This is rural Ireland at its finest, so get ready for rolling hills, quaint villages and a more relaxed way of life. County Leitrim, or ‘Lovely Leitrim’ as it’s sometimes called, is located in the heart of Ireland. The least populated county on the island of Ireland, it has a unique charm that will stay with you long after you leave.
If you’re more at home amongst the currents than dry land, then Leitrim is the place to go. Countless rivers wind their way through the county. Many people take their cruisers and house-boats along these gentle rivers, and you can even make it all the way to
County Fermanagh thanks to the
Shannon-Erne waterway. Here, you can take to the waters and hire a boat to captain at your leisure, or simply walk along the riverbank, watching the water swirl lazily by.
If navigating the waterways by boat is a bit too sedate for you, there are plenty of other activities to get your heart racing. Head to
Lough Allen to try windsurfing, sailing or even become one with nature with wilderness therapy. Forage for your dinner and set up camp before sleeping under a blanket of stars.
One of the most famous literary associations with ‘Lovely Leitrim’ is, of course,
WB Yeats, one of Ireland’s greatest writers and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. It was in Leitrim that WB Yeats was inspired by Glencar Waterfall, and it features in his poem ‘The Stolen Child’.
“Where the wandering water gushes, from the hills above Glen-Car, in pools among the rushes, that scarce could bathe a star”
If you want to find out more about WB Yeats then cross over to neighbouring County Sligo where you can discover why this surfing haven is often called ‘Yeats Country’.
But if you stick around in County Leitrim, then make your way to Carrick-on-Shannon. The largest town in Leitrim, no visit would be complete without a visit to this busy little hub. This is where you’ll find pleasure cruises along the River Shannon, with a soundtrack of trad sessions spilling out of the pubs to accompany you on your next adventure.
Can our Community members recommend any other places to visit in ‘Lovely Leitrim’?