Scenic Point in County Sligo

Knocknarea is a flat-topped limestone mountain rising above the Cúil Irra Peninsula southwest of Sligo town, its summit crowned by the vast cairn of Medb's Cairn, a Neolithic passage tomb mound of approximately 40,000 tonnes of stone that is one of the largest prehistoric monuments in Ireland and is traditionally identified as the grave of the mythological Queen Maeve of Connacht. The combination of the mountain's distinctive profile visible from a wide area of Sligo and the extraordinary scale of the cairn on its summit creates one of the most powerful prehistoric landscape monuments in the west of Ireland. The cairn on the summit, measuring approximately 55 metres in diameter and 10 metres high, has never been excavated and is believed to contain a passage tomb of the Neolithic period beneath the stone mound. Whether or not the mythological identification with Queen Maeve is historical, the scale of the cairn demonstrates the enormous investment of labour and resources that the community who built it was prepared to make, and its continued status as one of the most visible landmarks in the Sligo landscape reflects the sustained importance of this monument across five thousand years. The ascent of Knocknarea from Strandhill or Grange provides excellent views of the surrounding Sligo landscape, the Benbulben plateau to the northeast, the Atlantic coast and the Carrowmore megalithic cemetery on the plain below visible in a panorama that encompasses the most remarkable prehistoric landscape in the west of Ireland.

Mullaghmore Head is a dramatic Atlantic headland on the coast of County Sligo in northwest Ireland, a place where the coastline pushes boldly into the ocean and the full force of the North Atlantic is felt without moderation. The peninsula extends from the small harbour village of Mullaghmore, its cliffs and rocky shores battered by swells that have crossed thousands of kilometres of open ocean, and the combination of grand maritime scenery and the distinctive profile of Benbulben behind the coast creates one of the most visually compelling landscapes on the Wild Atlantic Way. The headland has become internationally known in the world of big-wave surfing. When winter Atlantic storms generate the right swell conditions, a underwater reef off Mullaghmore Head produces waves that can reach heights of fifteen metres or more, among the largest rideable waves in the North Atlantic. Professional big-wave surfers from Ireland and around the world gather here when conditions align, and watching the figures on their boards beneath these enormous green walls of water is a genuinely awe-inspiring spectacle. The headland and the small pier provide excellent vantage points. Beyond the surfing, Mullaghmore and its surroundings offer history and natural beauty in generous measure. The castle-like structure on the harbour is Classie Bawn Castle, built in the nineteenth century and later the summer home of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was killed by an IRA bomb in the harbour in 1979, a tragedy that cast a long shadow over this otherwise peaceful community. The harbour itself is charming, with fishing boats, a small pier and good views back to the headland. The coastal walk around Mullaghmore Head, a circuit of about four kilometres, passes through dramatic clifftop scenery with views across to Donegal and back towards the Ben Bulben plateau. The flat-topped mountain, with its almost vertical cliff faces, is one of the most distinctive geological features in Ireland and dominates the landscape throughout the area. The surrounding countryside is Yeats country: William Butler Yeats spent much of his childhood and creative life in this corner of Sligo and is buried in Drumcliff churchyard beneath Ben Bulben. The beach at Mullaghmore itself is excellent and safe for swimming in calmer summer conditions, and the village provides several good seafood restaurants and accommodation options that make it a pleasant stopping point on a coastal tour of the northwest.