This beautiful place in the northwest of Ireland has inspired legends and W.B. Yeats. Will it inspire you too?
Ireland is a majestic and beautiful place with lots to see and do. However, the recent turn of the country into a popular tourist destination has made Ireland feel less spectacular and enchanting, with many locals feeling that places have become more for tourists than residents.
That is not to say that there are no places in Ireland that have kept that magic and still feel almost undiscovered. One of these spectacular parts of Ireland would be the Dartry Mountains of Leitrim and Sligo.
Located in the northwest of Ireland, sandwiched between the northern border of Sligo and the southern border of Donegal, is a place that has gone relatively undiscovered, leaving plenty for both locals and tourists alike to see and discover.
Glenade Lough – the realm of the water hound
First on the itinerary for things to see in the area is Glenade Lough. Formed through glaciation, the lough is situated in a beautiful valley found within the cooling shade of the Dartry mountain ranges. Beautiful and stunning, Glenade Lough has captured the hearts and minds of people for millennia.
Home to an assortment of pike, roach perch, and the European eel, Glenade Lough is a sight to behold. Stories of the lough go back to the earliest oral traditions in Ireland; however, this does not stop visitors from feeling they have found an undiscovered part of Ireland.
The most famous legend of Glenade Lough is that of the Dobhar-chú. As the legend goes, Grace Connolly had been washing clothes in the lough when she was attacked.
Her husband found her body and killed the beast, only to have to fight its mate, which had been asleep at the bottom of the lough.
This spectacular story demonstrates how this spectacular place has captured the hearts and imagination of people over the years, and is where myth meets reality. Visitors to Glenade can visit the nearby Conwell Cemetery and see the grave of Grace Connolly themselves.
Glencar Waterfall – going against the wind
Just a little way on from Glenade Lough is the beautiful and stunning Glencar Waterfall. A place of untouched natural beauty, it is captivating to the eyes. Seen from the elevated viewing platforms, visitors are able to take in the spectacular scenery around them.
A meditative and tranquil place, the Glencar Valley has inspired people throughout the ages, with W.B. Yeats’ poem, The Stolen Child, set within this fantastic environment.
It is a place which gives people the feeling that it will snatch them into a fantasy if they are not cautious. For more places where you can discover W.B. Yeats, click here.
Down past the waterfall is Glencar Lough; on the other side of the Dartry Mountains is Glencar Lough.
While missing the legend of a deadly denizen waiting to eat unwary visitors, it is no less spectacular than its sibling lough, especially in the early morning when the fog lies low over the lough.
A bit further north from Glencar, but worth seeing while there, is the Devil’s Chimney, Sruth in Aghaidh An Aird.
Only visible during periods of heavy rainfall—thankfully not a problem in Ireland—the Devil’s Chimney is a stunning weather phenomenon where the water from Ireland’s tallest waterfall can be seen blowing back up the mountain when the wind is right.
Eagle’s Rock & Hag’s Leap – Ireland’s forgotten wildlife
Going back a bit in the direction of Glenade is the stunning and spectacular Eagle’s Rock. A remarkable rock column, it is the only one of its kind in Ireland.
Visitors to the site are left with a sense of awe, and a feeling of a primordial and profound sense of nature’s vast capabilities left untouched by man.
In many ways resembling the feathered wings of its namesake, Eagle’s Rock attained its name for being the ideal location as both hunting grounds and nurseries for birds of prey.
And while eagles have successfully been reintroduced in nearby parts of Ireland, they have yet to be introduced to this ancestral namesake of theirs. For exciting wildlife encounters in Ireland, click here.
Adjoined to Eagle’s Rock is the somewhat more sinister Hag’s Leap. Named after the Cailleach, the hag or veiled one, it is said that this pre-Christian figure would jump across the mountain peaks, moving with the ice, with this perch being a favoured one to survey the landscape.
An interesting feature tied into the winter aspects of this figure is the Poll na mBear, a hollow located in the mountains where the remains of several brown bears and cubs were found.
Dating to 2000 B.C., it demonstrates how the earliest settlers to Ireland would have lived alongside these magnificent animals.
Glenniff Horseshoe – seeing the legend, telling the story
Last to be discussed, but no less important, is the spectacular Gleniff Horseshoe within the Dartry Mountains. Another glacial valley like Glenade and Glencar, the Gleniff valley is unique for the horseshoe-shaped formation, resulting in its namesake.
At the entrance to the valley are the remains of the Gleniff Barytes Millsite, where the material extracted from the Gleniff mines in the 19th and 20th centuries was processed. The mines themselves can still be visited, though exploration of the mines is not encouraged.
The most striking feature of the Gleniff Horseshoe, however, is Diarmuid and Gráinne’s cave, adding a layer of spectacle and mysticism to the environment on top of the already remarkable scenery.
Visiting the cave is more difficult than many expect, however, with mountain rescue services being frequent occurrences in the area.
The Dartry Mountains provide some of the most unique and spectacular scenery to be found in Ireland. Despite legends and stories of the place going back to the earliest settlement of Ireland, they manage to remain untamed and undiscovered, making them the perfect place to be seen and appreciated.
