Some Great Irish Roads - a series by Bob Montgomery
Great Roads No 9: Glencar, Sligo, to Drumcliffe via Glencar
Glencar Valley and Lough have been a favourite of mine since I was first introduced to them a couple of years ago.
The valley lies to the northeast of Sligo town, and runs west/east with the southern escarpment of King's Mountain - which merges into famed Benbulbin, both in the Dartry Range - forming its spectacular northern limits.
Its southern edge is defined by Lugnafaughery, along which the N16 runs from Sligo to Manorhamilton.
It is along this N16 coming out of Sligo town that we begin our exploration of Glencar whose Irish name is Loch na Chairthe - The Lake of the Standing Stone. Several crannógs have been discovered in the lake, but to what the 'standing stone' of its title refers I do not know, and perhaps a reader can enlighten me.
As one leaves Sligo along the N16 - one of several particularly fine main roads in this area - one is conscious of climbing until the first glimpses across the Glencar valley appear through the hedgerows.
The view across the valley and Glencar lake is spectacular. The steep escarpments of King's Mountain rise spectacularly behind the trees of Glencar Forest above a crumpled landscape of fields running up from the lakes edge.
The best views of Glencar are from this road, before we turn down into the valley itself and journey the road which closely follows the lakeshore. Along this part of the road King's Mountain rises spectacularly and provides views of landscape perhaps more akin to the Canadian Rockies than to Ireland.
Here, also close to the visitor centre, is Glencar Waterfall, which is well worth the short walk from the parking area provided. This road is all about the landscape through which it passes, and at almost any point along its length provides wonderful views of the valley. There is also a narrow unsigned road which runs up into Glencar Forest.
Sadly, the trees that surround this road preclude any opportunity for even more spectacular views of the valley as it climbs steeply towards the top of the escarpment.
This road is best avoided except on foot and indeed, a sign warns that you proceed at your own risk, owing to the constant danger of rockfalls. Leaving the vicinity of the lake a right turn takes you along the edge of the base of King's Mountain for about 5km before a left turn leads to the main road from Sligo to Bundoran - the N15 - close to Drumcliffe.
The Church of Ireland church and graveyard at Drumcliffe is of course famous as the last resting place of Ireland's greatest poet, William Butler Yeats, whose ties with Sligo and its landscape are numerous. Here, in the overflow car park of the visitor centre is a wonderful and highly original sculpture created by Jackie McKenna commemorating the poet through the words of his poem 'He wishes for the cloths of Heaven'. It's a good place to end our short exploration of Glencar and its vicinity. This thought-provoking sculpture seems to somehow symbolise the mystic qualities of the landscape through which we have passed, a landscape which wears its history well, revealing much to an enquiring explorer.