Filed under: Dromahair
In Dromahair there’s a great old abbey. It’s kind of obscured from the main street. You have to walk through a hotel parking lot to get there – but once you cross the river behind the hotel it feels as if you’re in fairy tale.
It’s about a 5 minute walk down the river and next to a sheep field. Due to an actual thunderstorm the night before the river was rushing the morning we all went to the abbey. It is a Franciscan Friary that was founded in 1508.
There are 2 fun things about it. First, it’s just there. It’ really been used as a cemetery for the last 100 years or more – but it’s there and you can climb all over it if you want. Well and if you can take the heights.
The second thing is that there are 3 Franciscan Friars hidden in the abbey – in the stonework. We found all three. I’ve taken picture of 2 – the third wasn’t as good. The abbey is huge though and you should be impressed with our feat. It took 2 visits.
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Hello. I have enjoyed reading your website.
Comment by Mary Jane Watson August 14, 2010 @ 7:12 pmI am from Canada and am going to be staying in a cottage in Dromahair in October. Will I be able to see much on foot?
I will not have a car. Can I get a bus into Sligo?
Thanks for any information you can give me.
Best wishes,
Mary Jane Watson
You’ll have a great time!
You’ll certainly get to know the village well by foot and it’s a beautiful area.
We usually don’t have a car when we’re in Ireland, but I must admit we’ve always had a car the weeks that we’ve visited Dromahair, because it is out there a ways. But there are a couple of buses that go through town: Bus Éireann routes 462, 469 and 470 link Dromahair with Sligo, Drumkeeran and Manorhamilton. You can probably get the schedules online: http://www.buseireann.ie/ (If you’re over 65, you should look at the free bus options. They just opened that up to non-nationals.)
Even more than Sligo Town, you might find a way to get to some of the beaches in the areas. Also there are probably WB Yeats day tours that you could join to get out a bit if you wanted.
Comment by Ann Treacy August 15, 2010 @ 3:13 pm