The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, which flows north and then curves west into the Atlantic.
Two of its songs are sung entirely in Irish: "Caisleán Óir", which translates as "golden castle", and "Buachaill Ón Éirne", which means "boy from the Erne".
Lough Neagh | Belfast Lough | The Boys of the Lough | Lough Swilly | Lough Derg | River Erne | Lough Foyle | Lough Erne | Lough Allen | John Graham Lough | Henry Crichton, 6th Earl Erne | Dorian Lough | Crag Lough | Strangford Lough | Philippe Erne | Lough Mask | Lough Eske | Lough Egish | Lough Derg (Ulster) | Lough Derg (Shannon) | John Crichton, 4th Earl Erne | Ernest Lough | Abraham Creighton, 1st Baron Erne |
In the 19th century, three canals were constructed, using the lough to link various ports and cities: the Lagan Navigation provided a link from the city of Belfast, the Newry Canal linked to the port of Newry, and the Ulster Canal led to the Lough Erne navigations, providing a navigable inland route via the River Shannon to Limerick, Dublin and Waterford.
A notable episode was when a Consolidated Catalina flying boat from No. 209 Squadron RAF based at Lough Erne located the German battleship Bismarck in 1941, leading to the ship's destruction.
Faldo Course, golf course in Lough Erne Resort, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Near Killadeas, on Lower Lough Erne, is Gublusk Bay, a Royal Air Force base for Short Sunderland and PBY Catalina flying boats during World War II.
In William Henry's Upper Lough Erne in 1739 the well was described as a chief curiosity, "being a plentiful foundation of pure water, having a clearance and coolness scarce to be met with. It was at that time a popular spot for boatspeople to retire to for their entertainments for which and around it are arranged benches of sod and over it a shade of aquatic trees".