Surf, Yeats, Coastline & Culture in Ireland’s Northwest
We recently ventured to the northwest. Having visited Carrick-on-Shannon, we went a little further to reach the port town of Sligo. We recall the days of the great Blues team and some tussles with Sligo Rovers. Yeats’ poetry is another common link, as is surfing for Tramore people and golf.
Like Waterford, Sligo has a fine coastline — not as large — but also beautiful mountain scenery and remarkable megalithic sites, from dolmens to cairns and standing stones.
It is easy to spend a few days here without having to drive too far, as activities are varied and close at hand.
Sea, Surf & the Atlantic Coast
Tramore surfers know Easkey and Strandhill beaches well and have competed there in national competitions. We met people from local surf schools and know the Moore and Moran surfing families, some of whom have spent time here as surf teachers or competitors. Allow around two hours for surfing, including preparation, lessons, and wetsuit changing. Adult group lessons cost approximately €50 per person, with a minimum of three people per group. See StrandhillSurfSchool.com.
Mammy Johnston’s ice cream in Strandhill is excellent. However, this is not a safe place for swimming — it is best suited to surfing. We also noted a good menu at the Strand Bar and Restaurant.
Another popular attraction is the seaweed baths, where you can enjoy VOYA skin treatments. Swimming is best at Rosses Point beaches and around the pier area near the Sligo Yacht Club. After your swim, try the hot sauna option — €15 for 45 minutes, including a plunge pool — which was busy even midweek. Swimmers can also try the nearby beach, which has soft, dark sand. It was a little blustery on the day, but there is ample parking.
The Sligo Metal Man is also located here near the Yacht Club, guarding the shipping channel into Sligo Port. It was built at the same time as the Tramore Metal Man by Lloyd’s of London, though this one stands directly in the sea rather than on a pillar.
Rosses Point is also famous for golf. We hear Strandhill also offers good golfing, though it is a challenging links course.
Where to Stay
Sligo has a good selection of hotels. We stayed at the recommended Sligo Park Hotel in the suburbs. If you prefer a more central location, the Glasshouse Hotel is another option.
The Sligo Park Hotel also boasts a fine restaurant.
Food, Cafés & Local Dining
Other dining options in town include “The Restaurant”, “Hargadon”, and “Osta”.
Try real Italian ice cream at Fabio’s near the post office, and visit Lyons Café Bakery.
Dining and pubs often feature jazz and live music programmes.
Music, Heritage & Local History
The famous Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman was based in New York and was one of the first to record Irish music on vinyl. A tribute to him is housed in the town museum, and the Michael Coleman Cultural Centre is located outside the town.
The museum also displays the mayoral chain, following changes to Sligo City Council status under Minister Phil Hogan. There are photos of soccer player Dixie Dean at Sligo Rovers, an FAI League pennant from 1937, and many fine historical images from social and revolutionary periods.
The Hawks Well Theatre hosts shows and films.
Visit the City Museum on the Mall and the Model Gallery, where we saw excellent Yeats-related exhibitions.
Another famous Sligo figure is Countess Markievicz, Irish revolutionary and namesake of the local GAA ground. She grew up at nearby Lissadell House, which is open to the public during the summer months.
Lough Gill & the Yeats Landscape
On this visit, we skipped the Yeats poetry trail due to fine weather and instead took a boat tour on Lough Gill, operated by the McGoldrick family.
This is good value, and the guided commentary explains much about the lake, including readings from Yeats’ poems such as The Isle of Innisfree, which also lends its name to the comfortable, covered boat. The Fiddler of Dooney was another Yeats poem quoted during the tour.
Lough Gill is remarkably unspoiled and provides drinking water for both Sligo and Leitrim.
An American whiskey investor, Sazerac, has taken over a local distillery producing the Garavogue brand at Hawks Rock Distillery. Hazelwood House is to be restored as part of expansion plans, including a new visitor centre near the lake.
There is plenty of wildlife around the lake, and some fishing boats are tied up by locals for leisure use.
Doorly Park, where the boat departs, is close to town and includes a lovely community café at the old gate lodge.
For Yeats enthusiasts, guided tours from the town centre are recommended. Local experts from the Yeats Society are available, including journalist Susan O’Keeffe, a director of the society. A local bank in town also displays Yeats memorabilia.
Art, Trails & Landscape
After the Lough Gill boat tour, we visited the Jack Yeats exhibition at the Model Gallery, where 20 original paintings from the Niland Collection are on display until late November. Entry is free.
There is also a map outlining the Yeats Trail, with five points around Lough Gill, forest areas, and coastal locations. We missed sites such as the Kesh Caves, Knocknarea (Queen Maeve’s Cairn), and Benbulben Mountain, which are all listed on the trail.
See:
- Yeatstrail.ie
- Roseofinnisfree.com (boat tours, tel. 087 259 8869)
- Sligowalks.ie for the Queen Maeve Trail near Strandhill
Queen Maeve is a fascinating historical figure, reputedly married several times.
The Green Fort of Sligo traces the story of the Jacobite Wars of 1690. There is also the Diarmuid and Gráinne Lovers’ Cave, later used as an IRA hideout during the Troubles.
Jack Yeats’ paintings in the Model Gallery depict scenes such as horse racing on the strand, the funeral of Harry Boland, political meetings in the west over a 100 years ago, and local scenery.
Getting There
Trains and buses operate from Dublin Connolly Station to Sligo, making it accessible from Waterford via Dublin.
Driving Routes & Beyond
We returned via the N4 to Kinnegad, turning off at Kilcock for Dublin, then linking up with Clane and Sallins in County Kildare for Naas.The journey takes approximately 4.5 hours with a break.
An alternative route via Kilkenny, Tullamore, Athlone, and Roscommon is shorter, but road quality can be poorer in places, with bumpy sections across peat bogs in the Midlands. From Sligo, further travel to North Mayo, Achill Island, Donegal, or Enniskillen is possible within an hour. Carrick-on-Shannon is also nice along the way.
Dining in Sligo
The Italian Quarter has two Italian restaurants just off the quays, along with Asian food options and pub dining in Strandhill and throughout the town.
A fine three-course dinner is available at the Sligo Park Hotel, often offered as part of room-and-dining packages. The bar menu is also good. Parking is available at the Mall and in paid car parks around the town.
The Sligo Park Hotel is a good base, offering easy access to both the coast and inland attractions.
This is a four-star location.
