continued from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 6
NORTH FROM GALWAY
COUNTY MAYO
Heading further north is the lovely down of Castlebar, Co. Mayo, quite sophisticated, with fine manor houses and good eating and shopping. It has brilliant seascapes as well, and a great zoo.
Croagh (pronounced CrOHg) Patrick, a mountain associated with St Patrick, is a popular site for religious pilgrims, and about the only place gold has ever been discovered and mined in Ireland.
Like County Galway, the more west you go, the more untouched the countyside. There is a small Irish speaking community around Erris, also great for anyone interested in birdwatching.
COUNTY SLIGO
Further north still on our circuit around Ireland is the glorious sea meets sky scenery of County Sligo. The small city of Sligo, with its many associations wth Irish history and the poet W B Yeats, is a small, charming town with an excellent theatre, The Hawk’s Well. The mountains on either side and the pass to the east of Ireland are full of fabluous Irish legends.
The castles around the area are of the small manor house variety rather than huge Norman type, but still well worth looking at, and there is also the spectacular “Horse’s tail waterfall” not too far out of town.
HEADING EAST FROM SLIGO
You could start heading east from here over into Northern Ireland through the towns of Manorhamilton, Blacklion, and then across the border into Enniskillen, or come through via Belleek as well to get to Enniskillen.
This area is the lake district of Ireland, similar to the one in England. Upper and Lower Lough Erne are 35 square miles and 50 respectively, and dotted with many islands you can explore on day trips or in a rented cruiser.
There are a number of really lovely manor house type castles throughout the region, and an excellent castle and museum at Enniskillen. The fishing and golf here are second to none, and there is a third lake, Lough Melvin, which has some breeds of fish not found anywhere else in Ireland, and thought to be prehistoric.
There are 17 forests or forest parks in the area, plus 2 incredible 18th century manor houses with vast grounds for you to tour.
Continuing on east would eventually take you through Enniskillen, an island in between the two lakes. With its impressive castle and cathedral, museum and manor house, it is well worth a stay.
Then you would continue on through Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown, eventtually hitting the main road that would take you back down to Dublin. You could certainly stop at the Hill of Tara on your way back, or Armagh, an ancient town which we mention in the northern route from Sligo section.
This a very rural part of Ireland, but still full of fabulous churches and buildings, and friendly people who make fabulous food. Enniskillen is about 3 hours drive from Dublin, heading northwest, so you could easily spend a few days on the lakes and in the forests if you’re interested in a real romantic chance to completely get away from it all.
Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 8