Isle of Inisfree, County Sligo

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Isle of Innisfree, County Sligo
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Name	Isle of Innisfree, County Sligo
County	Sligo
Nearest Town	Sligo
Access Road	N15
About	The Isle of Innisfree was made famous by W. B. Yeats and is just off the shore of Lough Gill. Yeats wrote the poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree in Bedford Park in 1890. Yeats was homesick for Ireland and began to remember the sound of the lake water in Ireland. Lough Gill is mainly situated in County Sligo, but also partly in County Leitrim. It is about 8 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide, and drains into the River Garavogue near Sligo Town. The picturesque lake is surrounded by wooded hills and is popular with birdwatchers. Lough Gill is overlooked by Parkes castle. The present castle was built in the 1600s by Captain Robert Parke on the site of the former stronghold of the Ui Ruairc Clan. The U Ruairc clan ruled the area from about the 7th century to around 952, up to the time of Oliver Cromwell arrival in the west of Ireland. The lake contains about 20 small islands, including the famous Isle of Innisfree.

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