For a few hours last Sunday, the peace and tranquility of the Fermanagh lakelands was interrupted by noisy diesel articulated lorries, all 675 of them, roaring their engines and blasting on their horns. But, this wasn't a few over eager truckers out to make some overtime at the weekend. No, this was the charity Truck Convoy, which is now a popular and integral part of the Irvinestown 'Lady of the Lake Festival', which made its way around the towns and villages of Fermanagh to mark the final day of this year's 'Lady of the Lake' festival. An unbelievable 675 vehicles, including tippers, big-rigs, bull nosed Scanias and every other conceivable version and variant of truck took part in this year's truck convoy, which left Irvinestown at the slightly earlier time of 2.00pm to begin its circuitous journey around the county. The route took in Lisnarick, Kesh, Belleek, Enniskillen and Ballinamallard before returning to Irvinestown. Festival Chairman Joe Mahon explained that this year was not an official world record attempt, although as the World Record for a truck convoy stands at 412, the Irvinestown truck convoy has grown over the years to become a real world record breaker. Next year, Joe says that they are hoping for closer to 1,000 trucks to take part in the Truck Convoy and they will have a crack a the World Record. Huge crowds turned out in Irvinestown, and along the route, to watch as the convoy went by, and there was plenty to see for, at its longest point, the convoy stretched for 18 miles. According to Joe Mahon, to date, around £65,000 has been raised by the convoy for Marie Curie and Joe is hopeful that when all the money is counted they will have raised close to £70,000. Talking about the plans for the future, Joe says that next year he hopes every town and village along the route will have its own mini-festival, which will have, as its centrepiece, the arrival and passing of the trucks through the towns. Joe also explains the reason that the trucks left Irvinestown early last Sunday afternoon was to accommodate the funeral of Amy McCarroll, an old friend of the Lady of the Lake Festival and one of its first treasurers. A minute's silence was observed in the town as a mark of respect to the deceased, whose funeral cortege passed through the town on Sunday afternoon. Despite the success of the truck convoy, the passage of the trucks along the county's roads did cause some traffic headaches for motorists who were just trying to get through Fermanagh on Sunday. One couple said that they arrived in Belleek only to find the road blocked near the 'Jolly Farmers' restaurant and bar, and they had to sit at a standstill in a traffic queue for over an hour while the trucks passed. A family behind this couple were coming from a wedding in Sligo on their way to catch a flight at Belfast airport but, after being held up for over two hours, they knew they were going to miss their flight. Those stuck in Belleek said that they didn't see a single marshall or any police presence as the trucks passed through and they suggested that an event of this size would need to be better organised so as not to cause traffic chaos to other motorists. This could include more signage, informing motorists about the convoy or putting in place diversions away from the convoy's route. However, all things considered, the truck convoy was a huge success and raised a huge amount of money for a very worthy cause. And the convoy marked a fitting end to another hugely successful 'Lady of the Lake' festival, one that the organisers were proud of and one that was enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. To view pictures of some of the trucks click here | 