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SLIGO
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was educated in Dublin and London, but his poetry is muddied with the county of his mother' family. He returned to Sligo (Sligeach) many times, and there are plentiful reminders of his presence in this sleepy, largish town.
The tourist office (61201), open weekdays year-round and on weekends in July and August, is on Temple St, just south of the centre. Cygo Internet Cafe is at 19 O'Connell St.
Things to See & Do
Sligo's two major attractions are outside town. Carrowmore, 5km to the south-west is the site of a megalithic cemetery (61534) with over 60 stone rings, passage tombs and other Stone Age remains. It's the largest Stone Age necropolis in Europe. The visitor centre here is open 9.30 am to 6.30 pm daily May to October (2.5 €).
A few kilometres north-west of Carrowmore is the hilltop cairn-grave known as Knocknarea. About 1000 years younger than Carrowmore, the huge cairn is said to be the grave of the legendary Maeve, Queen of Con-naught in the 1st century AD. Several trails lead to the top of the 328m-high grassy hill.
DONEGAL & AROUND
Donegal Town (Dun na nGall) is not the major centre in County Donegal, but it’s a pleasant and laid-back place and well worth a visit.
The triangular Diamond is the centre of Donegal; a few steps south along the River Eske is the tourist office (21148), open 9 am to 5 pm weekdays June to September.
The cliffs at Slieve League, dropping some 300m straight into the Atlantic Ocean, are a recommended, two- or three-day side trip from Donegal. To drive to the cliff edge, take the Killybegs-Glencolumbcille road (R263) and, at Carrick, take the turn-off signposted Bunglas. Continue beyond the narrow track signposted for Slieve League (this trail is good for hikers) to the one signposted for Bunglas. Starting from Teelin, experienced walkers can spend a day walking via Bunglas and the somewhat-terrifying One Man's Path to Malinbeg, near Glencolumbcille.
ARAN ISLANDS
In recent years the windswept, starkly beautiful Aran Islands have become one of western Ireland's major attractions. Apart from natural beauty, the Irish-speaking islands have some of the country's oldest Christian and pre-Christian ruins.
There are three main islands in the group, all inhabited year round. Most visitors head for long and narrow (14.5km by a maximum 4km) Inishmor (or Inishmore). The land slopes up from the relatively sheltered northern shores of the island and plummets on the southern side into the raging Atlantic. Inishmaan and Inisheer are mucn smaller and receive far fewer visitors.
Things to See & Do
Inishmor, the 'Big Island’, has four impressive stone forts of uncertain age, though 2000 years is a good guess. Halfway down the island, about 8km west of Kilronan, semi-circular Dun Aengus, perched terrify-ingly on the edge of the sheer southern cliffs, is the best-known of the four.
About 1.5km north is Dun Eoghanachta, while halfway back to Kilronan is Dun Eochla; both are smaller but perfectly circular ring-forts. Directly south of Kilronan and dramatically perched on a promontory is another fort, Dun Duchathair.
Ionad Arann (61355), just off the main road leading out of Kilronan, introduces the landscape and traditions of the islands. It opens 10 am to 5 pm daily, April to October (4 €).
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