Sligo: Yeats Country and ancient tombs
Megalithic tombs at Carrowmore, the cairn on Knocknarea, a waterfall from a Yeats poem and his grave below Benbulben.
- Distance
- 62 km (39 mi)
- Driving
- 0 h 52 min
- Suggested days
- 2
- Stops
- 7
- Countries
- Ireland
- Updated
- June 25, 2026
At a glance: 2-day road trip of about 62 km (39 mi) with 7 stops, from Sligo to Mullaghmore. About 0 h 52 min of driving in total.
Route description
Sligo is a lively town on the Garavogue river, with a ruined Dominican abbey and a statue of W. B. Yeats. A short drive west, Carrowmore’s stone circles and passage tombs are among the oldest in Ireland.
Climb Knocknarea from the car park on its southern side; the path takes about 45 minutes to the huge cairn of Queen Maeve, with views over Sligo Bay. Below the hill, Strandhill is a surfers’ village with seaweed baths and a long, windswept beach where swimming is unsafe.
Return through Sligo and take the N16 towards Manorhamilton, then turn off for Glencar Lough and its waterfall. Back on the N15, Drumcliff churchyard holds Yeats’s grave with Benbulben’s steep profile behind it.
Finish at Mullaghmore, a harbour village on a headland with a sandy beach and views of Classiebawn Castle, which is private. The loop is short and suits a weekend; add Lough Gill and its island, the Lake Isle of Innisfree, if you have an extra afternoon.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Sligo
Ireland - 25 km
Carrowmore
HistoryCarrowmore, IrelandOne of Ireland’s largest megalithic cemeteries, with dozens of stone circles and passage tombs scattered across fields below Knocknarea.
- 35 km
Knocknarea
ViewsStrandhill, IrelandA flat-topped hill crowned by a vast unopened cairn said to be the grave of Queen Maeve. The path up takes about 45 minutes.
- 43 km
Strandhill
Ireland - 520 km
Glencar Waterfall
NatureGlencar, IrelandA waterfall in a wooded glen beside Glencar Lough, celebrated in a poem by W. B. Yeats. It is a short walk from the car park and best after rain.
- 610 km
Drumcliff churchyard
HistoryDrumcliff, IrelandThe grave of W. B. Yeats below the profile of Benbulben, with a carved high cross and a round tower stump nearby.
- 720 km
Mullaghmore
Ireland
