First off, a visit here is FREE! There is no charge to enter and walk around the beautiful abbey,…read moreall outdoors. We came on a rainy day and it was still super fun. We used the laminated guide cards and took ourselves on a tour, then bought a few postcards. We spent about 45 minutes here. There was someone playing tunes on a ukulele for guests, too, which was nice. Clean bathroom facilities.

Place is amazing. Built in 1253, torched a few times and rebuilt. Last time it was torched was in…read more1641 during the Ulster Uprising when the Irish were fighting the English oppressors. The monks moved out in the 18th century. Its like walking through history and great photos can be taken from any angle. Give yourself at least half an hour to see this place...

Really love the easy drive from Sligo to this waterfall. Very easy to walk off the road and to see…read moreit the goats everywhere make it so charmed also easy to get an Uber from Sligo to here. And a cute café makes it easy trip. The café makes it nice for a coffee and snack . If just going here I'll plan only an hour to see the sites not much else to do unless you walk to the devil's chimney then plan three hours for everything.

I'd thought, wrongly, that this waterfall was in county Sligo; nope, wrong again matey, the sign…read moresays it's inside county Leitrim and only just. It's a beautiful place and designed for walks and picnics. It has toilets and you can potter around the lake area to the coffee bar, but you'll need a fair level of fitness to go to the top of the waterfall as it's quite steep. The water is so clean with a peaty hue given Ireland has wonderful peat bogs - an incredible eco system of its own. Now it ain't the falls of Angel, it ain't Niagara nor Dunn's River; this waterfall reaches 50ft high and is situated at Glencar Lough, and it inspired perhaps Ireland's greatest poet William Butler Yeats who put it much better than me in his poem 'The Stolen Child' 'Where the wandering water gushes From the hills above Glen-Car, In pools among the rushes That scarce could bathe a star' Glad we went, once. Paradise Ireland style.

Walk around Sligo for any amount of time and you soon learn who their favorite son was. Yes, there…read moreare monuments and statues a-plenty in the county paying homage to this sullen yet prolific writer. For this trip, I brought a book of Yeats and, honestly, I have yet to read another writer with such a dark, gloomy perspective of things. But I didn't live in his time and, if I had, I might also be penning down verses of faeries luring us to better lives. Who knows? As it was, I stood over his grave and toasted with a wee pull from my purse flask to his honor, then moved on, like his final wish to the horsemen. And I saddled up and rode off in search of fun.

If you want to do a tour of Yeats country, then this is the place to start. Run by the volunteers…read moreof the Yeats Society, you will be initiated into the essence of Ireland's famous poet laureate. See original manuscripts of his poems, rare and seminal photos of the poet, his relatives and his beloved Sligo. Feel your pulse racing to the heartbeat and hypnotic rhythm of his profound verse; feel the cream of the wordsmith's rhymes inebriate you like the bubbling waterfalls of Glencar. I don't know if Faeries exist or not, but you will now want to start exploring the icons of Yeat's muse and see for yourself. Start your journey here and maybe the Faery will take you by the hand to the mythical Tir na Nog of ancient Ireland.

6th Century Monastery, Drumcliffe. W.B. Yates burial site that he requested…read more Learned he is not actually here but is buried in France. A nice short stop in our tour with a very nice explanation of St Columba and the origins of the monastery and story of Columba. Mark & Nancy.

"But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly…read morebecause you tread on my dreams." -- W.B. Yeats Ah...one of my most favorite poems of all times. The story of this man's life is one I grew up with and was taught at all levels of my early education, national school and secondary school. Nestled in the shadow of the imposing Ben Bulben mountain, this is a must stop for literary nerds. This is the final resting place for the great WB Yeats. His gravestone reads: Cast a cold Eye On Life, on Death. Horseman, pass by. This wee village also boasts a great example of a Celtic High Cross dating from circa 9th century and also a round tower dating from the 10th or 11th century .

The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of…read moreFlorencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Very interesting - visit equals about 70 minutes We have visited caves all over the US and Marble Arch Caves are worth a visit Recommend

We enjoyed our tour of the caves. The water was too high to take the boats so this was only a…read morewalking tour. We heard that the high water is a fairly common occurrence in these caves. The tour itself was very interesting. You walk down 150 steps an then tour the cave on crushed stone walkways. There is nothing really rigorous about this tour except the 150 steps down and 150 steps up at the end. The views are beautiful although not as spectacular as the views in other caves.

5 Stars - Definitely worth the time and effort!…read more We chose Slieve League Cliffs as one of our destinations because of its relatively short distance to Donegal, the town where our lodging was. Little did we know what breath-taking views awaited us at the end of a long and hilly walk from the visitors center. The cliffs are arguably the tallest in Europe at around 2,000 feet. I felt small looking down from a great height at the waves crashing against the rock face below. The view to the south allowed us to see the bay and opposing coastline. The steady breeze from the Atlantic seemed only appropriate for such a setting. The beauty of the sheer grandeur remains fresh and awe-inspiring. The trek to the cliffs can be challenging in spots since it's only a winding, narrow road. No trail. No shoulder to move away from cars. Rocky fields and grazing sheep provide a bucolic setting. A pay-to-ride shuttle is available at the visitor center and it drives to the overlook. Another option is to drive your car to the parking lot about halfway up, and pay to park. On the clear day we visited, a souvenir truck and an espresso-ice cream truck parked in the cul-de-sac at the end of the road. The double shot of espresso certainly helped me finish the walk back to the visitors center. Apple Pay connected even far away from obvious cell towers! 5 Stars Definitely worth the time and effort.

Even on a rainy, foggy day, our visit to Slieve League was unforgettable--thanks to our incredible…read moreguide, Aidan. From the moment we started the drive up the mountain, Aidan had us laughing while sharing fascinating stories about the history, folklore, and people of this remarkable place. He warned us there was only a slim chance we'd see anything at all, as the cliffs had been completely hidden by fog all day. Then, just as we arrived, something magical happened. The fog slowly lifted, revealing one of the most breathtaking views I've ever witnessed. It was truly humbling--a stunning reminder of God's incredible creation and the raw beauty of nature. Aidan is an absolute treasure, and his passion for Donegal made the experience even more special. If you're visiting Donegal, don't miss Slieve League. Go rain or shine, and bring a little faith that the fog just might part. If it does, you'll be rewarded with a view you'll never forget. Nancy from NY and Di from Tullamore!

If you enjoy history that involves the burning of a fortress by design to keep it out of the hands…read moreof the 15th century English, put this castle on your itinerary! My family and I visited here during our stay in Donegal and probably walked less than a quarter of a mile from the town square to reach this historical site. With no prior knowledge of the castle's background story, I was taken in by the remnant and the restored portions. Information panels inside provide interesting stories of the varied history of the original and successive owners. I appreciated the craftsmanship and engineering of the trusses and beams of the restored roof. The massive fireplaces and large rooms permitted me to imagine, just a little, what life was like in the castle a long time ago. Additional tidbits: I found the price of admission fair for a family. Guided tours are available. The castle has plenty of steps and no elevators. Bathrooms are available on the lower level.

Rather small but well staffed and well maintained. It takes maybe 30-45 minutes to see the entire…read morecastle. Not the biggest castle in Ireland but Donegal isn't the biggest town either.

The City of Drumshanbo and the surrounding County Leitrim area, is a beautiful conversion of what…read moreuse to be Ireland's coal mining area. Today there are many lakes now used for water sports and the nearby Carrick on Shannon is a major Stags & Hens destination. My extended family has lived in this area for centuries and it was fun visiting, "where it all began, so to speak".

A MUST SEE! The Jackie Clarke Collection is an absolute hidden gem in Ballina. A perfect way to…read morespend your afternoon. I could not recommend it higher! They put a lot of thought into this collection and it is amazing to see the historical significance in each letter, picture, map, etc. they hold in this exclusive collection. It is interesting for tourists to see the history of Ireland unfold in each room of the collection. It is also of interest to the locals with the collection of maps which show how the county boarders have changed overtime. It is well worth the trip to beautiful town of Ballina to check it out. And if this collection isn't already enough to grab your attention, the collection is actually hosted in an old bank! The bank's old vault is now home to one of the rare original copies of the Proclimation of the Irish Republic printed before the 1916 rising. The good news is you don't need to know much Irish history to enjoy The Jackie Clarke Collection.