Why do the Safari to Sligo?

Enjoy dramatic hikes and spectacular vistas at Céide Fields and Downpatrick Head. See the last remaining peat farms. Relax on tranquil golden beaches lapped by the turquoise ocean. The best part was how few tourists were here in County (Co.) Mayo.

Read on to find out how to make the most of your time — decide which places you should visit, see which photos fascinate you, as well as get links to our custom Google maps and itinerary planning information.

Author & Photographer: George Mitchell

Our content and advice are derived from our personal experience and knowledge, gained from living in Europe for seven years and studying its art and architecture. Our recommendations are not influenced by affiliate links – we do not have any.  Ireland is one of our favourite destinations.

All of our recommendations are top-rated by Google Maps, which is based on the opinions of everyone, not just tourists. Each place recommended in our posts and our Ireland North Map is appended with a Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).

Portacloy Beach

After weeks of sunny weather, we started day 25 of our trip to Ireland in the wind and the rain. The day turned into a safari exploring for sheep and ponies, beaches and cliffs between Westport and Sligo.

The wind blasted across the bay, swirling rain over the swaying grass. So we gave up on doing the hike here and instead ate lunch with a view.

On the plus side, the sky brightened and the rain let up so we could take photos. Toggle the before and after images to see how I brightened the after image to show what the beach would really look like. The turquoise tinge of the ocean shone through. This would have been a great hike.

Peat Farm

We saw unusual black conical mounds and realized that this was peat. While taking photographs, the farmer Frank came by and we had a spirited conversation. Apparently, the EU wants to ban peat burning (for home heating) by 2020 as part of the fight against climate change. Many feel this goes against centuries-old Irish traditions.

Frank had six brothers and three sisters. The family house is half the size of our typical house. His father decided the youngest, Frank, would inherit the farm and animals. So after working 20 years in the construction industry in London, UK, he returned to the farm.

Frank also takes in animals that have been abandoned or mistreated. He called (baa’s) and five pet sheep came bouncing towards him.

This three-year-old pony thinks Frank is his father and follows him everywhere.

We used this opportunity to find out if there was any deeper meaning to the pink and blue slashes painted on the backs of the sheep. The Ireland Travel Tips (FB) group gave amusing explanations a while back about these being girl and boy sheep. Very cute, but not true.

The real answer is that farmers share access to open land (and road sides) so their sheep would intermingle. Each farmer selects a colour that identifies their sheep. The dye serves another purpose. It lets them know which sheep have not been “dosed” (inoculated). The dye lasts ca. three months.

Ceide Fields

Céide Fields are actually the most extensive Neolithic site in Ireland, dating back to 3500 BC. While the land is barren today, logs found buried in the bog prove that this land was once forested!

Next, we went on a Cliff Safari. While there are cliffs in this area, they are not easy to see as you walk on top of them – do not expect views like the endless Cliffs of Moher.

The best place to see the cliffs was at a lookout opposite the Céide Fields entrance. You are literally at the cliff edge, and the view makes you wonder just how safe those barriers are.

You can also see in the distance that the cliffs continue. You need binoculars or a zoom lens to get a close-up.

Downpatrick Head

Downpatrick Head may be the premiere nature site in the region, but don’t expect endless kilometres of cliff walks. It does have a cliff, but you are standing on top of it and only see glimpses of it.

It also has “Cliffmarines”. Just kidding, but it does look like a submarine.

The cliff tops are carpeted with what looked and felt like soft tussock mounds. I believe these are appropriately called Lady’s Cushions. It was very pretty.

On the plus side, there are many bright purple-pink flowers. The PictureThis app says it is Sea Thrift (aka Sea Pink, Lady’s Cushion, or Sea Grass).

Eire 64

If you look carefully, there is an upside-down R made of stone. It dates from World War II and is part of “EIRE 64”. Eire is the real name of Ireland in Gaelic. If you collect stamps, you will have already learned that. This was a “signpost” to let trans-Atlantic airplanes know they had reached Ireland.

Endangered Species

Every year, tourists venture too close to the edge of cliffs and die. Perhaps they were taking selfies? One couple, while I was here, sat down with their feet over the edge. They ignored the signs about unstable cliffs. From 1993 to 2017, there have been 66 deaths just on the Cliffs of Moher! Don’t become a drop-dead tourist.

Dún Briste Sea Stack

One highlight of Head hiking is this sea stack. This 50 metre high sea-stack is called Dún Briste, which means Broken Fort. It shows off layers of sediments dating back to about 350 million years ago. Quite noticeable are the white strata composed of millions of seashells and corals compressed into limestone.

Final Comments on this Itinerary

This is an action-packed day trip where you can get away from the crowds of tourists who head to sites that are famous because of name recognition. The places are all highly rated by the people, as shown by the high Google Map Ratings. Remember, the most important “destination” is meeting the people.

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Itinerary Maps & Guides

This itinerary is part of our Best Places for 2 Weeks in the North of Ireland and Ireland North itineraries.

Ireland North Map – our custom Google map

Google Maps Ratings

Google Maps provides a rating from 0 to 5 for all sights, hotels and restaurants (but not cities). All of our recommendations are appended with the rating (prefixed with a G) from Google Maps. As it is based on feedback from tourists and locals, it is much more reliable than travel booking websites. We consider a score of 4 to 4.39 to be Very Good; 4.4 to 5 to be Excellent.

Ireland FAQ

The Ireland FAQ post answers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) like:

• Where should I go in Ireland?
• What is the best season for travel?
• What is the best clothing?
• Where should I go? What are the must-sees?
• How much time do I need for Ireland?
• Can I see everything in a week?
• How safe is Ireland?
• How much cash should you take to Ireland?
• Should I pay in Euros or my own currency? 
• What apps are useful for travel?
• Should I rent a car? Take a Taxi?

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