, Chief Executive Tourism Northern Ireland commented: “Tourism NI has been closely involved with the Enniskillen Castle refurbishment programme and I am delighted that we were able to contribute funding support to this important project. The enhanced facilities and visitor services will help to drive tourism in Enniskillen and wider area, offering opportunities to collaborate with other attractions and promote a seamless trail of visitor experiences”.

Admission to Enniskillen Castle and its new and improved facilities includes entry to the Maguire Story in the Castle Keep and the Inniskillings Museum.