BY AUSTIN LYNCH

Fermanagh features in a new map unveiled by the Orange Order which they hope will become popular with tourists in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

'The Williamite Trail' is a tourist map which follows the route of King William and his Army in 1690, before and after the Battle of the Boyne. Mostly notably, the map locates the Battle of Newtownbutler where, on 28 July 1689, McCarthy's force encamped near Enniskillen and bombarded the Williamite outpost of Crom Castle to the south east of Enniskillen.

"Two days later," we read, " they were confronted by about 2,000 Williamite 'Inniskillingers' under Colonel Berry, Colonel William Wolseley and Gustave Hamilton. The Jacobite dragoons under Anthony Hamilton stumbled into an ambush laid by Berry's men near Lisnaskea and were routed.

Mountcashel managed to drive off Berry's cavalry with his main force, but was then faced with the bulk of the Williamite strength under Wolesley, who was pursuing him with more than twice his number of troops," the commentary continues.

"McCarthy halted and drew up his men for battle about a mile south of Newtownbutler. Many of the Jacobite troops fled as the first shots were fired and, up to 1,500 of them were hacked down or drowned in Upper Lough Erne when pursued by the Williamite cavalry".

Of the 500 men who tried to swim across the lough, only one survived, McCarthy, the Jacobite commander who along with about 400 Jacobite officers were captured and later exchanged for Williamite prisoners, the other Jacobites being killed.

Mountcashel was wounded by a bullet and narrowly avoided being killed. He went on to command the Irish Brigade in the French army.

The specially designed map, which is be made available to the public (priced £1.50), was launched at the headquarters of the Orange Order in Belfast last week.

The map was designed after discussions with historians on both sides of the border. It follows William and his army after he landed at Carrickfergus and travelled southwards through what is now Northern Ireland, stopping in Belfast, Hillsborough, Loughbrickland and Scarva, before moving towards the Battle of the Boyne, near Drogheda.

In the Republic, the trail takes in the Battle of Aughrim and Limerick where the Treaty was signed that ended the Williamite Wars.

The tourist trail ends in Kinsale where King William's army, led by the Duke of Marlborough, advanced on Charles Fort and took control of it following a 13-day siege.

The Orange Order's Education Officer, David Scott said the institution had high hopes for the Williamite Trail map.

"There is a growing fascination with the history of that period," he said. "The Boyne Battlefield site, which is due to open officially next week, will be a huge tourist attraction. The Republic of Ireland's Government has put considerable investment into preserving the site and explaining the history surrounding the battle," he added.

He said the Orange Order believed that the Williamite Trail would be an important addition to the available tourist literature.

"Local people or visitors", Mr Scott added, " will find a wealth of information and, hopefully it will encourage them to go to some of the locations. The map covers much of the island and we believe that it will be a major boost to the tourist industry".

He appealed to the tourist authorities and the other relevant agencies to ensure that all the sites were properly signposted and that there was something for tourists to see at these locations.

"We all share the same history and hopefully the Williamite Trail will help people get a better understanding of that history," he added.

"We have taken a lead in producing this map', he stated, " and now we hope that other people will support it and enhance the initiative."