County Sligo (, Irish: Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 70,198 at the 2022 census. It is noted for Benbulben Mountain, one of Ireland's most distinctive natural landmarks.
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#1 Classiebawn Castle is a country house on the Mullaghmore Peninsula near the village of Cliffoney in County Sligo, Ireland. It was built in the late 19th century for British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston (1784–1865) on what was then a 4,000-hectare (10,000-acre) estate.
#2 Benbulbin (Irish: Binn Ghulbain), sometimes Benbulben or Ben Bulben, is a steep-sided and flat-topped mountain in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, in an area sometimes called "Yeats Country". Benbulbin, 526 m (1,726 ft) high, formed as a nunatak during the last Ice Age. Benbulbin is a protected site, designated as a County Geological Site by Sligo County Council.
#3 Markree Castle is a castle located in Collooney, County Sligo, Ireland. It is the ancestral seat of the Cooper family, partially moated by the River Unshin. Today it is a small family-run hotel. In the 1830s the Observatory on the grounds of the Castle had the largest refracting telescope in the world. What today is known as the asteroid 9 Metis was discovered there in the 1840s by the Coopers' observatory staff.
#4 The Caves of Kesh, also known as the Keash Caves or the Caves of Keshcorran (Irish: Uaimheanna na Céise), are a series of limestone caves located near the village of Keash, County Sligo, Ireland. The caves are situated on the west side of Keshcorran Hill (part of the Bricklieve Mountains) and consist of sixteen simple chambers, some interconnecting. The caves have been used by man over several millennia, and it has long been suggested that they were the site of ancient religious practice or gathering such as Lughnasadh. Excavations carried out in the early 20th century, particularly those by Robert Francis Scharff, discovered significant animal remains. Among others, these included bones of brown bear, arctic lemming, Irish elk, and grey wolf.
#5 Sruth in Aghaidh an Aird (Irish for "stream against the height"), is Ireland’s highest waterfall, with a height of 150 metres (492 ft). It is in the Dartry Mountains in the north-west of Ireland, marking part of the border between County Sligo and County Leitrim. It flows for around 200 days a year, from the southern side of the Darty Mountains plateau, into Glencar Lough. The waterfall's Irish name comes from the phenomenon where southerly winds sometimes blow the water backwards up and over the cliff edge. A public hiking trail has been established allowing access close to the base of the falls. The waterfall is a prominent landmark, visible for many miles, and it formerly marked the ancient boundary of the túath of Cairbre Drom Cliabh, now the boundary between counties Sligo and Leitrim.
#6 Tobernalt (Irish: Tobar an Aillt, meaning 'well of the cliff') is a holy well in north County Sligo, Ireland near the southwest corner of Lough Gill. It is an ancient natural spring dating back to the 5th century as a pagan meeting place and later a Penal Law mass site. As of 2016 it is maintained by St John's Parish, Carraroe, Sligo. Masses are conducted at the site. The devoted from surrounding counties and elsewhere make pilgrimages to the site on Garland Sunday when a day-long schedule of devotions is held. Near the well there is a reputed "healing stone" associated with St. Patrick. Patrick's fingerprints are said to be on the stone.
#7 Knocknarea (; Irish: Cnoc na Riabh) is a large prominent hill west of Sligo town in County Sligo, Ireland, with a height of 327 metres (1,073 ft). Knocknarea is visually striking as it has steep limestone cliffs and stands on the Coolera Peninsula overlooking the Atlantic coast. At the summit is one of Ireland's largest cairns, known as Queen Maeve's Cairn, which is believed to contain a Neolithic passage tomb. In recent years there has been concern that the ancient cairn, a protected National Monument, is being damaged by climbers. There are also remains of several smaller tombs on the summit. Knocknarea overlooks the Carrowmore tombs and is thought to have been part of an ancient ritual landscape (see Bricklieve Mountains).
#8 Carrowmore (Irish: An Cheathrú Mhór, 'the great quarter') is a large group of megalithic monuments on the Coolera Peninsula to the west of Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic (New Stone Age). There are 30 surviving tombs with another 25 which have been destroyed since 1800, making Carrowmore one of the largest clusters of megalithic tombs in Ireland, and one of the 'big four' along with Carrowkeel, Loughcrew and Brú na Bóinne. Carrowmore is the heart of an ancient ritual landscape which is dominated by the mountain of Knocknarea to the west. It is a protected National Monument.
#9 Truskmore (Irish: Trosc Mór, meaning 'big cod') is a mountain with a height of 647 metres (2,123 ft) on the border of County Sligo and County Leitrim in Ireland. It is the highest summit in the Dartry Mountains and the highest in Sligo. It is in the middle of a plateau whose edges are marked by high cliffs, including Benbulbin (526m), Benwiskin (514m), Slievemore (597m) and Kings Mountain (462m). The top of Truskmore lies in County Sligo, a short distance from the border with County Leitrim; however, the mountain itself is in both counties.
#10 Carrowkeel is a cluster of passage tombs in south County Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic era. The monuments are on the Bricklieve Hills (An Bricshliabh, 'the speckled hills'), overlooking Lough Arrow, and are sometimes called the Bricklieve tombs. They are named after the townland of Carrowkeel in which most of them are located. Nearby are the Caves of Kesh and Heapstown Cairn. The Carrowkeel tombs are protected National Monuments and are considered one of the "big four" passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland, along with Carrowmore, Brú na Bóinne and Loughcrew.
Classiebawn Castle & Mullaghmore Head, Sligo, Ireland
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Benbulbin, county Sligo, Ireland
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Markree Castle Wedding Venue Tour | Exclusive Castle Hire in Ireland (Sligo) 2026
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SLIGO, IRELAND | The Ultimate Travel Guide
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SLIGO, IRELAND | The Ultimate Travel Guide
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▶ VideoClassiebawn Castle is a country house on the Mullaghmore Peninsula near the village of Cliffoney in County Sligo, Ireland. It was built in the late 19th century for British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston (1784–1865) on what was then a 4,000-hectare (10,000-acre) estate.
▶ VideoBenbulbin (Irish: Binn Ghulbain), sometimes Benbulben or Ben Bulben, is a steep-sided and flat-topped mountain in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, in an area sometimes called "Yeats Country". Benbulbin, 526 m (1,726 ft) high, formed as a nunatak during the last Ice Age. Benbulbin is a protected site, designated as a County Geological Site by Sligo County Council.
▶ VideoMarkree Castle is a castle located in Collooney, County Sligo, Ireland. It is the ancestral seat of the Cooper family, partially moated by the River Unshin. Today it is a small family-run hotel. In the 1830s the Observatory on the grounds of the Castle had the largest refracting telescope in the world. What today is known as the asteroid 9 Metis was discovered there in the 1840s by the Coopers' observatory staff.
▶ VideoThe Caves of Kesh, also known as the Keash Caves or the Caves of Keshcorran (Irish: Uaimheanna na Céise), are a series of limestone caves located near the village of Keash, County Sligo, Ireland. The caves are situated on the west side of Keshcorran Hill (part of the Bricklieve Mountains) and consist of sixteen simple chambers, some interconnecting. The caves have been used by man over several millennia, and it has long been suggested that they were the site of ancient religious practice or gathering such as Lughnasadh. Excavations carried out in the early 20th century, particularly those by Robert Francis Scharff, discovered significant animal remains. Among others, these included bones of brown bear, arctic lemming, Irish elk, and grey wolf.
▶ VideoSruth in Aghaidh an Aird (Irish for "stream against the height"), is Ireland’s highest waterfall, with a height of 150 metres (492 ft). It is in the Dartry Mountains in the north-west of Ireland, marking part of the border between County Sligo and County Leitrim. It flows for around 200 days a year, from the southern side of the Darty Mountains plateau, into Glencar Lough. The waterfall's Irish name comes from the phenomenon where southerly winds sometimes blow the water backwards up and over the cliff edge. A public hiking trail has been established allowing access close to the base of the falls. The waterfall is a prominent landmark, visible for many miles, and it formerly marked the ancient boundary of the túath of Cairbre Drom Cliabh, now the boundary between counties Sligo and Leitrim.
Tobernalt (Irish: Tobar an Aillt, meaning 'well of the cliff') is a holy well in north County Sligo, Ireland near the southwest corner of Lough Gill. It is an ancient natural spring dating back to the 5th century as a pagan meeting place and later a Penal Law mass site. As of 2016 it is maintained by St John's Parish, Carraroe, Sligo. Masses are conducted at the site. The devoted from surrounding counties and elsewhere make pilgrimages to the site on Garland Sunday when a day-long schedule of devotions is held. Near the well there is a reputed "healing stone" associated with St. Patrick. Patrick's fingerprints are said to be on the stone.
▶ VideoKnocknarea (; Irish: Cnoc na Riabh) is a large prominent hill west of Sligo town in County Sligo, Ireland, with a height of 327 metres (1,073 ft). Knocknarea is visually striking as it has steep limestone cliffs and stands on the Coolera Peninsula overlooking the Atlantic coast. At the summit is one of Ireland's largest cairns, known as Queen Maeve's Cairn, which is believed to contain a Neolithic passage tomb. In recent years there has been concern that the ancient cairn, a protected National Monument, is being damaged by climbers. There are also remains of several smaller tombs on the summit. Knocknarea overlooks the Carrowmore tombs and is thought to have been part of an ancient ritual landscape (see Bricklieve Mountains).
Carrowmore (Irish: An Cheathrú Mhór, 'the great quarter') is a large group of megalithic monuments on the Coolera Peninsula to the west of Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic (New Stone Age). There are 30 surviving tombs with another 25 which have been destroyed since 1800, making Carrowmore one of the largest clusters of megalithic tombs in Ireland, and one of the 'big four' along with Carrowkeel, Loughcrew and Brú na Bóinne. Carrowmore is the heart of an ancient ritual landscape which is dominated by the mountain of Knocknarea to the west. It is a protected National Monument.
Truskmore (Irish: Trosc Mór, meaning 'big cod') is a mountain with a height of 647 metres (2,123 ft) on the border of County Sligo and County Leitrim in Ireland. It is the highest summit in the Dartry Mountains and the highest in Sligo. It is in the middle of a plateau whose edges are marked by high cliffs, including Benbulbin (526m), Benwiskin (514m), Slievemore (597m) and Kings Mountain (462m). The top of Truskmore lies in County Sligo, a short distance from the border with County Leitrim; however, the mountain itself is in both counties.
Carrowkeel is a cluster of passage tombs in south County Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic era. The monuments are on the Bricklieve Hills (An Bricshliabh, 'the speckled hills'), overlooking Lough Arrow, and are sometimes called the Bricklieve tombs. They are named after the townland of Carrowkeel in which most of them are located. Nearby are the Caves of Kesh and Heapstown Cairn. The Carrowkeel tombs are protected National Monuments and are considered one of the "big four" passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland, along with Carrowmore, Brú na Bóinne and Loughcrew.
Knockalongy (from Irish Cnoc na Loinge, meaning 'hill of the encampment') is a 544-metre (1,785 ft) Marilyn in County Sligo, Ireland. It is the highest of the Ox Mountains. The nearest village is Skreen. There are many megalithic tombs on the plain between Knockalongy and Sligo Bay to the north. There are also two small lakes at the foot of the mountain—Lough Aghree and Lough Minnaun.
Listoghil (Irish: Lios an tSeagail) is the large central monument in the Carrowmore group of prehistoric tombs in County Sligo, Ireland. The Carrowmore group consists of about 35 monuments surrounding Listoghil. It was numbered as Carrowmore 51 by George Petrie in 1837 and this designation is still used. Although the district of Cúil Iorra is steeped in legend, Listoghil has never been satisfactorily connected with the ancient legends in the way that say Newgrange has. It is the only cairn in Carrowmore. Antiquarians in the 19th century made references to another cairn nearby at Leacharail, but the site of this has never been located.
Heapstown Cairn (Irish: Carn Ochtriallach) is a large ancient cairn and protected National Monument in County Sligo, Ireland. It was built in the Neolithic, around 3000 BC, and is believed to cover a passage tomb. The cairn is one of the largest in Ireland and is near Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery.
Knocknashee (Irish: Cnoc na Sí) is a 276-metre (906 ft) Marilyn in the Ox Mountains of County Sligo, Ireland.
The Model, home of the Niland Collection, formerly called Model Arts and Niland Gallery, is a contemporary arts centre and gallery space in Sligo, Ireland. The gallery houses several exhibition spaces focusing on contemporary art and education activities, a cinema/venue for concerts, an artist-in-residence programme, and a collection of 20th-century Irish art called the Niland Collection. This collection is named for the former Sligo County librarian, Nora Niland.
Sligo Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Shligigh) was a Dominican convent in Sligo, Ireland, founded in 1253. It was built in the Romanesque style with some later additions and alterations. Extensive ruins remain, mainly of the church and the cloister. The site is managed by the Office of Public Works and opens on a seasonal basis - March 17 to November 5 is the 2023 season. Sligo Abbey is open daily from 10.00 am - 6.00 pm, with last admissions at 5.15 pm.
Ballymote Castle (Irish: Caisleán Bhaile an Mhóta) is a large rectangular keepless castle, built around 1300. It is located in the townland of Carrownanty on the outskirts of Ballymote in southern County Sligo, Ireland. This area was known historically as Átha Cliath an Chorainn, which roughly translates as The Ford of the Hurdles of Corann. It is the last of the Norman castles in Connacht. It was probably built in order to protect the newly won possessions of Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (also known as the Red Earl), in County Sligo, some distance from an earlier motte.
Ballinafad Castle, also known as the Castle of the Curlews, is located in the south of County Sligo, Ireland. It is at the village of Ballinafad, on the east side of the N4 road, overlooking Lough Arrow. The castle is in ruins and is accessible year round. There are no tours, guides, or fees. Visitors can park in a small carpark at the foot of the hill where they will find an interpretive sign. To enter the castle grounds, walk up the path and through the small iron gate. The castle is an Elizabethan blockhouse built during the Nine Years' War by Captain John St. Barbe on land granted to him by King James VI and I. The castle was garrisoned by ten men and commanded by John St. Barbe. It was partially destroyed by Red Hugh O’Donnel in 1595. The castle was again sacked in 1642 and fell out of use by 1680. Visitors cannot enter the castle, but the interior is visible through breaches in the walls that are closed off by iron fences.
Ballymote Abbey is a historic church situated in County Sligo. It serves as a point of interest for visitors exploring local religious history.
Cloonameehan Friary is categorized as historic ruins located in County Sligo. Visitors can explore the remnants of this former friary.
Creevykeel Court Tomb (Irish: Tuama Cúirte na Craobhaí Caoile) is one of the finest examples of a court tomb remaining in Ireland. The monument is located beside the N15 Donegal Town to Sligo road, 50 metres north of Creevykeel cross-roads, close to the village of Cliffoney in the north of County Sligo. The original name for the Creevykeel (An Chraobhaigh Chaol) monument is Caiseal an Bhaoisgin, the Fort of Bhaoisgin, Tobar an Bhaoisgin being the name of the well near the cairn. A second megalithic monument existed 300 metres to the north, but it was demolished around 1890.
Giant's Grave is a megalithic monument located in County Sligo. It is recognized as a historic site within the region.
The Cabragh Wedge Tomb, also called Cabragh I or the Giant's Grave, is a wedge-shaped gallery grave and National Monument located in County Sligo, Ireland.