County Sligo

Sligo may be one of western Ireland's smaller counties, but it's jam-packed with beautiful scenery and historic attractions. This is the countryside that inspired the poet W.B. Yeats with its distinctive mountains, peaceful loughs, magical glens and beautiful coastline. Among its highlights are Knocknarea mountain, topped with a cairn; lovely Lough Gill, and Yeats' Lake Isle of Innisfree. Sligo's landscape is littered with thousands of archeological sites – dolmens, passage graves, ring forts and standing stones. Many can be seen at Carrowmore, whose fields contain some of Europe's oldest megalithic tombs. Lively Sligo Town is a good place ...

Sligo may be one of western Ireland's smaller counties, but it's jam-packed with beautiful scenery and historic attractions. This is the countryside that inspired the poet W.B. Yeats with its distinctive mountains, peaceful loughs, magical glens and beautiful coastline. Among its highlights are Knocknarea mountain, topped with a cairn; lovely Lough Gill, and Yeats' Lake Isle of Innisfree. Sligo's landscape is littered with thousands of archeological sites – dolmens, passage graves, ring forts and standing stones. Many can be seen at Carrowmore, whose fields contain some of Europe's oldest megalithic tombs. Lively Sligo Town is a good place to hear traditional fiddle music, a regional specialty. The Yeats Memorial Building contains an exhibition about the poet, while the Model Arts and Niland Gallery houses paintings by his brother, Jack B. Yeats. Here, too, are the remains of medieval Sligo Abbey. Outside town, there's a magnificent beach at Strandhill and another at Rosses Point. The atmospheric ruins of Creevelea Abbey at Dromahair, Yeats' grave with its poetic epitaph at Drumcliffe Church and the fortified manor house of Parke's Castle are other Sligo attractions.

About the Expert

Donna Dailey is the author of Thomas Cook’s Ireland driving guide, coauthor of DK’s Back Roads Ireland and several other titles, as well as the author of Thomas Cook’s HotSpots Costa Blanca and a contributor to AA Publishing’s Key Guide Spain.