Ireland Guide
Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon
Lough Gill
To the east of Sligo town lies one of Ireland's most entrancing lakes, Lough Gill, set beneath wooded slopes which provide the backdrop to almost all its 40km shoreline. The best route around the lough, and one easily navigable in less than a day's cycling, is to follow the shore clockwise starting off by following the R286 from Sligo town, and taking in the plantation Parke's Castle on the way, from which you can take a water tour and catch a sight of idyllic Innisfree.
A few kilometres further on, towards the lake's eastern extremity, the R286 hugs the shoreline as it enters County Leitrim on its way to Parke's Castle (mid-March to Oct daily 10am–6pm; €2.90; Heritage Card). This picturesque plantation castle was erected by Captain Robert Parke in the 1620s and elegantly restored in the late twentieth century by the Office of Public Works. A moated tower-house once stood here, home of the Irish chieftain Brian O'Rourke, who in 1588 was charged with high treason after sheltering Francesco de Cuellar, one of the few survivors of the Armada ships wrecked off the Sligo coast. O'Rourke was hanged at Tyburn in 1591 and his lands confiscated, later being distributed to the Leitrim planters, whose number included Parke. Inside are reconstructed some of the features of the inner courtyard, such as a blacksmith's forge, a well and a water gate. You can wander around the battlements, admire expansive views of the lough and also take in an exhibition on the remodelling of the castle with displays on other notable vernacular buildings.
From the pier beside Parke's Castle the Wild Rose of Innisfreewaterbus operates a tour of Lough Gill (Easter– Oct daily 11am & hourly from 12.30–4.30pm; 
071/916 4266, 
www.roseofinnisfree.com ; €10), taking in views of Yeats's beloved isle of Innisfree, and featuring recitals of the poet's works by the skipper, almost certainly including the poet's Lake Isle of Innisfree:
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 the bee-loud glade.