Castles and Historic Sites in Co. Sligo
4 places
1.Knocknarea Cairn
5,500-year-old tomb older than the pyramids
A steep but rewarding climb to the 5,500-year-old cairn of Queen Maeve atop Knocknarea — the largest unopened passage tomb in Ireland — with panoramic views over Sligo Bay, the Atlantic, and the Dartry Mountains.
- Highlights
- Largest unopened Neolithic cairn in Ireland (55m wide, 10m high)
- 500+ wooden steps and raised bog bridge through forest
- Legendary burial site of Queen Maeve of Connacht
2.Tobernalt Holy Well
an ancient holy spring with St Patrick's fingerprints
A woodland holy well near Lough Gill where a natural spring, a Mass Rock said to bear St Patrick's fingerprints, and candle-lit shrines have drawn pilgrims since early Christian times.
- Highlights
- Natural spring gushing from beneath a cliff in a primeval woodland
- Mass Rock said to bear St Patrick's fingerprints
- Life-size crucifixion scene and Stations of the Cross
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
3.Roslee Castle
climb a hidden stair to the Sailor's Bed
A ruined O'Dowd stronghold on a rocky ledge beside Easkey pier, on the Wild Atlantic Way. Only the tower stands, but a hidden spiral stair still climbs to the Sailor's Bed for sweeping coastal views.
- Highlights
- Hidden spiral stair to the Sailor's Bed
- Gun-looped 17th-century bawn
- Fossil-rich rock shore and tidal pools
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
4.Lisadell House and Gardens
childhood home of Countess Markievicz
A magnificently restored 1830s neo-classical estate on Drumcliff Bay beneath Benbulben, Lissadell was the childhood home of revolutionary Countess Markievicz and her suffragist sister Eva Gore-Booth, and was immortalised in the poetry of W.B. Yeats.
- Highlights
- Childhood home of Countess Markievicz and Eva Gore-Booth
- House restored to its 1890s heyday, celebrated in Yeats's poetry
- Victorian rose garden and 1740s seaside Alpine Garden
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access