A picturesque lough in which the lake isle of Innisfree is located, made famous by W.B. Yeats who wrote the poem feeling homesick for Ireland and imagined the sound of the water at Innisfree. Also on the banks of Lough Gill from Dooney Rock you can see all of the lough. Lough Gill (or Loch Gile in Irish) is a lake mainly situated in County Sligo, but partly in County Leitrim, in the Republic of Ireland. It is about 8 km (5 miles) long and 2 km (1 mile) wide and drains into the River Garavogue near Sligo Town. The picturesque lake is surrounded by wooded hills and is popular with birdwatchers. It is overlooked by the fortified manor house, Parke's Castle. The present castle was built in the 1600s by Captain Robert Parke on the site of the former stronghold of the O'Rourke (Uí Ruairc) clan. The Uí Ruairc's ruled the area from about the 7th century (they were descended from Sean Ferghal O Ruairc, King of Connacht around 952) up to the time of Oliver Cromwell. The lake contains about 20 small islands, including the romantic Lake Isle of Innisfree made famous in a poem by William Butler Yeats.

County Sligo Inspiration for William Butler Yeats 1865-1939

County Sligo's beautiful scenery was an inspiration for Yeats, who is buried at Drumcliffe Churchyard, under loaf-shaped Benbulben Mountain. The lakes of Sligo, with their still waters and wooded islands, are truly spectacular, and form a striking contrast to the county's rugged uplands. The imposing Neolithic cairn on the summit of Knocknarae, known locally as Queen Maeve's grave, is a striking landmark. At Carrowmore, you'll find the largest Megalithic cemetery in Ireland. (More)

Sligo Town, County Sligo

Known affectionately as the Yeat's Country, County Sligo lies in the Connacht province in the west of Republic of Ireland. The countryside of Sligo offers mountains, beaches and lakes. The capital of County Sligo is an attractive town with good bars and restaurants, theatres, art galleries and delicatessens. Sligo is the largest town in the north-west, with a heritage going back 6,000 years. Its name literally translates as 'the place of shells' - the town's prehistoric residents had a huge appetite for shellfish, and the remains of the unfortunate crustaceans can be found buried all over the area. Sligo town makes a good base for a range of activities - horse riding, golfing, walking, cycling, fishing and water sports are all very popular.

Ireland's most distinctive mountain and known in some parts as Ireland's version of Table Mountain. It is the result from the different responses to erosion of the limestone and shale of which the mountain is formed. A hard and resistant limestone forms the upper cliffs and precipices. Many legends and tales have been woven round the almost magical mountain that is Benbulben. Mysterious shady valleys dominate the landscape in this upland alpine-like region. You can easily see how this brooding mountain, which rises so steeply from the ground below, could conjure up tales of enchanted maidens, warriors and spells. This beautiful Irish and Sligo landmark can be seen from the rear of our fields and is truly magnificent in its splendour.

Lough Gill (From The Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland)

"The chief object of attraction in the neighbourhood of Sligo, is Loch Gilly; a lake which is not sufficiently known to enjoy the reputation it deserves. I hired a boat at Sligo, and ascended the river, through a succession of beautiful scenery, to the domain of Hazlewood, the property of Mr. Wynn. This is a very lovely spot; the views of the lake, from a hundred points, are enchanting; and, in the disposition of lawn, wood, and shrubbery, taste and art have taken ample advantage of the gifts of nature. Finer evergreens I never saw in the most southern countries. The laurels and bays--grown into groat trees--rivalled, if they did not surpass, those of Woodstock or Curraghmore; and here I again found the arbutus, not, indeed, quite equal in its perfections to the arbutus of Killarney, but not greatly its inferior; and giving to the scenery all that advantage of colouring, which is the boast of Killarney. The timber, too, on this domain is equal to almost any I have seen; and I have often found myself pausing before some magnificent ash, oak, elm, or lime, throwing its deep shade across the green amphitheatre, which it seemed to have made for itself. "But I must not forget Loch Gilly, which indeed it would be difficult to do. The domain of Hazlewood extends over that part of the banks of the river where it widens into the lake, and forms the first promontory. I embarked on the lake on the other side. Loch Gilly is about eight miles long, and from one to two broad, and in the character of beauty, will bear a comparison with any lake in Ireland. Its scenery is not stupendous--scarcely even anywhere bold; but it is 'beautiful exceedingly.' Its boundaries are not mountains, but hills of sufficient elevation to form apicturesque and striking outline. The hill-sides, which in some places rise abruptly from the water, and which, in others, slope more gently, are covered to a considerable elevation with wood; and the lake is adorned with twenty-three islands, almost every one of them finely wooded. Here, too, as well as on Hazlewood domain, I found that the arbutus is not confined to Killarney. The extent of Loch Gilly is highly favourable to its beauty. The eye embraces at once its whole length and breadth; the whole circumference of its shores ;