Belleek, County Fermanagh 3.47

Belleek is a village and civil parish in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. While the greater part of the village lies within County Fermanagh, part of it crosses the border into County Donegal. It lies in the historic barony of Lurg. It had a population of 836 people in the 2001 Census, and is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.Belleek is a busy market town with a variety of pubs, shops, restaurants and a hotel. It is noted for the fine parian china produced there at the Belleek Pottery, the oldest pottery in Ireland. The china is valued by collectors from all over the world. It is also a noted location for angling and other recreational activities and is now linked to the River Shannon by canal.The highest temperature in Northern Ireland recorded by the Met Office, 30.8C, occurred at Knockarevan (near Belleek) in County Fermanagh on 30 June 1976.The village is the most westerly settlement in Northern Ireland and thus the most westerly settlement in the United Kingdom.HistoryThere is evidence of Neolithic settlers in the area, and later legend has it that Fionn mac Cumhail's men sharpened their swords on the big limestone rock at Belleek Falls. (The flagstone, which gave its name to the area, was destroyed together with the falls during drainage works in the 1880s).