Innisfree Island

Save

This pint-sized island lies tantalisingly close to the lough's southeastern shore, but, alas, can't be accessed. Still, it's visible from the shore. Its air of tranquillity so moved Yeats that he famously wrote 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' (1890):

'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.'

Access the best vantage point of the island from a small road that starts at the junction of the R287 and the R290. Follow the winding lane for 4.2km to a small parking area by the water.

Suggest an edit to this attraction

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Knocknarea Cairn
8.82 MILES
Sligo's ultimate rock pile sits atop a magical mountain hike. Knocknarea Cairn is popularly believed to be the grave of legendary Queen Maeve (Queen Mab…
Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery
13.03 MILES
With a bird's-eye view of the county from high in the Bricklieve Mountains, it's little wonder this hilltop site was sacred in prehistoric times. But for…
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery
6.56 MILES
One of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe, Carrowmore is finally receiving the renown it deserves and is Sligo's must-see attraction. Some 30…
Streedagh Strand
13.64 MILES
Curving, dune-backed, 3km-long Streedagh Strand occasionally sees parts of the Spanish Armada washing up on its shores from three wrecks offshore: La…
Donegal Castle
29.96 MILES
Guarding a picturesque bend of the River Eske, well-preserved 15th-century Donegal Castle is an imperious monument to Irish and English might. The castle…
Marble Arch Caves
22.09 MILES
To the south of Lower Lough Erne lies a limestone plateau, where Fermanagh's abundant rainwater has carved out a network of subterranean caverns. The…
Devenish Island
29.74 MILES
Devenish Island, from Daimh Inis, meaning 'Ox Island', is the biggest of several 'holy islands' in Lough Erne. The remains of an Augustinian monastery,…
Lough Key Forest Park
18.75 MILES
Sprinkled with small islands, the 350-hectare Lough Key Forest Park, 4km east of Boyle, shelters picturesque ruins including a 12th-century abbey on tiny…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Parke's Castle

1.58 MILES

The tranquil surrounds of Parke's Castle, with swans drifting by on Lough Gill and neat grass cloaking the old moat, belie the fact that its early…

2. Magheraghanrush Court Tomb

2.48 MILES

A 10-minute walk from a car park leads through pine-scented forest to this enigmatic court tomb. Dating from around 3000 BC, the crumbling structure is…

3. Dooney Rock

2.9 MILES

Immortalised by Yeats in 'The Fiddler of Dooney' (1899), this fissured limestone knoll bulges awkwardly upward by the lough's southern shore. There's a…

4. Model

4.85 MILES

The Model houses an impressive collection of contemporary Irish art including works by Jack B Yeats (WB's brother and one of Ireland's most important…

5. Sligo Abbey

4.86 MILES

This handsome Dominican friary was built around 1252 but burned down in the 15th century, to be later rebuilt. Friends in high places saved the abbey from…

6. Sligo County Museum

4.99 MILES

The major draw of Sligo's small county museum is the Yeats room, which features photographs, letters and newspaper cuttings connected with WB Yeats. Also…

7. WB Yeats Statue

5.03 MILES

Erected in 1989, this abstract statue of Yeats – with broken glasses – in front of the 1863 Ulster Bank (a building he admired) is the source of much…

8. Hyde Bridge

5.04 MILES

This central stone bridge spanning the River Garavogue was built in 1845. It was originally named after Queen Victoria, then re-named after the first…

View more attractions