Other Local Activities
Sligo will enchant you.
Sligo is a county that celebrates its independent spirit. It is aplace steeped in history and mythology, with a creative tradition that lives in the music, art, poetry and expression of its people.From lakes and rivers to beaches and dramatic limestone mountains, Sligo is a place where ancient sites, spectacular landscapes and rolling waves inspire stories, trails andadventures that will open your mind and invigorate your body. Come and join us in Sligo and rediscover a sense of wonder.
At Ewing’s, as part of Sligo’s Adventure Hub, we seek to realise Sligo and its great surrounding features as one of Ireland’s top destinations. There are many other local activities in the area you can avail of to make your stay more enjoyable;
North West Adventure Tours
…… are a new company specialising in guided Biking and Hiking tours in the stunning North West of Ireland. They are based in Sligo and operate in Sligo, Leitrim and the Mayo Border areas. They provide full and half day tours both on and off the road and have a wide range of routes and tours available to cater for any ability. They supply top of the range equipment to all their customers. Additionally they offer package holidays that include accomodation and a wide variety of adventure activities at very competitive prices.
Kiteboarding
Because of the amazing selection of beaches and great wind conditions, the Sligo area is the best place in Ireland to get kitesurfing lessons. LSD are the only kitesurfing centre in the north west and teach every suitable windy day. They also supply and sell some of the best equipment on the market, and are always available to give advice or help you demo some new gear.
Surfing
Perfect Day Surf School based in Strandhill, Sligo has over 11 years experience and has a reputation for being one of the safest and most progressive schools in Ireland. It caters for the needs of all surfers regardless of ability.
See http://www.perfectdaysurfing.com/
Strandhill Surf School have a great location in a corner premises on the beachfront. Run by owner Paul Buchanan, from Raglan, New Zealand, it is a great place to learn to surf or improve your surfing skills.
See http://www.strandhillsurfschool.com
Walking/Running Cycling Routes
At legginit.com, you can look up or track local walking, running and cycling tracks in your proximity. Be sure to find the right course for you in your locality with this useful tool!
For more info, see http://www.legginit.com/
Dining in Sligo
Tobergal Lane Cafe is a unique cafe, bar and restaurant situated in Sligo City Centre – just off O Connell Street, and an essential part of the Sligo experience. With a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere, mouth-watering menu and exciting events calendar Tobergal Lane Cafe certainly has much to offer the Sligo visitor.
See http://www.tobergallanecafe.ie/
Horse Riding in Sligo
Island View Riding Stables, situated in Grange Co. Sligo specialises in beach rides in Sligo and Donegal Bay.
See http://www.islandviewridingstables.com
Kayaking in Sligo
Paddle monkey kayaking offer kayaking around Co. Sligo in various locations.
Please call (071) 9134977 for more details.
About County Sligo
Sligo is a beautiful county with a long Atlantic coastline of approx 110 miles, unspoilt countryside, mountains, lakes and countless other natural attributes to be seen.
Sligo’s landscape is dominated by the majestic Benbulben, Knocknarea and the Ox mountains.
Sligo Town is the capital of the North West region and one of Ireland’s largest towns. It is situated on the Garavogue River and is a thriving tourist, commercial and administrative regional centre. It is an important location for industry and many leading multi-nationals are based here.
The ready availability of a skilled workforce, excellent third level education and training institutions together with easy access via airport, road and rail make Sligo an attractive location for incoming industry.
One of the world’s most renowned poets and Sligo’s adopted literary son, W.B. Yeats was inspired by the breathtaking landscape that abounds around Sligo, which prompted much of his poetry and his famous refrain – “Sligo, land of heart’s desire”.
Sligo is unsurpassed in natural beauty and has an abundance of attractions. It has many outdoor activities and offers real value for money in tourist accommodation.
The Regional Arts Centre houses a collection of J.B. Yeats paintings (brother of W.B. Yeats) among other works of interest. Sligo hosts the International Yeats Summer School, an International Choral Festival, and a comtempary music festival, the Hawks Well Theatre, the Yeats Theatre, the Blue Raincoat Theatre and the Model Arts and Niland Gallery.
Sport and Recreation
Sligo offers an excellent quality of life, with a wide range of sport and recreational facilities available.
The Regional Sports Centre offers various pitches, indoor basketball courts, badminton, tennis, indoor soccer, a gymnasium and weights room, and a superb swimming pool.
There are also several hotel leisure centres. Championship golf courses compliment Sligo’s extraordinary array of out door amenities. For the more energetic there are well developed GAA, Soccer and Rugby complexes.
Other pursuits within the greater Sligo area include water-skiing, world class surfing, sailing, scuba-diving, sea and fresh water fishing, canoeing and mountaineering. Sligo Airport also hosts one of Ireland’s most active flying clubs and for the brave there’s skydiving.
Sligo boasts a very vibrant nightlife, with a selection of nightclubs, live entertainment theatres and cultural attractions that offer variety and opportunity to meet all tastes.
Golf
There are golf courses at Rosses Point, Strandhill, Tubbercurry, Ballymote and Enniscrone.
Seaweed Baths
When in Sligo why not relax after a days activities in the renowned Celtic Seaweed Baths at Strandhill or the seaweed baths in Enniscrone.
Places to visit
Sligo Abbey
A Dominican Friary founded in 1253 by Maurice Fitzgerald, the Chief Justice of Ireland. It has the oldest decorated high altar in an Irish monastic church, dating to the 15th century, and the beautifully carved O’Crean tomb dating to 1506, is an example of a medieval grave monument.
Sligo Courthouse
Designed in Victorian Gothic style by Architect J. Rawson Carroll, the Courthouse was officially opened in 1876, at a cost of 17,000. Between 1998 and 2001, 7.3 million euro was spent on a major refurbishment of the Courthouse, which was the single biggest project undertaken by the Court Service to-date. This resulted in the Courthouse being awarded an Irish Europa Nostra Award for the successful restoration of a Victorian neo-Gothic building.
Ballymote Castle
Richard de Burgo, the “Red Earl” of Ulster, built the remains of this Anglo-Norman castle in AD1300 and it was the strongest fortress in Connacht.
Carrowkeel
Passage tomb cemetery situated above the western shore of Lough Arrow in the beautiful limestone uplands of the Bricklieve Mountains.
Carrowmore
The largest megalithic cemetry in Ireland and amongst the oldest and most important in Europe.
Creevykeel Court Tomb
This is one of the best examples of a court tomb in Ireland. The excavated tomb is situated between Sligo and Bundoran and is contained in a wedge-shaped cairn which was originally nearly 60 metres long.
Drumcliff Round Tower and High Cross
This site is an monastic settlement, and also the burial place of the famous Irish poet W.B.Yeats. Its importance dates from 574 AD when St. Colmcille founded a monastery here.
Knocknashee
A hillfort discovered by the OPW (Office of Public Works) in 1988 during an archaeological survey of County Sligo.
Maeves Cairn
Rumoured to be the burial place of Queen Maeve this huge flat-topped cairn called ’Miosgan Meadhbha’, overlookes Carrowmore megalithic cemetery.
This project is funded by Sligo Leader Partnership with support from the Irish Government under the Community Support Scheme for Salmon Hardship