County Sligo is situated
on the Atlantic coast in the north west of Ireland and
is the gateway between Connacht and Ulster. The county
has a magnificent variety of mountain, lake, wood and coastline.
Sligo Town is the largest town in the northwest. To the
north of Sligo is the magnificent Benbulben, where beneath
its shadow is the grave of W.B. Yeats at Drumcliffe churchyard.
In north Sligo, you can visit Mullaghmore, Grange
or Rosses Point, the famous seaside resort. To the
west of Sligo is Europe’s oldest Stone Age
cemeteries at Carrowmore; Knocknarea mountain where
Queen Maeve is buried under the cairn on the top;
and Strandhill, a surfers paradise. To the south
is the seaside resort of Enniscrone, and Tubbercurry,
an important centre for traditional Irish music and
hosts the South Sligo summer school.
Yeats Country
Sligo has many beautiful lakes, especially Lough Gill
and Glencar. The poet and Nobel laureate W. B. Yeats
(1865-1939) spent much of his childhood in northern
Sligo and the county's landscapes (particularly the
Isle of Innisfree, in Lough Gill) were the inspiration
for much of his poetry. Yeats said, "the place
that has really influenced my life most is Sligo."
Benbulben
Benbulben is Irelands most distinctive mountain and known
in some parts as Ireland's version of Table Mountain.
It is the result from the different responses to erosion
of the limestone and shale of which the mountain is
formed. A hard and resistant limestone forms the upper
cliffs and precipices. Many legends and tales have
been woven round the almost magical mountain that is
Benbulben. Mysterious shady valleys dominate the landscape
in this upland alpine-like region. You can easily see
how this brooding mountain, which rises so steeply
from the ground below, could conjure up tales of enchanted
maidens, warriors and spells.
"Under
Ben Bulben" is a poem written by Yeats.
It was one of the last poems he wrote in his
lifetime, and the last three lines decorate
his gravestone in Drumcliffe, Co.Sligo, Ireland.
This is the conclusion of the poem:
Under bare Ben Bulben's head
In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.
An ancestor was rector there
Long years ago, a church stands near,
By the road an ancient cross.
No marble, no conventional phrase;
On limestone quarried near the spot
By his command these words are cut:
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!
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W.B.
Yeats grave in Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo.
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Ballymote Castle
Richard de Burgo, the "Red Earl" of Ulster,
built the remains of this Anglo-Norman castle in 1300.
Iit was the strongest fortress in Connacht.
Carrowkeel
Situated above the western shore of Lough Arrow is the
impressive passage tomb cemetery of Carrowkeel in the
beautful limestone uplands of the Bricklieve Mountains.
Carrowmore
This is the largest megalithic cemetry in Ireland and
amongst the oldest and most important in Europe.
Creevykeel Court Tomb
This is one of the best examples of a court tomb in Ireland.
Drumcliff Round Tower and
High Cross
This site is an monastic settlement and the burial place
of W. B. Yeats. Its importance dates from 574, when St.
Colmcille founded a monastery here.
Knocknashee
An exciting archaeological discovery in recent years
was the identification of a hillfort at Knocknashee
during an archaeological survey of County Sligo by
the OPW (Office of Public Works) in 1988.
Maeve’s Cairn
Overlooking Carrowmore megalithic cemetery on the summit
of Knocknarea Mountain is the huge flat-topped cairn
called ’Miosgan Meadhbha’ (Maeve’s
Cairn), 55m in diameter and 10m high.
Sligo Abbey
Like many Norman towns in Ireland, Sligo had an Abbey and
castle. Founded by Maurice Fitzgerald, the Chief Justice
of Ireland, in 1252-1253.
