In a classic case of Chinese whispers and an over-active rumour mill, fears were raised on Tuesday evening following social media reports that the Great Northern Way path on the Irvinestown Road  had been cordoned off by police. 

With speculation escalating, ‘snaps’ and Facebook posts began emerging stating something very bad had happened on the path, which many referred to as “the black path.” 

“Anyone about Enniskillen, stay indoors,” stated one particularly ominous post. “There is a murder running about the show, a child was found stabbed on the black path.” 

They say the most believable lies have a grain of truth to them, which was certainly the case on Tuesday evening. With many people noticing the path had indeed been cordoned off as they made their way home from work that evening, the rumours of a killer on the loose held more weight. 

Thankfully, before bedtime police weighed in and put an end to the panic. 

Stating they felt it was “mad” they had to make the statement in the first place, an officer wrote online: “These rumours are 100 percent fabricated and there is currently no one ‘on the loose.’” 

Pressed on why the path had been cordoned off, the officer then revealed the unusual truth. 

“There were bones located by a member of the public,” they said. “Upon further examination they turned out to be large animal bones!” 

The clear lesson from this sorry incident is to always wait for confirmation from a reliable news source such as the Fermanagh Herald before jumping to conclusions.