Riverstown: Sligo Folk Park, Music Archive and Heritage Trail

If you’re planning a hotel stay in Riverstown, the local attractions can help you get a sense of your destination: Sligo Folk Park focuses on rural everyday life and historic buildings. James Morrison Teach Cheoil houses archival material on James Morrison’s traditional music heritage, while the Riverstown Heritage Trail runs along the banks of the River Unshin. Riverstown therefore offers a range of points of interest for a trip focused on cultural history.

Everyday life at Sligo Folk Park

Sligo Folk Park offers a self-guided audio tour through six acres of living history. One particular highlight is The Street, a recreated Irish village street with shops and services that depicts everyday life in a small Irish village around a hundred years ago.

The park’s permanent displays include Millview House, a carefully restored 18th-century stone house. The McGee Building presents an extensive collection of rural crafts and traditions through authentic artefacts and footage from the well-known television series “Hands”. The house and collection offer different perspectives: one showcases a historic building, the other presents crafts and traditions through objects and film.

Millstone Café & Deli at Sligo Folk Park serves freshly prepared food and drinks to enjoy on the premises or take away. The food and service options may change.

Music archive and trail by the River Unshin

James Morrison Teach Cheoil is located on the access road to Riverstown Community Park. It houses archival material relating to James Morrison’s traditional music heritage. Its focus differs from the houses and craft collections at the Folk Park: Teach Cheoil centres on archival material about traditional music.

The Riverstown Heritage Trail runs along the banks of the River Unshin. Historical information about the trail is marked on signs along its entire route. Check the signs locally before setting out; river and trail conditions may vary.

County Sligo: other historical and scenic highlights

Looking beyond Riverstown to County Sligo opens up further historical perspectives. Carrowmore is Ireland’s largest and oldest collection of Neolithic tombs, with more than 30 surviving monuments that are almost 6,000 years old. Sligo Abbey is a Dominican priory with extensive surviving medieval remains of its church, sacristy and chapter house. At Carrowkeel, visitors can explore tombs that are more than 5,000 years old; visitors must not climb on or damage the tombs. These places represent different historical periods from the village life depicted in The Street, set around a hundred years ago, and the 18th-century stone house.

One scenic highlight in County Sligo is Streedagh Beach: the 3 km sandy beach connects Streedagh Point with Connor's Island. Dunes and an estuary are home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. Surfing and windsurfing are possible in the coastal waters; stand-up paddleboarding takes place in the sheltered estuary. Check sea conditions before taking part in these activities.

Discover more destinations: Drumcliff, Tobercurry, Templeboy, Cloghboley, Streedagh, Castlebaldwin, Curry, Sligo

For the broader travel overview: County Sligo.