16 Old Ruins to Explore in Sligo

Checkout places to visit in Sligo

County Sligo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border 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 65,535 at the 2016 census. It is noted for Benbulben Mountain, one of Ireland's most distinctive natural landmarks.

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Old Ruins to Explore in Sligo

Ballinafad Castle

Ballinafad Castle was built in 1590 and is also known as the ‘Castle of the Curlews’. The castle is in ruins and is accessible year round. There are no tours, guides, or fees. Visitors can park in a small lot at the foot of the hill where they will find an interpretive sign. Visitors cannot enter the castle, but the interior is visible through breaches in the walls that are closed off by iron fences.

Ballymote Castle

A late 13th or early 14th Century enclosure castle. One of the strongest castles in Connaught and today it remains as an impressive ruin on the edge of Ballymote village. 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. Its main feature of this impressive fortification is the large gate building – a rectangular structure with projection 1/2 round towers at each side of the entrance.

Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery

It is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland. It lies just south-west of Sligo town, right at the heart of the Cúil Írra Peninsula, an area alive with prehistoric significance. These are found at Carrowmore, a collection of burial monuments at the centre of the Cuil Iorra peninsula three kilometers west of Sligo town.

Classiebawn Castle

Situated on a hill overlooking the village of Mullaghmore, Classiebawn Castle is an Irish castle located in County Sligo. It is a fairy tale castle that sits on the steep coastline of the Irish coast, with a breathtaking view of the Ben Bulben, one of the most famous mountains in the area. It was designed in the Baronial style by Dublin architect James Rawson Carroll, and is constructed from a yellow-brown sandstone brought by sea from County Donegal.

Creevykeel Court Tomb

This well preserved site is said to be one of the largest court cairns in Ireland. The monument is located in the N15 Donegal to Sligo road, 200 meters north of Creevykeel cross-roads close to Cliffoney village in County Sligo. The original name for the Creevykeel monument is Caiseal an Bhaoisgin, the Fort of Bhaoisgin, Tober an Bhaoisgin being the name of the well near the cairn. A second megalithic monument existed 300 meters to the north, but it was demolished around 1890.

Dolly's Cottage

A two hundred year old, traditional, thatched cottage, which was located in Strandhill, County Sligo. It is the only one of its kind in the area. IT is a stone built cottage with two rooms and a loft with original walls, roof, roof beams, fireplace and pouch bed. The cottage is named after Dolly Higgins, the last person to live here. It is open to the public at weekends during the summer months.

Enniscrone Castle

Heapstown Cairn

This is the largest mound of stones in Ireland, a full 60 metres in diameter. Surrounded by mossy limestone kerbs and lined all around with beautiful chestnut trees, the cairn is unique in that it is located on low ground. It was constructed c. 3000 BC and is believed to enclose a passage grave. Legend marks this cairn as the site of the famous healing well of Dian Cecht, a magician and healer of the great T'uatha De Danaan, one of the original occupying tribes of Ireland.

Knocknashee is one of Ireland’s largest Bronze Age hillforts. It consists of a limestone top with shales underlying the lower slopes. It is an enclosed hill fort with limestone ramparts containing cairns, burial chambers and hutsites. The fort is 700 metres long and 320 metres wide and is enclosed by two earth and stone ramparts covering an area of 53 acres.

Magheraghanrush Court Tomb

Magheraghanrush Court Tomb is a court cairn and National Monument located in County Sligo, Ireland.The tomb has a 15 metre long oval court with a single gallery at the west end and two double chamber galleries at the east end. At the entrance to two of these chambers the lintels have fallen, one lintel remains but as you can see from the picture top left, this one has split. This particular court tomb has a passage entrance on the south side.

This beautiful castle was home to the O'Dowd chieftains of the barony of Tireragh (West Sligo), having been originally built for Oliver McDonnell who came to the area to marry an O'Dowd widow. Situated adjacent to Easkey pier, the 63 feet high castle is a dominant landmark and the highest part is known as the 'Sailor's Bed'.

Queen Maeve's Grave

This is the largest and most visible neolithic monument in the west of Ireland. The huge monument, which was probably built between 3,500 and 3,200 BC, is part of the Irish passage-grave culture. The oldest dated monument in Sligo is the very early causewayed enclosure at Magheraboy, between Carns Hill and the Carrowmore megalithic complex.

This Dominican Friary was founded in the mid-13th century and served as both a religious centre and community gathering space, especially as a refuge for displaced landowners. It was built in the Romanesque style with some later additions and alterations. Extensive ruins remain, mainly of the church and the cloister.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Temple Street in Sligo, Ireland, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin. The cathedral was built in a Norman style, and it is the only Norman styled cathedral in Ireland. It can seat 1400 people. It has an impressive spire at the front and large apse in the Sanctuary.

Tobernalt Holy Well

Tobernalt Holy Well is a place of reflection and nurturing serenity.It is an ancient natural spring dating back to the 5th century as a pagan meeting place and later a Penal Law mass site. It predates the advent of Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. Its importance as a meeting place and a sustainer of life predates our Celtic ancestors.

This is a building of outstanding historical and architectural interest in Sligo town. Designed in the Arts & Crafts style, and built in 1899, as a branch of the Belfast Banking Company. This building is now the Headquarters of the international Yeats Society, from which the Society keeps in contact with members all over the world, and from where the Yeats International Summer School and Winter School are administered, as well as the day-to-day running of the Society.

Map of Old Ruins to Explore in Sligo