What to do in while you are in the west of Ireland

For those who have looked at a map, you may have noticed that Ballinafad is actually very near to the Roscommon and Leitrim borders, and about a 20 minute drive to the cities of Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon

The main road to remember is the N4, which will take you from Dublin, through Carrick on Shannon (where the reception is), past Boyle which is the next town, and on to Ballinafad which is the village where the marriage ceremony will take place.

There are lots of different things to do in the area and I have put some links to give you an idea on the left of the site under 'Useful Links' - well I hope they are!

Starting with Sligo, the city itself has a river running through it making it very pretty. It has lots of shops, pubs, clubs and places to eat so is definitely worth a visit. You also drive past one of lads from Westlife's house; what more do you want?!

West of Sligo are 2 lovely beaches called Strandhill and Rosses Point which are lovely on a sunny day and have some nice walks.

At Strandhill you can go for a seaweed bath and/or massage.
I have had one and they are very relaxing and apparently good for you too!

Surfing is another possibility, or there is a links golf course at Strandhill, which can get a bit windy but has great views and you can hire clubs etc to save you bringing them over.

Various horse riding stables also offer guided rides in the surrounding area.

To the east of Sligo city, if you are a history/poetry fan you can visit Yeats grave and memorial, see http://www.countysligo.com/sligo_heritage_yeats.htm . This site also lists other historical things to do if that's your flavour. You will see Queen Maeve's grave mentioned, which is on top of Benbulben mountain. I've walked up to Queens Maeve's grave and it's not a hard walk and the views are well worth it.

There are plenty of lakes in Sligo all of which are nice to drive around and have good pubs to stop for a drink or some food at.

I can recommend the Moorings pub, Kilfaughna, Knockvicar - it's a ten minute drive round the lake from Ballinafad. Also The Bo and Arrow at Heapstown and the Rockview Hotel pub have been recommended although I haven't been to them.

Lough Arrow can be seen in the picture.

With all these lakes, as you can imagine fishing is also an option.

Going south, the nearest town to the church we are getting married in is Boyle, which is in County Roscommon.

This is a small but busy town and we have stayed at a nice B&B there called 'Cesh Corran' which is very central and right opposite Boyle Abbey.

Just outside Boyle is Lough Key Forest Park, which as the name would suggest centers around Lough Key itself and again is nice for walks and boat rides.

A short drive from Boyle is Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim. This is where the reception is.

It's an expanding and sociable town with lots of B&Bs and guesthouse, some nice shops and plenty of lively pubs and a popular nightclub.

As the name would suggest it's on the river Shannon and you can hire boats for a trip down the river, or go on the cruise boat.

Again, there is a golf course which I believe offers club hire.

I'll probably add more as I think of it and maybe some others will too (you can comment this site so please do add suggestions)

I hope this is a help to those of you planning to take some extra time as a holiday, which I highly recommend you do as it's a lovely part of the country.

One of the main things to do though, is step down a gear or two, relax, eat and drink plenty and just enjoy the surroundings and craic.

Elaine xx