Derry and its surroundings: castles, Riverstown and rural heritage

When looking for hotels in Derry, you can also consider the cultural sites and landscapes in the surrounding area when choosing your destination. Here, fortified buildings, rural history and the area around Lough Arrow come together. Each place offers a different focus, from architecture shaped by the Middle Ages to insights into everyday life in rural Ireland.

Castles and burial sites nearby

West of Derry lies Castlebaldwin, a two-storey fortified stone house built around 1625. A square tower stands at the southern end of the west façade; a machicolation is located above the entrance. Projecting gable chimneys and surviving fireplaces inside are also features of the house, whose roof is missing. The relatively well-preserved 17th-century building is designated a National Monument and is in state care.

South of Derry, the village of Ballinafad overlooks Lough Arrow, while the ruins of Ballinafad Castle rise above the village. Sir Richard Bingham had the castle built in 1590 to protect the route through the Curlew Mountains, the Curlew Pass. The rectangular main building has four storeys and is flanked by four round corner towers. The chimneys survive on the east and north towers. Compared with Castlebaldwin’s fortified house, Ballinafad showcases a different building style and a history specifically linked to the Curlew Pass.

Another archaeological landmark in the area is Heapstown Cairn: a 62-metre-wide passage tomb on a slight rise near the northern end of Lough Arrow. It lies about 500 metres east of the River Uinshin. Its lakeside setting and the monument’s size give this site a different character from the castle ruins and fortified house.

Riverstown and rural heritage

Northwest of Derry lies Riverstown, formerly called Ballyederdaowen, at a ford on the River Unshin. The village is right beside the M4 motorway between Dublin and Sligo and is served by a Local Link bus service. If you plan to travel by bus, check the current timetable in advance. The Riverstown Heritage Trail is a circular walk around Riverstown, also called Baile Idir Dhá Abhainn—“place between two rivers.” Information boards along the trail provide historical details.

Sligo Folk Park in Riverstown explores rural life and Irish heritage in the late 19th century. It occupies the grounds of the authentically restored Millview House, built by George Reid in the 1850s. Reid was a farmer, shoemaker and church caretaker. A replica village street with life-size shopfronts illustrates the streetscape of a bygone era. The museum and exhibition hall house collections on rural history and agricultural artefacts; other exhibits also explore topics such as farming equipment and rural life. Visitors can explore the buildings, artefacts and exhibitions with the help of an audio guide.

Some areas explore specific themes in greater depth. The McGee Building displays rural artefacts from the McGee Collection as well as the Hands Exhibition on traditional Irish crafts. The Dairy House explores the production of milk and butter in rural Ireland, with wooden butter churns, ceramic vessels and other exhibits. Mrs Buckley’s Thatched Cottage was built in the park in 1994. The replica first appeared at the Beat on the Peat Festival in Yonkers, New York, and was then shown at festivals across Ireland before finding a permanent home in the Folk Park. It is known as the “World’s Most Travelled Cottage.”

Music is also part of Riverstown’s local tradition: the James Morrison Festival attracts music lovers from around the world every year. For a break, Millstone Café & Deli at Sligo Folk Park serves freshly prepared food and drinks to enjoy on site or take away. The park thus brings together historical exhibitions, musical tradition and dining, without suggesting that they all tell the same part of the area’s history.

More destinations in County Sligo

If you look beyond Derry and its immediate surroundings, County Sligo offers more cultural and landscape highlights. Carrowmore is Ireland’s largest and oldest collection of Neolithic tombs; more than 30 monuments survive, dating back almost 6,000 years. Sligo Abbey is a Dominican priory with extensive surviving medieval remains of its church, sacristy and chapter house. At Streedagh Beach, a three-kilometre sandy beach connects Streedagh Point with Connor’s Island; dunes and an estuary provide habitats for a rich variety of flora and fauna.

The coastal waters at Streedagh Beach are suitable for surfing, windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding; stand-up paddleboarding takes place in the sheltered estuary. Check sea conditions before taking part. In the north of Sligo, Lissadell House & Gardens lies on the shore of Sligo Bay. The estate was the childhood home of Countess Markievicz; visitors can enjoy its woodland and walking trails. These destinations add further archaeological, historical and scenic dimensions of County Sligo to the places near Derry.

Discover more destinations: Cliffony, Drumcliff, Tiratick, Collooney, Easky, Lavagh, Grange, Riverstown.

For the broader travel overview: County Sligo.