County Mayo
Dipping its toes into the River Rosserk, this sublime Franciscan abbey dates from the mid-15th century. An eye-catching double piscina (perforated stone basin) is in the chancel: look for the exquisite carvings of a 2ft-high round tower (very rare to see one carved in this way) and two angels on either side of a Gothic arch.
The abbey is 4km south of Killala off the R314. Look for the signposts and then follow narrow farming lanes for another 5km.
23.82 MILES
Sligo's ultimate rock pile sits atop a magical mountain hike. Knocknarea Cairn is popularly believed to be the grave of legendary Queen Maeve (Queen Mab…
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery
25.86 MILES
One of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe, Carrowmore is finally receiving the renown it deserves and is Sligo's must-see attraction. Some 30…
28.57 MILES
Curving, dune-backed, 3km-long Streedagh Strand occasionally sees parts of the Spanish Armada washing up on its shores from three wrecks offshore: La…
13.57 MILES
An astonishing sea stack that's lashed by foaming sea, Dun Briste is Mayo's top natural sight. Legend attests that St Patrick drove all the vipers from…
8.45 MILES
Lackan Bay's beach is a stunning and vast expanse of golden sand – it's particularly beautiful as the sun goes down, making it one of Ireland's most…
28.25 MILES
Yeats was long believed to be buried next to the doorway of Drumcliff Parish Church, but recent evidence suggests that the bones shipped here from France…
29.21 MILES
Imposing Ballintubber Abbey is the only church in Ireland founded by an Irish king that remains in use. It's reputed to have been established in 1216 next…
25.47 MILES
The imposing ancestral home of the Gore-Booth family is one of Sligo's top sights. Revolutionary nationalist and socialist Constance Goore-Booth (Countess…
0.2 MILES
St Mary's is one of Ireland's most transfixing holy wells. An apparition of the Virgin Mary has drawn pilgrims here for centuries, and today a tumbledown…
2.66 MILES
Take a fascinating tour of this restored castle, built between 1825 and 1831 on the site of a medieval abbey. The castle was bought in the 1960s by fossil…
3.33 MILES
This gorgeous 5km stretch of sand is the real reason to visit Enniscrone, especially as the sun goes down. Cars can drive straight on to the beach; a…
3.96 MILES
Starting when he was 12 in 1939, the late Jackie Clarke was a businessman who amassed an extraordinary collection of 100,000 items covering 400 years of…
4.24 MILES
Right at the centre of things and at the heart of Killala, the town's gorgeous 12th-century limestone round tower is perfectly preserved, although it was…
8.45 MILES
Lackan Bay's beach is a stunning and vast expanse of golden sand – it's particularly beautiful as the sun goes down, making it one of Ireland's most…
11.23 MILES
This 63ft-high 12th-century tower near the water's edge is a ruined, though formidable, stronghold. The uppermost level is known as the Sailor's Bed.
11.91 MILES
If you see artists out capturing their impressions of the sensational scenery around here, they may well be under the patronage of this foundation. Check…