Ballindoon Abbey – overlooking
Lough Arrow in southern Sligo are the ruins of the Dominican priory
founded in 1507 and known as Ballindoon Abbey. The roof is gone
and the interior has been used for burials over the years but
otherwise, it is in a well-preserved state.
Cairns Hill Forest Park – set
nearby Lough Gill, the hill is 400 feet high and is capped by
two pre-Christian cairns. According to legend, the cairns mark
the graves of Omra and Romra, who fought and died over the beautiful
Gille. Gille drowned herself when she heard what happened her
suitors and it’s said that the tears shed by her grief-stricken
nursemaid, formed Lough Gill.
Carrowkeel Passage Tombs –
in the Bricklieve Mountains, overlooking Lough Arrow are the Carrowkeel
Passage Tombs. This cemetry from our distant past comprises 14
cairns, some portal tombs and over 50 pieces of stone foundations.
The graves have been dated to the late Stone Age, between 2500
and 2000 BC, while one tomb has been designed to allow the setting
sun to penetrate the chamber on the longest day of the year (in
contrast to the more famous Newgrange passage tomb, where sunlight
enter the tomb at sunrise on the shortest day of the year).
Creevelea Friary – near the
village of Dromahair are the ruins of Creevelea Friary, the last
Franciscan monastery to be founded in Ireland before the suppression
of the monasteries by King Henry VIII of England. Founded in 1508,
the friary ruins display many fine stone sculptures.
Creevykeel Tomb
Creevykeel Court Tomb – situated
on the Sligo to Bundoran road is this remarkable tomb, which is
claimed to be the best example of a classic court tomb in Ireland.
The tomb, which has two main burial chambers, was built by a Stone
Age farming community between 3000 and 3500 BC
Dominican Friary– situated
in Sligo Town, this friary was established by Maurice Fitzgerald
in 1252. The friary flourished until destroyed by fire in 1641
but it has recently been restored and is now open to the public.
Yeats' Gravestone, Drumcliffe
Drumcliff Cemetery – just north
of Sligo Town in the shadow of the great Benbulbin Mountain is
the small church and graveyard of Drumcliff. It is here that the
great Irish poet, William Butler Yeats is buried. On a simple
and uncomplicated headstone, the last lines of his own epitaph
read: "Cast a cold eye, on life, on death. Horseman pass
by!"
Knocknarea – overlooking Strandhill,
some five miles from Sligo is Knocknarea, or as it’s sometimes
called, Queen Méabh’s Grave. On its summit at a height
of over 1,000 feet, is a cairn comprising 40,000 tons of rock
put here by neolithic farmers. Legend claims that the warrior
chief, Queen Méabh of Connaught, was laid to rest here.
Lough Gill – within an hour’s
walk of Sligo Town, Lough Gill has been compared in terms of beauty
to the Lakes of Killarney. Surrounded by wooded mountains, it
is best seen by boat, which can be arranged locally. The most
famous of the islands on the lake is Inisfree, immortalised by
a homesick Yeats in his poem "The Lake Isle of Inisfree".
Moygara Castle
Moygara Castle– situated
close to Gurteen is the 16th century Moygara Castle. Once the
principal fortress and home to the O’Gara family, the castle
affords excellent views, particularly to the south.
Sligo Town – situated at the
head of Sligo Bay, Sligo is the largest town in northwestern Ireland.
A lively and prosperous town, the first recorded mention of Sligo
was in the year 807, when some marauding Vikings pillaged the
town. This is an excellent base from which to tour the northwest.
Split Rock – a mile south of
the town of Easky is the unusual Split Rock. Legend tells us that
the mighty Fionn mac Cumhaill tried to throw this rock into the
sea from the top of the Ox Mountains, and when it fell short,
he was so enraged that he struck the rock and it split in two.
Yeats Memorial Museum – located
in the County Library in Sligo Town, the museum houses a collection
of renowned poet, William Butler Yeats, memorabilia. Included
in the collection is Yeats’s Nobel Prize medal of 1923.
