Carrick-on-Shannon
The Shannon runs the town: cruisers at the marina, a boardwalk along the water and boats leaving all summer. Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim's county town, is a long-established crossing point on the river.
County Leitrim
Ireland's least populous county keeps things small and slow: lakes, the Shannon at Carrick and a coastline of just a few kilometres near Tullaghan. Come for the quiet.
County Leitrim facts
- Province: Connacht
- County town: Carrick-on-Shannon
- Setting: Atlantic coast
- Touring region: Wild Atlantic Way
- Best for: scenic drives, family, hiking, history
- Places in the planner: 3
Lakes, rivers and quiet hills run between the Shannon and the Atlantic in Ireland's least populous county. It has the shortest coastline of any Irish county, just a few kilometres near Tullaghan, yet the Wild Atlantic Way still passes through, and Lough Allen and the Shannon dominate its heart.
Carrick-on-Shannon, the county town, is a popular boating centre where the Shannon cruiser trade shapes the summer. Elsewhere, Leitrim offers Glencar Waterfall, made famous by W.B. Yeats, forested hills around Lough Gill, and a gentle, uncrowded countryside that suits slow travel. Do not expect big-ticket sights; Leitrim's rewards are smaller and slower: a waterfall after rain, an evening session in Drumshanbo, a boat day on the Shannon, or a forest walk where you may not meet another person for an hour.
Top sights in Leitrim
Glencar Waterfall
A waterfall on the Sligo border celebrated in Yeats's poem The Stolen Child.
Lough Allen
A large Shannon lake framed by hills, popular for fishing and watersports.
The Shannon at Carrick-on-Shannon
Ireland's busiest cruising centre, with marinas and boat hire.
Parke's Castle
A restored plantation castle on Lough Gill, shared with Sligo's lakeshore.
Arigna Mining Experience
A visitor centre telling the story of coal mining in the Arigna hills.
Towns & cities in Leitrim
Manorhamilton
Small town in north Leitrim beneath the Dartry hills.
Ballinamore
Town on the Shannon–Erne Waterway, known for fishing.
Drumshanbo
Town at the southern end of Lough Allen, known for traditional music.
Best time to visit
Summer is cruising season on the Shannon and the best time for lakes. Spring and autumn are peaceful for walking around Glencar and Lough Gill.
Getting there
Carrick-on-Shannon is on the Dublin–Sligo rail line and about two hours from Dublin by road. Ireland West Airport (Knock) is the nearest airport.
Places for your trip
- Carrick-on-Shannon: The Shannon runs the town: cruisers at the marina, a boardwalk along the water and boats leaving all summer. Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim's county town, is a long-established crossing point on the river.
- Glencar Waterfall: Yeats put this waterfall in a poem, and it earns the attention on its own: a fall beside Glencar Lough on the Leitrim-Sligo border.
- Fenagh Abbey: Fenagh in County Leitrim has the remains of a medieval abbey church on an early monastic site.
What's on
No anchor festival is based here, but the Irish year is full: next up nationally is TradFest (20–24 Jan 2027, Temple Bar, Dublin). See the full events calendar
Nearby counties
County Longford
A low-key midlands county of bogs, lakes and the Royal Canal, with an Iron Age bog road at Corlea as its remarkable sight. Goldsmith and Edgeworth give it literary roots.
County Roscommon
A quiet county between the Shannon and the west: Lough Key's forest park, Rathcroghan's royal landscape and castles without the crowds. The charm is the lack of hurry.
County Sligo
Yeats Country under Benbulben's flat top, with surf at Strandhill and Enniscrone and music in the south. The poetry and the coast take equal billing.
Part of Wild Atlantic Way.