My husband I went to Ireland 2 years by ourselves and will be returning with our adult children (23-29) in June for 9 days. Will be meeting my husband's relatives in Templevanny, Sligo that we met 2 years ago. Two years ago, spent the afternoon with the relatives and then drove to Galway for the night. This time, we want to spend a little more time in Sligo. What sights should we see ? Any recommendations of where to stay? Just starting to plan the itinerary.- will probably be heading down to Cork from Sligo.
Sligo is so beautiful and not visited a lot by the masses, which is part of its charm.
I have always enjoyed staying in Sligo Town itself and also out in Enniscrone on the coast where they have a beautiful beach and dreamy victorian seaweed baths for you to enjoy each morning!
Sligo has also been a haven for those like me who are devotees of the poetry of WB Yeats, but also in the last 12 months it really has become the national centre for outdoor pursuits and activities. Stand Up Paddleboarding is almost as big as Gaelic Football there now! :)
Slainte/Good Health
Stephen McPhilemy
Ireland Tour-Guide
Almost 15 years ago, I stayed in Sligo with the relatives of a friend. Here is the Sligo tourism site: http://www.sligotourism.ie/
I love Irish trad music. Sligo is something of a center for traditional music in part because of the South Sligo Summer School (http://www.sssschool.org/) in Tobercurry, but that's in July, a month before your visit. However, I've heard the Coleman Irish Music Center (http://www.colemanirishmusic.com/) in Gurteen is nice, but I've never been there. Also, ask your relatives which pubs are the best for music.
I have friends in Ballymote. Ballymote Castle (http://www.sligotourism.ie/page/ballymote-castle) is among the best-preserved castles I've seen in Ireland, but there are no tours.
I strongly recommend a visit to the Ceide (pronounced "kay juh") Fields in next-door County Mayo (http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/west/ceidefields/). It's a stone-age archaeological site. If you go, take the guided tour. The views off nearby cliffs into the Atlantic Ocean are among the best in Ireland, comparable to those at the famous Cliffs of Moher (http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/) in West Central Ireland.