Students choosing a study holiday in Dublin at Castleforbes College should take part in guided weekend trips to Ireland’s most popular destinations: Cliffs of Moher, Belfast, Wicklow Mountains and Connemara. But have you ever heard of Sligo?
A Weekend Escape Outside the City: County Sligo
Ireland offers countless places to explore. If you plan to stay longer, we recommend renting a car and discovering areas that remain untouched by mass tourism.
In the northwest of the Republic of Ireland, surrounded by the majestic Benbulben hills to the north, the ancient Knocknarea mountain, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the beautiful Lough Gill to the east and the Ox Mountains to the south, lies one of Ireland’s most picturesque regions: County Sligo.
The name Sligo comes from the Irish “Sligeach”, meaning “shelly river”. The town developed around a river whose seabed was curiously scattered with shells.
This area is ideal for a relaxing holiday but also offers plenty of activities for those seeking adventure. You can enjoy watersports, golf, seaweed baths, hiking and even horse riding.
From a cultural and literary perspective, this region is famous as the place where the poet William Butler Yeats lived and drew inspiration for many of his works. He believed Irish culture- especially its literature – should play a central role in politics, clear and direct.
In 1902, together with other artists, Yeats founded the “Irish National Theatre Society”, which later became Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s National Theatre.
After his death in Menton – on the French Riviera – on January 28, 1939, and burial in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, his remains were reinterred in 1948 in Drumcliff, just 6 km north of Sligo, as per his own wishes. Today the region is also known as Yeats Country.
Alongside James Joyce, Yeats is considered one of the greatest Irish writers of his time. His importance is honored with a statue on Stephen Street in Sligo, in front of the Ulster Bank.
