or visiting areas of interest
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This is a proposed 4-day tour itinary covering the West Coast of Ireland and the River Shannon.
The tour is optimised with four starting points which will enable you to begin your tour from you own location. This tour will allow you to follow a leisurely pace, seeing as much as possible of the area as your time allows. Many suggestions will be made for each area which will allow you to plan your activities. Starting points: Limerick Galway Sligo Carrick-on-Shannon Photo Gallery Index Starting Point 3 - Sligo
The northern part of this beautiful area consists of gentle coastal scenery combined with the mountains and hills of co. Sligo and north Leitrim. The single most distinctive feature is the flat-topped Benbulben, north of Sligo town. This curious-looking mountain seems to be visible all over the region. Its strange haunting beauty never fails to intrigue the visitor. For the poet W.B. Yeats it became an object of great devotion, being situated in the centre of what is generally referred to as the Yeats County.
Sligo town
For some breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, great swimming beaches and Ben Bulben, take the N51 north till you see the sign for Rosses Point (R219).
Other places and antiquities worth visiting in Sligo include; |
of INTEREST Co. Sligo Co. Leitrim Co. Donegal Co. Longford |
Continue on the N15 towards Bundoran but take the R279 to Mullaghmore for some more breathtaking views of the Atlantic ocean. Mullaghmore 
is a typical fishing village with a fine beach nearby. Further along the coast is Bundoran, another seaside resort, all these resorts have good, safe beaches for swimming. Another 4 miles will bring you in to Ballyshannon, built on the banks of the River Erne where an annual poetry festival takes place on the 29th July-1st August to commemorate the poet William Allingham (1824). The River Erne through the Lower and Upper Lough Erne lakes is part of the waterways of Ireland which stretches the length of the River Shannon, the Royal and Grand Canals to Dublin - all of which are navigable.
The river Erne, from Belturbet in Co. Cavan to Belleek on the Fermanagh-Donegal border, forms a continuous navigable waterway of about 55 miles (88 km). For most of its length it broadens to become Upper and Lower Lough Erne, several miles wide at some points and containing 154 islands. The build-up of fleets of hire cruisers has made the Erne Valley one of Ireland's most popular holiday centres. Ballyshannon is home to the Donegal Parian China.
Also worth visiting in Co. Leitrim are;
More information on Co. Leitrim
Donegal town, like Dublin is a Viking town. It is globally famous for its widely acclaimed lively evenings of folk music and dance. From the Diamond shaped market area there is a15th century castle (walking distance) that looks out over the river Eske and Blue Stack Mountains to the north. It was home to the O'Donnell clan, in fact much of Donegal county was under their rule.
The next destination is Killybegs. The journey there (N56) will be very picturesque, through the rugged heather covered landscape. Killybegs is Ireland's largest fishing port where one can talk to the fishermen and taste the mornings catch at any one of the numerous restaurants and hotels. To explore the rest of Donegal would take another day and this will be covered later. For now we will re-trace our steps back to Sligo town. An alternate route would be from Donegal town along the north side of Lower Lough Erne, through Enniskillen and back to Sligo on the N16, but as this route passes through Northern Ireland, it is outside the scope of this website.
Some of the many antiquities worth seeing are:
More information on Co. Donegal
From Sligo town heading south on the N4 (Dublin road) to Ballinafad, on your left you will see Lough Arrow, overlooked by The Chieftan ( a huge metal statue of a warrior mounted on a horse). Another 6 miles should bring you to Boyle. Here you'll immediatly see Boyle abbey , a well preserved 12th century monastery. A daughter house to Mellifont, Irelands first Cisterian Abbey (Dublin). A further 10 miles brings you to Carrick-on-Shannon, one of the main places to hire pleasure craft and cruisers to explore the River Shannon and other waterways of Ireland. There are two main companies hiring craft here both for a single day or longer. The sizes range from double berth to cruisers capable of sleeping more than a dozen people.
Lakes are an important part of this area. This region forms the heart of Ireland's central lakelands. Quiet farmlands, extensive peat bogs and low hills all combine with lakes and rivers to make up a landscape which is full of interest and contrast. To the west lies the river Shannon which flows south to form Lough Ree in the south-west of this area. Among the larger lakes are Lough Melvin to the north; the enchanting Lough Gill outside Sligo; Lough Key with its adjoining forest park near Boyle; and Lough Allen, the first of the great lakes of the river Shannon. The centre of the area is a cluster of smaller lakes noted for the quality of their fishing. For those interested in river cruising and angling, this is the place to be. River cruising is an important tourist attraction, with a large well-equipped marina at Carrick-on-Shannon. The Shannon is the longest river in the British Isles and is navigable for its length. This will be covered in another tour later - THE WATERWAYS OF IRELAND.
Also worth seeing are;
More information on Co. Longford
This days tour ends in Carrick-on-Shannon.
