Sligo - 58 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Sligo

County Sligo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 65,535 at the 2016 census. It is noted for Benbulben Mountain, one of Ireland's most distinctive natural landmarks.

Types of Attractions in Sligo

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Sligo

Famine Memorial

The Famine Monument, which is located opposite The Harp Tavern in Quay Street, and was erected here in July 1997 in memory of all those who died and suffered during the famine. The monument depicts a family in the depths of despair, starving and with no hope for the future, yet the child, a young girl can be seen pointing towards the ships, one of which would carry them to a new life in America or Canada.

Glencar Lough

Glencar Lough

Lake/ River/ Ponds

A beautiful freshweater lake located in the northwest of Ireland. It covers an area of 1.15 square kilometres and lies mostly in County Leitrim with a smaller part in County Sligo. Glencar Waterfall is located near the lake's north shore on the Leitrim side.

Gleniff Horseshoe

Gleniff Horseshoe

Outdoors- Other

The Gleniff horseshoe is a nice 10km loop along quiet roads with spectacular views and dramatic and wild Dartry Mountains. The walk also provides dramatic views of the Donegal Bay and the Ulster County beyond. The drive takes around 30 minutes and it’s a fine way to spend a rainy afternoon, while the walk stretches for around 2.5 hours and treats you to some glorious Sligo scenery.

Gortarowey Forest Recreation Area

The Gartarowey Forest Recreation Area is located to the north of Sligo Town in Ireland. It is under the management of Coiltte Outdoors, and covers a forested area of 120 hectares. Containing unique species of conifers and broadleaves, amongst other exotic flora and fauna, the area is under conservation. The park lies adjacent to the Benbulben, Gleniff and Glenade Special Area of Conservation and is known as the only area in Ireland where chickweed willowherb and alpine saxifrage can be found.

Hazelwood Forest

Hazelwood Forest

Outdoors- Other

1 Day Treks

Forests

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.

Heapstown Cairn

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.

Inishmurray

Inishmurray Island has been uninhabited since the 1940's wth the last occupants vacating in 1948. Located in Donegal Bay 7km off the coast of Sligo. There are remains of an early Irish monastic settlement. Laisrén Mac Decláin reputedly founded a monastery here in the 6th century. The island's ecclesiastical settlement was attacked in 795 and again in 807 by the Vikings, and eventually the monks abandoned the island.

Innisfree

Innisfree

Islands

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.

Knockalongy

Knockalongy

Outdoors- Other

Knockalongy is a 544 m Marilyn in County Sligo, Ireland. It is the highest of the Ox Mountains. The nearest village is Skreen. There are many megalithic tombs on the plain between Knockalongy and Sligo Bay to the north. There are also two small loughs at the foot of the mountain—Lough Aghree and Lough Minnaun.

Knocknarea

Knocknarea

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

Knocknarea is a large hill west of Sligo town in County Sligo, Ireland. A good trekking destination with 327-metre high limestone hill is visually striking, as it is monolithic in appearance and stands in a prominent position on the Cúil Irra peninsula between the bays of Sligo and Ballysadare. There are also remains of several smaller tombs on the summit.

Knocknashee

Knocknashee

Mountain Peaks

Old Ruins

Knocknashee is one of Ireland’s largest Bronze Age hillforts. It consists of a limestone top with shales underlying the lower slopes. It is an enclosed hill fort with limestone ramparts containing cairns, burial chambers and hutsites. The fort is 700 metres long and 320 metres wide and is enclosed by two earth and stone ramparts covering an area of 53 acres.

Labby Rock (Carrickglass), Sligo

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.

Lissadell beach

This beautiful south-facing beach is very popular with locals and tourists alike. The area is well known for walking, swimming, surfing and other watersports and in winter Bird Watching. There is also a little river which runs along the beach and makes a fantastic playground for kids.

Lissadell House

Lissadell House

Iconic Buildings

Lissadell is famous as the childhood home of Constance Markievicz, her sister Eva Gore-Booth and her brother Josslyn Gore-Booth. The house was built between 1830 and 1835, and inhabited from 1833 onwards, for Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet by London architect Francis Goodwin. In 1876, Sir Robert left the house and surrounding estate to his son, Sir Henry Gore-Booth, 5th Baronet.

Lough Bo

Lough Bo

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Lough Bo is a spring fed lake located in the hills around three miles north of Lough Arrow. It is stocked annually with brown trout which average 1lb.The lake is popular for trout fishing and get's stocked by the fisheries board. But the lake wouldn't appeal to much to the water sporter as it is moon shaped and surrounded by fields. There are some picnic tables at the lake shore and a very small carpark.

Lough Gill

Lough Gill

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Lough Gill is an 8km long limestone lake, which was surrounded by woods and contains about 20 small islands, including the Lake Isle of Innisfree made famous by poet William Butler Yeats. The lake contains about 20 small islands, including the Isle of Innisfree, made famous by William Butler Yeats's poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree.

Lough Nasool

Lough Nasool

Lake/ River/ Ponds

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.

Lough Talt

Lough Talt

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Lough Talt is a lake in the Ox Mountains of south County Sligo, Ireland. The lake is located between the villages of Tubbercurry and Bonniconlon on the R294 road. It is the largest of the lakes in the Lough Hoe Bog area. The lake flows out to the Lough Talt River which eventually joins the River Moy. The lake has two artificial islands.

Magheraghanrush Court Tomb

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.

Map of attractions in Sligo

Comments

For more information about Sligo, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Sligo