Page 241 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

NOR THWEST IRELAND  239

d Lough Arrow
Road map C3. Co Sligo. @ to
Ballinafad. n Jun–Sep: Boyle (071 966
2145). ∑ discoverireland.ie
People go to Lough Arrow to
sail and fish for the local trout,
and also simply to enjoy the
glorious countryside. You can
explore the lake by boat, but
the views from the shore are
the real joy of Lough Arrow.
A full circuit of the lake is
recommended, but for the most
breath taking views head for the Passage tomb in Carrowkeel cemetery above Lough Arrow
southern end around Ballinafad.
This small town lies in a gorgeous f Carrick-on- restored in a cross-border
spot, enclosed to the north Shannon joint venture billed as a symbol
and south by the Bricklieve of peaceful cooperation
and Curlew Mountains. Road map C3. Co Leitrim. * 3,000. between Northern Ireland and
The Carrowkeel Passage £ @ n May–Sep: The Old Barrel the Republic.
Tomb Cemetery occupies a Store (071 962 0170). Away from the bustle of
∑ leitrimtourism.com
remote and eerie spot in the the marina, Carrick is an old-
Bricklieve Mountains to the The tiny capital of Leitrim, fashioned place, with
north of Ballinafad. The best one of the least populated 19th-century churches and
approach is up the single track counties in Ireland (although convents, refined Georgian
road from Castlebaldwin, 5 km this is changing), stands in a houses and shopfronts. The
(3 miles) northeast of the site. lovely spot on a tight bend of town’s most curious building
The 14 Neolithic passage the River Shannon. is the quaint Costello Chapel
graves, which are scattered The town’s river location on Bridge Street, one of
around a hilltop overlooking and its proximity to the Grand the smallest in the world.
Lough Arrow, are elaborate Canal were crucial to Carrick’s It was built in 1877 by local
corbelled structures. One is development. They are also businessman Edward Costello,
comparable with Newgrange the main reasons for its now to house the tombs of himself
(see pp250–51), except that the thriving tourist industry. There and his wife.
burial chamber inside this cairn is a colourful, modern marina,
is lit by the sun on the day of where private boats can g The Organic
the summer solstice (21 June) moor in summer and boats
as opposed to the winter are available for hire. Centre
solstice. On a nearby ridge are Already a major boating centre, Road map C3. Rossinver, Co Leitrim.
the remains of Stone Age huts, Carrick has benefited from the Tel 071 985 4338. Open 10am–5pm
presumably those occupied reopening of the Shannon-Erne Tue–Sun (closed weekends Nov–Feb).
by the farmers who buried Waterway, one end of which & 8 7 ∑ theorganiccentre.ie
their dead in the Carrowkeel begins 6 km (4 miles) north at
passage graves. Leitrim. The channel was Situated about 3.2 kilometres
(2 miles) from Rossinver on the
Kinlough Road, The Organic
Shannon-Erne Centre is a non-profit-making
Waterway company that provides training,
information and demon-
This labyrinthine system of strations of organic gardening,
rivers and lakes passes through cultivation and farming.
unspoiled border country, linking The centre is located on a
Leitrim on the Shannon and 7.7-ha (19-acre) site at Rossinver
Upper Lough Erne in Fermanagh. in the unspoilt countryside of
It follows the course of a canal
which was completed and then sparsely populated north Leitrim.
abandoned in the 1860s. The There are display gardens for
channel was reopened in 1993, visitors including a children’s
enabling the public to enjoy garden, a taste garden and a
both the Victorian stonework heritage garden. The Eco Shop
(including 34 bridges) and the sells seeds, cuttings and
state-of-the-art technology used Cruiser negotiating a lock on the vegetables, as well as books and
to operate the 16 locks. Shannon-Erne Waterway kitchen equipment. Some items
can also be bought online.

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