Ireland Trip - Day 8 (July 20): Sligo

Today was our first day, apart from Dublin, that we didn’t have to jump up and head out the door for our next destination. So, we took it easy – had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal, toast, bacon and tomatoes, and slowly pulled ourselves together. We gathered up our laundry, and walked it two blocks to a local shop which, for 12 Euro, would do all the washing and deliver it back to Tree Tops for us before the end of the day. Such a deal! We walked back to Tree Tops, stopping at the little supermarket along the way for some fruit, cheese, and crackers, and set out in the car for an easy day tour.

First stop was back in Boyle, where we visited Boyle Abbey (unfortunately, it is undergoing renovation, so there’s only so much you can see). Boyle (well, O’Boyle, really) is the family name, hence the interest.

After Boyle Abbey we headed back towards Sligo, stopping to take a picture of the “Welcome to Sligo” sign. My great-grandmother was born in Sligo, so we thought this would be a great photo for the scrapbook. We then found our way to Carrowkeel. To get there, you have to get through a small gate (which you are strictly advised to close after you!), after which you are right among the sheep. And I mean RIGHT among – they were gathered all along the path, munching happily away – some even lying in the road, nibbling on the grass coming up in the middle. We very slowly made our way to a small parking area, where we heeded the sign warning us that the road beyond was quite rough, and left our car for the sheep to guard.

Welcome to Sligo


Carrowkeel Road - and Sheep

The walk up to Carrowkeel is a bit over a kilometer, first on a small gravel/dirt road, then up a somewhat steep path to the top of the hill. The view to the north is absolutely phenomenal – you can see the ocean, Ben Bulben, and beyond. Carrowkeel itself is fascinating – 15 cairns constructed between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C. The passageways into the cairns themselves are bit eerie – you almost felt like someone was watching you from within.

Carrowkeel

After taking a great number of photos, we walked back down to the car, made our way back out past the sheep, and headed up to Strandhill. Once there, we parked the car and had a little picnic of our cheese and fruit – such good cheese!! We then walked to the water’s edge and sat watching the surfers for a little while. It was a windy day, with clouds covering the sun – didn’t seem like a very inviting day to be in the water, but the people riding the waves seemed to be having a good time.

Strandhill

After Strandhill we went back to Sligo Town and Tree Tops. When we arrived, Doreen, the hostess at Tree Tops, came to meet us. She asked if we would like to move into a larger room up on the first floor of the house. She apologized for not being able to put us there our first night, but that we could have it for the next two. We moved our belongings upstairs to a very pleasant room at the front of the house with a nice view of the hills beyond Sligo. Once we were done with that, we decided to go into the city centre and visit Sligo Abbey. It is a beautiful old abbey, founded in the 13th century, and has a several beautiful stone carvings and tomb sculptures, as well as a sculptured high altar from the 15th century.

Sligo Abbey

After visiting the abbey we walked along the River Garavogue, once again peeking in shops (and stopping in a few). We decided on a restaurant named Garavogue, located right on the river, where we found a very nice table in a little nook, with two cosy chairs and a comfy couch. Mom had fish and chips; I chose a potato-leek baked casserole, and we finished with a raspberry roulade. We sat and watched the swans on the river, and laughed over the picture of Sir Arthur Guinness, which was in fact a kind of moving picture – he would occasionally pull out an Ipod and listen to music, light a cigar with a large ornate candlestick, or hold up flash cards with instructions on how to pull a proper pint. I even caught a little of it on tape, just for laughs. After dinner, we headed back to Tree Tops, read and wrote in our diaries, and headed to bed.

River Garavogue