20 Attractions to Explore Near Lough Gara

Drumanone is a large dolmen with 6-1/2 foot portal stones and a 6-1/2 foot doorstone. The capstone, which has slipped to cover the chamber, is almost 15 feet long and almost 10 feet wide. The sides of the chamber are each composed of a single stone. It has been estimated that the tomb was built prior to 2000 B.C.

The Curlew Mountains are a range of low-lying hills situated between Boyle and Castlebaldwin in northeastern Connacht. Curlew Mountains has an elevation of 243 metres. Curlew Mountains is situated northeast of Cloonloo. Geologically, the Curlew Mountains are made of Devonian sandstone and conglomerate that is harder than the surrounding Carboniferous limestone, hence their appearance as an upland feature.

Boyle Abbey, situated in the town of Boyle, County Roscommon, is a well preserved monastery that was founded in the 12th century. Today, only small parts of the cloister remain, as the Elizabethans converted it into barracks in 1592 and the Cromwellians besieged it in 1645. Despite its ruined state, the abbey continues to be an excellent example of Ireland’s early Cistercian foundations.It was the first Cistercian monastery to be successfully founded in the province of Connacht.

Ballinafad Castle was built in 1590 and is also known as the ‘Castle of the Curlews’. The castle is in ruins and is accessible year round. There are no tours, guides, or fees. Visitors can park in a small lot at the foot of the hill where they will find an interpretive sign. Visitors cannot enter the castle, but the interior is visible through breaches in the walls that are closed off by iron fences.

A beautiful mountain summit in the region in the county of Sligo, Ireland. It is 321 metres high with a prominence of 173 metres. It contains the Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery. The Caves of Kesh are visible on the west side of Kesh Corran from the R295 road and the Dublin–Sligo railway line. It also offers beautiful views and also opyu can enjoy the natural beauty of this area.

This is a faormal beautiful monastery and National Monument located in Lough Key, Ireland. It is located on Church Island, an island of 2.1 ha in the western part of Lough Key.

Carrowkeel is a megalithic hill top passage tomb cemetery. There are 14 cairns located at different positions on the hilltops with a further group of 6 cairns extending west towards Keshcorran Mountain, which is also capped with a large cairn. The Carrowkeel tombs are protected National Monuments and are considered one of the "big four" passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland, along with Carrowmore, Brú na Bóinne and Loughcrew.

Stag Island is next to Stag Island and is located in Roscommon, Connaught, Ireland. It has a length of 0.78 kilometres.

Lough Key is a lake in Ireland. It is in the northwest of County Roscommon, northeast of the town of Boyle. The lough is believed to be named after a mythical figure named Cé. The lake is several kilometres across and contains over thirty wooded islands including Castle Island, Trinity Island, Orchard Island, Stag Island, Bullock Island, and Drumman's Island. Castle Island has had a number of structures built on it over the centuries.

It is one of the largest and best preserved neolithic landscapes remaining in Ireland today. Lough Arrow is surrounded by mountains on three sides - the limestone Bricklieve Mountains to the west, the sandstone Curlews to the south and the limestone Braulieves, or Arigna Mountains to the east. It is fed mainly by springs but also by a number of streams entering on the lake's western and southern sides. The lake drains north into the Unshin River.

Lost in the middle of the lake of Lough Key is a small island and its castle: Castle Island. Beautiful, it once belonged to the most influential family in the Roscommon area and is one of the jewels of the lake. The only condition to admire it: take the boat. The island is sometimes referred to as Mac Dermots Island to this day. We first hear of a castle Island when the Annals of Loch Cé report that it was burned down in 1187 by lightning.

McDermott’s Castle has a rich and eerie history that dates back to the 12th century. It is situated on Lough Key lake in County Roscommon in north-central Ireland. It was built in the 12th century on what has since been known as Castle Island. Though the isle holds several structures which date to various historical periods, the story of McDermott's Castle began with the titular clan itself.

A late 13th or early 14th Century enclosure castle. One of the strongest castles in Connaught and today it remains as an impressive ruin on the edge of Ballymote village. It is the last of the Norman castles in Connacht. It was probably built in order to protect the newly won possessions of Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster. Its main feature of this impressive fortification is the large gate building – a rectangular structure with projection 1/2 round towers at each side of the entrance.

Elphin Windmill is a fully restored 18th-century tower mill in Elphin, County Roscommon, viewed as a rare piece of Irish industrial architectural heritage. It is a round, three stage structure with a thatched revolving roof of organic rye. The sails are positioned into the wind by means of a pole attached to a cartwheel which revolves on a circular grooved track on the ground. The mill provided corn meal for the local people, as well as milling flax.

This is the largest mound of stones in Ireland, a full 60 metres in diameter. Surrounded by mossy limestone kerbs and lined all around with beautiful chestnut trees, the cairn is unique in that it is located on low ground. It was constructed c. 3000 BC and is believed to enclose a passage grave. Legend marks this cairn as the site of the famous healing well of Dian Cecht, a magician and healer of the great T'uatha De Danaan, one of the original occupying tribes of Ireland.

Lough Allen is a lake on the River Shannon in northeastern Connacht, Ireland. Most of the lake is in County Leitrim, with a smaller part in County Roscommon. The lake lies to the south of the River Shannon's source, near the Iron Mountains, and is the uppermost of the three main lakes on the river. The other two, Lough Ree and Lough Derg are much further to the south.

The Labby Rock or Carrickglass dolmen is located in a shallow valley on the north end of the ridge of Moytura. It is an impressively massive portal dolmen: with a capstone weighing an estimated seventy tons, it is among the largest monuments of its kind in Ireland.

A freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It is located in south County Sligo and forms part of the course of the Owenmore River. It measures about 1 km long and 1 kmwide. It lies about 30 kilometres south of Sligo and 7 km west of Ballymote. A good picnic destination in a silent area and there are also so many leisure activities too.

It is one of the largest and most varied repository of railway heritage memorabilia in the country, with the exception of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. This small privately run museum displays a unique collection of the passionate railway fan Sean Browne, who began in the 1950s to collate railway memorabilia: Nearly everything from signals, lamps, bells and tokens over warning plaques, posters and time tables to station boards

Lough Nasool is a lake in County Sligo and has an elevation of 106 metres. It is situated in Ballinphull, close to Loughbo Cross Roads. There are so many things to see and do in and around this area and it is also a beautiful picnic location.