The next stop in Ireland was Sligo, or "Yeats Country"

The sites we visited in and around Sligo are listed in pink at left. 

Click on them for more information and pictures.

We spent a day doing miscellaneous sightseeing north of Sligo.  The main attraction of the day were the Slieve League Cliffs.  We also stopped at the Parian China factory in Donegal county.  Parian China is fine quality china that is made exclusively in Donegal, Ireland.  We got a tour of the work room, where a few people were delicately creating these gorgeous pieces of china!  The picture below shows them hard at work.  Each piece is hand inspected for flaws, and destroyed if any flaws are found.  There is also a picture of one of the basket pieces waiting to be fired.  Each of these go for over $100 in the store.

Slieve League cliffs are the highest cliffs in Europe.  They are 1,972 feet from the highest point.  The Atlantic Ocean crashes at the base of the cliffs.  We arrived to this spectacle by bus, but busses cannot take you all the way  up to the cliffs.  We hiked up the road (which is full of narrow switchbacks) for about 30 minutes.  Now, this is different than Cliffs of Moher because you view the face of the cliffs, you are not standing on top of them looking down.  It's still very dramatic.  There are sheep grazing all over the cliff sides, right along the road.  Some look precariously perched on the rocky cliffs along the ocean.

 We got stuck in a rainstorm while coming back down from the cliffs.  We were all soaked, all the way through, but it was actually quite funny.  A tip here: pack ziplock bags and always have some on you to tuck your camera in!  My camera stayed dry even though its case was drenched!  I also put important stuff like ID's, passport, books, journal, money etc. in ziplock bags inside my backpack or purse.  It's not uncommon to have a quick rain shower each day, and you really must be prepared! 

On our way back to Sligo, we stopped off for a late lunch in Killybegs.  Killybegs is a busy and wealthy fishing port.  It is also home to the largest fishing boat in the world!  We ate at a hotel pub, and we really just had tea and soup to warm ourselves after being drenched at the cliffs.  We also made a quick stop in Donegal town where I bought my "Dalmatian Scarf."  I had promised myself I would not buy any wool items that are so abundant in Ireland.  Well, this scarf just sort of picked me and I had to buy it...there's a picture of me in it below.