Sligo: Yeats, Theatre and History

When considering Sligo as a destination for a hotel stay, you can focus on literature, visual arts, music or historic sites. Its cultural offerings range from Yeats-related collections and theatre programmes to a contemporary art centre. The rail connection, which stops in Sligo Town, and a bus parking area in front of Sligo Abbey are also useful reference points for planning your trip.

Yeats and the history of Sligo

The Yeats Room at Sligo County Museum contains manuscripts, photographs, letters and newspaper clippings relating to William Butler Yeats. It also holds a copy of his 1923 Nobel medal and the complete collection of his poems from 1889 to 1936. The museum also presents exhibitions on Sligo’s Stone Age history, including a large barrel of 100-year-old bog butter. In the same building, literary materials sit alongside a tangible object from prehistory.

Another Yeats landmark is the bronze statue in Sligo Town, which stands over two metres tall. The artist Rowan Gillespie created this contemporary sculpture. It was erected in 1989 overlooking the Garavogue River to mark the 50th anniversary of Yeats’s death.

Theatre, art and guided walks

The Hawk’s Well is a 340-seat theatre. Its varied programme includes professional and amateur theatre, traditional and jazz music, opera, dance, pantomime, children’s theatre and comedy. The Yeats Society hosts the Yeats International Summer School and is also a centre for literary culture and the arts in the heart of Sligo. The Society arranges talks and guided tours on request.

In Sligo Town, The Model is a contemporary art centre. With an urgent, experimental and accessible programme, it offers global perspectives on art, ideas, culture and identity. Its music programme includes contemporary and classical music. Those interested in the town’s history and geography can also enquire about Sligo Walking Tours with local historian Mel Ní Mhaolanfaidh. Guided walks take place by prior arrangement.

Sligo Abbey and getting there

Sligo Abbey is a Dominican priory with surviving sections of the church, sacristy and chapter house, as well as a 15th-century cloister. A bus parking area for coaches and tour buses is in operation directly in front of the abbey. If this stop is relevant to your journey, check in advance whether it is available for use.

The rail service from Dublin Connolly Station stops at Ballymote, Collooney and Sligo Town, among other places. For your specific journey, it is worth checking the timetable for your chosen day. This lets you take the rail connection into account when planning without assuming a particular journey time.

Play options and cinema

The ImagiNation at Lyons Department Store in the heart of Sligo Town offers play activities for toddlers, preschoolers and younger children. The age range it caters to is clearly defined. The Omniplex Cinema Sligo offers a different kind of experience: this multiplex has ten screens and offers the MAXX cinema experience. When choosing accommodation, these different interests can be considered alongside literature, history, theatre and art.

Discover more destinations: Aclare, Ballinphull, Strandhill, Tobercurry, Geevagh, Curry, Cloghboley, Streedagh

For the broader travel overview: County Sligo.