Enjoying Boho's warm welcome on a dreary winter day

While no such bird was visible on that damp December afternoon, there was still one notable linnet about – the Linnett Inn, the popular country pub run by Dessie McKenzie.

Inside, a fire warmed the thatched pub, providing a welcome heat against the bitter December cold and damp outside.

Dessie McKenzie, Publican and Undertaker, Boho, Enniskillen.

As Mr. McKenzie poured a pint, he mentioned he has never lived anywhere but Boho.

“I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else – home is home.

“I was born in Belfast, because I was a premature baby and there were no acute services in the Erne [Hospital] at that time, so I wasn’t born in Boho.

“But I have lived my entire life in Boho, never went to college, and now I live a mile down the road.”

Discussing the role of the pub in the local community, he said: “I put ourselves in the brackets of Monaghan’s of the Cross, Ederney, Connolly’s of Arney.

“Those are pubs that are out on their own; roadside bars in the middle of nowhere, and they are more like community centres and we are like that.

“My father, Brian, and mother, Annie, were an integral part of the whole thing here. She would have been well-known for singing songs both here and all around the country.”

Thatched pub

The pub is the only thatched pub in Fermanagh, and is on the cusp of getting rethatched, explained Mr. McKenzie.

“The roof has to be rethatched in 2024, and getting grants or getting help to pay for the like of that is very tough.

“There is a Fermanagh style of a finish on a roof. The Fermanagh one has a very tight look to it; down the country, it looks more loose or bohemian. The last year we got it done was 2011.”

Outside again, and away from the warm Linnett Inn, the grounds of a Roman Catholic graveyard proved an unlikely place to meet a Hindu monk – but there is a first time for everything.

Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati and James McCallen

Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati approached us at the grounds of the Sacred Heart Church – which is currently undergoing renovation – looking for directions, flanked by her son, James McCallen.

They were searching for Neolithic stones, which are nearby.

Explaining how she ended up in Boho, Swamini Saraswati said: “I’m originally from New Jersey, but I’m currently in Pennsylvania, where I run a spiritual school.

“My son is here with me and we are travelling looking for Megalithic structures, and looking at churches and cathedrals.

“We are looking for Megalithic stone structures as I have an interest in them because of their ancient nature – they are evidence of humans in the ancient past as well.

“[Such structures] give us insights into human nature, and how humans have always been the same, but changed so dramatically over time.”

Both Swamini Saraswati and her son travel frequently to the island of Ireland.

Her son, Mr. McCallen, added: “I am into the Ancient Irish because of our heritage.

“This is our first time in Boho, but we have driven through Enniskillen, and we are heading to Belfast for the Connaught and Ulster fixture.”

One man who has an eye for detail and the beauty of Boho is amateur photographer, Tom Gilroy, who says there is “no better place to be from” than Boho.

Tom Gilroy

He said: “Living here as a resident of Boho is a great experience, from the amazing scenery to the great sense of community that we all have here.

“As an amateur photographer, I’ve tried, since I’ve started, to capture the beauty of this place, but each time I go out I find new places.”

Natural beauty

Highlighting the natural beauty of the area, he referenced the Boho caves, and various forest walks in the area.

Hailing the great local people, he said: “We have a community that looks out for each other, and in the hub of Boho is the Linnet Inn, where we can all meet up for a pint and a chat.”

One other hub of Boho is the local community centre, which plays host to a range of activities including Bo-Peeps Community Playgroup, a Knit and Knatter group, senior citizen lunches, bowls, and a monthly Old Tyme Dance.

Boho Community Centre Committee member, Anne Leonard – who moved to the area upon her marriage in 2012 – reflected on the role of the hall as a vital community hub.

Anne Leonard

She said: “There is something for everyone. From the young to older generations, to senior citizens, tin whistle classes with Gary Curley, there are bowls with kids there as young as ten and 12-year-olds taking part, and there is a keep-fit class.

“The hall is available for hire, it can be booked and catered. We had a Santa Sunday, and there were about 100 children there, and it was all free and it turned out so well.

“The park is brilliant and so clean, and I think sometimes at the bigger playparks, they can be awkward, but [here] there is no attention paid to you, and there is a toilet which is a benefit as well.”

She feels touched by the warm community aspect in the area. “The people here are the best – everybody is friendly; there is a great community spirit.

“I lost my mum a couple of weeks ago, quite suddenly, and people have been so kind and calling to see you. People travelled down from Boho to Donegal to sympathise; I didn’t expect it at all.”

General View

Farming credentials

Another person praising Boho included contractor Stephen Lucy, who recognised the farming credentials of the area and the good people who live in it.

He said: “There is a lot of history about Boho, you have the caves, and all that craic.”

Discussing the farming landscape of Boho and the surrounding areas he said: “You have a smaller suckler-type farmer in Boho, and you would have heavy, hilly, mountainous ground.

“There is good ground and limestone ground, but a lot of Boho will be heavy [farming landscape].

“Farming is a wee job on the sideline here. I do work for men who might drive a school bus during the day, and then farm in the evenings.”

He concluded: “They are a good, decent, country people out here.”