Sligo
A compact city on the Garavogue, in northwestern Ireland.
Sligo is a city—and a county—in northwestern Ireland. It has a train station that connects to Dublin and a compact but vibrant center, which makes it ideal for an American escape. It sits on the Garavogue River, which spills into Sligo Bay, so there’s plenty of waterfront to stroll.
Coffee
Rover Coffee Lab is a small take-away shop with an extremely efficient menu, and the cappuccino I had there was excellent. Blend offered a better environment to sit down and rest with breakfast.
Markets
The Tesco off O’Connell Street is the obvious place for one-stop shopping. There’s also a small shop, fittingly, on Market Street called Cosgrove and Son that will have most of what you need. I got some nice Irish bread from O’Hehirs on Grattan Street.
Walks
My favorite walk was the main loop around town. It follows the shopping area on O’Connell Street, crosses the river at Lower Knox Street, circles the north side of town on Stephen Street, and crosses back over on Bridge Street. Twenty minutes or so, with plenty of cafés and bookshops to pop into on the way.
Sights
I took loads of photos at Sligo Abbey, which has a self-guided tour that gives you free rein of the place. The cloisters are a particularly delightful spot to stroll and let your imagination run. There’s a stairway you can climb, and a perch at the top that’s great for photographing the abbey.