Enniskillen will host Lough Erne cot races this weekend

Lough Erne Heritage is a charity set up to preserve and promote the history and heritage of Lough Erne through the story of its boats and the people who built and used them. Formed in 2015, the group is managed by trustees who are all unpaid volunteers with a direct connection with Lough Erne. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the heritage and culture of the Erne.

The group re-introduced racing for Lough Erne Cots in August 2016 at Crom Estate where `the famous cot race` originally took place.

With the event’s success over the past two years, Lough Erne Heritage decided to add more regattas to the calendar for 2018. This summer, a series of regattas for Lough Erne Cots took place at different locations on Lough Erne. The first of the series was held at Knockninny, where the winning cot was built by local man Liam Boyle and crewed by ‘Team Cathcart’. The series continued with Belleek regatta on July 14 which was won by McGovern Meats, followed by the regatta in Belturbet on August 6, with PCO taking first place.

The penultimate regatta took place at Crom Estate on the afternoon of Saturday August 25. Many people came to watch the racing from the shore and others from moored and passing boats. Two Lough Erne Cots were provided by Lough Erne Heritage and Liam Boyle also brought along the cot which he had built.

The Crom regatta consisted of some very close contests between the teams, one of which had a member of the Cambridge rowing team as part of the crew.

The winners at Crom were ‘Murphy`s Boys’, who will go on to compete in the final on Sunday September 23 along with the three other winning teams that were announced over the series. The four teams will be joined by the winners of Enniskillen regatta which is to be held on Saturday September 22, as part of Festival Lough Erne. The overall winner will be crowned ‘Champions of Lough Erne Cot Racing’ on the stage at Enniskillen Castle during the festival celebrations.

Chairman of Lough Erne Heritage, Fred Ternan commented on the upcoming regattas, “This is the first time a regatta for Lough Erne Cots, on Saturday September 22, will have been held in Enniskillen since the 1850s and the first time ever a regatta, Sunday September 23, will include teams from different areas of Fermanagh and Cavan, all of which are on Lough Erne`s coast. If this is developed, the championships to establish the Lough Erne Champion team will become a major event.”

He added: “People are now beginning to build their own cots and as this develops, many people and groups will become involved.”

Lough Erne Heritage are inviting people to enter a team or simply to come along to cheer the teams on. With the history of rowing competitions at Enniskillen, much of it amongst well known Enniskillen families going back for many years, this is an opportunity to recreate the town`s regatta in one of Lough Erne`s traditional boats, the Lough Erne Cot, a real heritage boat. For more information on how to get involved contact info@lougherneheritage.com.

Also during Festival Lough Erne, the Lough Erne Heritage group will display a Drontheim boat from the North Coast and a Lough Foyle punt. The design of the Drontheim spread around the coast as far as Donegal bay and may have inspired the design of many local boats.

The Lough Erne Cot regattas that have taken place around the lough over the last few months, and will conclude at Festival Lough Erne, have not only provided fun and enjoyment for participants and spectators alike but have also raised awareness of the heritage locally.