Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge
The Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge is a road bridge across the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It carries the A509 / N3 road between Enniskillen in County Fermanagh and Cavan in County Cavan. The bridge spans the Woodford River.
Old bridge
The bridge replaces an earlier structure to the east, known as Aghalane Bridge, carrying an 'approved road' over the border with formal custom patrols. Aghalane Bridge was named after Aghalane, a Fermanagh townland on the otherside. This older bridge, which also spanned the Woodford River, was destroyed on 21 November 1972 by Ulster Loyalists during The Troubles. No paramilitary group has ever claimed responsibility for the bombing.It was quickly replaced by a temporary bridge, but following the detonation of a bomb in the nearby market town of Belturbet the following month, the British Government decided to leave the bridge in a state of disrepair and demolish the temporary structure. The lack of a crossing cut off access to farmland in southern Fermanagh from Belturbet. Local traffic had to undertake a detour, severing communities and leading to economic decline in the area, with many businesses in Belturbet closing.