Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [452]
Cesh Corran ( 071-966 2265; www.marycooney.com; Abbey Tce; s/d €55/80; ) Overlooking the abbey ruins, this immaculately kept place has bright, simple rooms and a very warm welcome. There’s a garden, wholesome breakfasts and even a separate bait fridge for anglers.
Lough Key House ( 071-966 2161; www.loughkeyhouse.com; Rockingham; s/d €55/90; ) This beautifully restored Georgian country house is a wonderfully atmospheric place to stay, with three guest rooms, each individually decorated with period furniture and tasteful, elegant style. Eggs for breakfast come from the owner’s hens, there are bikes to borrow and, if you arrive by bus, you can get picked up from town. Lough Key House is 5km east of town on the N4.
Forest Park House ( 071-966 2227; www.bed-and-breakfast-boyle.com; Rockingham; s/d €60/80; ) Slightly out of town near the entrance to Forest Park, this purpose-built guesthouse has spacious modern rooms with pine woodwork and crisp white linens. The B&B is 4km east of town on the N4.
Eating
Boyle has the usual array of Chinese and fast-food restaurants, but not a lot of choice apart from that. Carrick-on-Shannon is a much better place to eat out.
Stone House Cafe ( 087 375 5005; Bridge St; lunch €5-8; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) This little building on the river was once the gate lodge to the private mansion Frybrook House. It serves a selection of soups, sandwiches, panini and cakes, which you can enjoy as the water rushes by.
Royal Hotel ( 071-966 2016; Main St; mains €9-19; 12.30-9.30pm) Boyle’s traditional country hotel serves decent but predictable bar food, ranging from steaks, grills and salmon fillets to toasted sandwiches.
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HARP & SOUL
The blind harpist Turlough O’Carolan (1670–1738) is celebrated as the last of the Irish bards, though his influence may have been more far-reaching: many attest that he composed the tune (adopted as a drinking song in England) that would later be used for ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’.
Most of O’Carolan’s life was spent in Mohill (County Leitrim), where his patron Mrs MacDermott-Roe lived. He later moved to the pretty village of Keadue (County Roscommon), where the O’Carolan International Harp Festival & Summer School ( 071-964 7204; www.keadue.harp.net; late Jul–early Aug) is held in his honour. Over the course of a week, the festival’s program includes harp workshops, recitals and lectures. The festival is preceded by a week-long summer school of music and dancing classes.
O’Carolan is buried in the 12th-century Kilronan church just west of the village on the R284 to Sligo.
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Drinking & Entertainment
Moving Stairs ( 071-966 3586; The Crescent) The most lively evening joint in Boyle has a great line-up of live music – everything from jazz and traditional music to rock, depending on the night.
Wynne’s Bar ( 086 821 4736; Main St) This quaint old bar in the centre of town is famous for its traditional music sessions on Friday nights. Come early if you want a seat.
Getting There & Away
Bus Éireann ( 01-836 6111) runs coaches between Dublin (€19, three hours) and Sligo (€11.50, 50 minutes), stopping off at Boyle en route. There are six buses in each direction Monday to Saturday and five on Sunday. Buses pull up near the Royal Hotel on Bridge St.
Boyle train station ( 071-966 2027) is on Elphin St. Trains leave eight times daily to Sligo (€13, 40 minutes) and Dublin (€39, 2½ hours) via Mullingar.
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ROSCOMMON TOWN
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The county town of Roscommon is very much a place of local business and commerce, but it has a small, stately centre, some significant abbey and castle ruins and a couple of really lovely accommodation options that make it well worth a stop.
Roscommon’s seasonal tourist office ( 090-662 6342; www.irelandwest.ie; The Square; 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat Jun-Aug) is in the County Museum next to the post office. You can pick up a map of the town and heritage trail here.
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