Belleek Village - the website for information on all local Belleek News, activities and events
Belleek & District
Community Partnership
Unit 2
The Craft Village
Belleek, Co. Fermanagh
t. 0286-865-9701
email here
Welcome to Belleek
Belleek, from the Gaelic ‘Beal Leice’ (Mouth of the Flagstone), is the perfect choice for a day trip or holiday, long or short. Steeped in history, Belleek offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy many attractions, both in the village itself and in the surrounding areas. Visitors can enjoy breathtaking views, fishing and boating along the Erne. For avid walkers, there are many trails, road and mountain paths in the surrounding countryside. Belleek is the perfect stopping off place, with a good selection of shops and places to eat and due to its Border location the village operates dual currency (Sterling and Euro)!
What's on in Belleek
Belleek, although a small village, is steeped in history. The unique blend of National Trust properties and heritage attractions includes pre-historic stone carvings, ancient monastic settlements and plantation castles. The aristocrat, John Caldwell Bloomfield built Castle Caldwell in 1611, and the ruins of this plantation castle provide the perfect starting place to enjoy the nearby forest walks. At the entrance is the ‘Fiddle Stone’, a memorial to a fiddler, Denis McCabe, who fell out of the St. Patrick’s barge and was drowned; the inscription reads:
‘On firm land only exercise your skill; there you may play and safely drink your fill’.
Caldwell also established Ireland’s oldest pottery, Belleek Pottery, in 1847; 150 years later, this world famous Pottery is still manufacturing its distinctive china.
Local Belleek History
Belleek, which was runner up in 2007, has been short listed for the Calor 'Village of the Year' ® 2008 Competition. Sponsored by Calor Gas, the competition is run in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC) and is aimed at celebrating vibrant, enterprising and caring communities that make the most of local opportunities. Judging is based around five different aspects of village life: young people, the environment, building community life, older people, and business where the efforts and contributions of individuals and groups have enhanced community spirit and have established tangible projects. The judging panel will be visiting Belleek and nine other villages in September and the overall winners will be announced in October.
