“Savage beauty” is the way that William Butler Yeats, one of the most famous poets in history described his hometown of Sligo, Ireland. Lucky for me, I get to experience and see firsthand what he meant by this term. We had the chance to explore more of County Sligo that we would be unable to walk to and Carson and I could not pass up the opportunity to see some of the natural sights in the area. We started by having lunch by the Strandhill beach at the Mammy Johnston’s, an ice cream and coffee shop that is famous around the country. If you’re ever in the area, I would recommend the club crepe with a coffee or tea on the side. Afterwards, we took a short walk that lead up to the Glencar waterfall. The waterfall is about 50 feet tall and was a sight to see. The surrounding forest area perfectly complimented the waterfall and made for a beautiful walk. Before heading off to the next sight, we drove around the country side of Sligo. This was fascinating for me. I am from the suburbs of Virginia and live about 25 minutes outside of Washington D.C. Our environments couldn’t be more opposite, however, I enjoyed looking at the never ending sheep population and how they move up the Benbulben mountain. Our last stop for the day was the Lissadell Beach and House where W.B spent a lot of time. We were able to see the beaches, walk along the path as well as look out across the water to the other side of Rosses Point and Strandhill Beaches.
There’s still much more to explore and sights to see. However, Sligo County is a sight to be seen if you are ever fortunate enough to have the opportunity. I can’t wait to go out again in the near future and continue to explore. I’ll end this blog with a quote about Sligo from Yeats himself about the peacefulness of Sligo County and the nature that you can find:
“I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in a bee-loud glade.”
