There will be a number of official events in Fermanagh to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme on July 1.
Events throughout the day will begin early with an open air service open to the public beginning at 7am. At around the same time, the Royal British Legion in Enniskillen will be marking the occasion with a wreath laying and remembrance ceremony at the Cenotaph in Belmore Street.
Then on Friday evening, an ecumenical Service of Reflection will be held in St. Macartin’s Cathedral.
It was on July 1 1916, that Drummer Jack Downs of the 10th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, sounded the ‘Advance’ of the 36th (Ulster) Division at the Battle of the Somme. Over the first two days of the battle, the Division lost some 5,000 men and, of these, more than 2,000 had been killed. The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers lost 2,208 casualties, of whom 868 were killed.
In the history of the First World War, few bugles could have more resonance than that belonging to Drummer Downs, and to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, this iconic Bugle, held in the collection of the Inniskillings Museum, will again sound the ‘Advance’ exactly 100 years on.
The Somme commemoration at Enniskillen Castle on the morning of Friday, July 1 will start promptly at 7am with gates open to the public at 6.30am (admission free). 
This symbolic service will be held outdoors against the backdrop of the historic castle, birthplace of the Inniskilling Regiments. The service will conclude at 7.45am when everyone present will have the opportunity to sign The Inniskilling Scroll of Honour which lists the names of all Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers killed on the first two days of the battle. The Scroll will then be placed in a First World War brass shell case and kept in the museum collection as part of the Inniskillings Museum Great War legacy for future generations.
At lunchtime, the Inniskillings Museum will be providing three short lectures between 1pm and 2pm on the Inniskillings and other Irish soldiers at the Battle of the Somme. Following the lectures, a new publication entitled ‘The Inniskillings and the First World War’ will also be launched in the museum. Admission to the lectures is free but pre-booking is advisable, as space is limited, by phoning the Museum office on 028 6632 3142.
The Service of Reflection in St. Macartin’s Cathedral begins at 7.30pm and will involve many in the community where there are links with the Somme.
At this service, a new memorial window in the Regimental Chapel to all Inniskillings who served in the Great War and their families will be dedicated to commemorate their sacrifice.
Soldiers from the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers served through the Great War, recruited predominantly from Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry and Donegal and came from all classes and sections of society. 
Many of these were from the Dardanelles in Enniskillen and some were Portora boarders, suffering heavy losses at Gallipoli in 1915 and the Somme in 1916.
At the service, the drums from Portora Royal School will be stacked to create a temporary holy table, known as a Drumhead in a fitting tribute to the 371 old boys who served in the Great War and the 76 who died.
During the service there will be reading of poems by William Copeland Trimble and Francis Ledwidge. William Trimble, then editor of The Impartial Reporter who played a leading role in the recruitment of soldiers for the 36th(Ulster) Division. He wrote his poem, Son, after his youngest son, Noel, was killed on April 29 1917 at Hulloch.
Francis Ledwidge, from Slane, County Meath, was a nationalist who joined the British Army and fought in the Great War and was killed at Paschendaele on July 31, 1917.
The dedication of the Inniskillings window in the Regimental chapel will also take place, It has been provided by the Friends of the Inniskillings Musuem to honour the sacrifice of all Inniskillings and their families during the Great War.