Parke's Castle - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Lough Gill is an 8km long limestone lake, lying just east of Sligo Town. It features underwater cliffs and due to its natural eutrophic state. The lake also supports a number of protected species of lamprey, as well as Atlantic Salmon and otter. The picturesque lake is surrounded by woodlands, such as Slish Wood, Dooney Rock, and Hazelwood all of which contain popular nature trails and viewing points along the lake.

Innisfree is a small, uninhabited Irish island on Lough Gill. Rather wild and pretty, it was one of the inspirational places of William Butler Yeats, an eminent Irish writer from Sligo. . The Island is not accessable but may be viewed from land or by boat. The lake Isle of Innisfree boat trip is available from Parke’s Castle.

Magheraghanrush Court Tomb is a court cairn and National Monument located in County Sligo, Ireland.The tomb has a 15 metre long oval court with a single gallery at the west end and two double chamber galleries at the east end. At the entrance to two of these chambers the lintels have fallen, one lintel remains but as you can see from the picture top left, this one has split. This particular court tomb has a passage entrance on the south side.

A beautiful Franciscan Friary founded in 1508 by Margaret O’Brian and Owen O’ Rourke, Lord of Breifne. It was one of the last abbey’s founded in Ireland before King Henry VIII dissolved all the monasteries throughout Ireland and England. The remains of this extensive friary include the church, the cloister and domestic buildings. This Abbey is now in use for as a grave yard.

Colgagh Lough is a lake in County Sligo and has an elevation of 24 metres. Colgagh Lough is situated nearby to Clogher More, northeast of Percy Mount. Some parts of the shoreline at Clogagh Lough are very soft so anglers should take care especially around the southern shoreline.

Hazelwood is an ancient area of woodland located just over 2 miles outside the town of Sligo in northwest Ireland. It has a series of outdoor sculptures by Irish and International artists. It has a picnic area and spectular lakeside views. It’s a walkers paradise as there is several hikes of about 3 kilometres each along the edge of Lough Gill.