In memory of the late Fred Ternan, and in celebration of the craftmanship of two local community groups, on Saturday, July 2, the Lough Erne Landscape Partnership (LELP) hosted the launch of handbuilt traditional Fermanagh cots on Lough Erne.
This group were delighted to welcome the cots' launch.
In 2020, LELP – with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council – embarked on a community project to build traditional Fermanagh cots.
Based on designs by the late Fred Ternan and his brother, George, and under the guidance of Fred and Liam Boyle, The Belleek Men’s Shed and West Island Cot Heritage Group began making the cots.
On Saturday, in Enniskillen Castle Museum, those involved in the project and members of the Ternan family, paid tribute to the contribution that Fred made to the heritage community of Lough Erne, recognising his passion and knowledge of the rich and unique history of this wonderful region.
Throughout the day, guests had the opportunity to hear from the community groups about their experiences and to celebrate their achievements of being able to work through a challenging period to learn the skills of the past, and craft four magnificent cots.
The cot build was recorded throughout for a documentary, and at the launch event the documentary was screened for the first time, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Eric Cathcart, who once built traditional cots.
Eric cut the ribbon as the boats entered the water for the first time.
Michael Ternan speaking at the launch in regards to his late father, Fred Ternan..
Talking about the launch event, Elmarie Swanepoel, the LELP programme manager, said: “This is such a proud day for heritage in Fermanagh.
“We are delighted to be here today, and celebrate the achievements of these volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure that these traditional cots are no longer a vessel of the past, but a feature on the lough for generations to come.
‘Conversation’
“The project came together following a conversation with Fred Ternan and Lough Erne Heritage on how to ensure these wonderful boats were not lost from the waters of Lough Erne.
The cots are rowed around Castle Island.
“Today, we not only celebrate the work of the volunteers, but pay tribute to Fred and the passion he had for preserving and sharing the rich maritime heritage of Lough Erne.
“He would have been so proud of the achievements of the groups, and delighted to see so many people here today enjoying the water from the cot.”
Further information and details of the documentary can be found at www.lelp.org.uk.
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