We arrived in Sligo town early in the afternoon and checked in at The Glasshouse Hotel, our home for two nights. Our room was high up and the view was gorgeous. The look of the rooms in this hotel are a bit like marmite. You will either love it or hate it. The decor is either orange or green depending on which floor you stay on. Ours was the orange one. The carpet, the curtains, the bed covers, the cushions and the armchairs were orange. Very, very orange. 

 

Once we had settled in, we took a walk through a rainy and pretty Sligo and decided to have a drink in the unmissable Hargadon’s. If you read this and you’ve never been to Ireland you will have a very romantic idea of what a traditional Irish pub is. Hargadon is it. I’m told the food is delicious there but we didn’t get a chance to sample it. Hopefully next time. 

After a couple of drinks we were nice and ready for our booking in Eala Bhan. Eating in Sligo came as one of the must do activities and we were happy to make our way to the restaurant. Sligo town is quite sleepy compared to Dublin where we came from, and a lot of the restaurants were quite empty at 6.30 when we went for our reservation. In contrast, Eala Bhan was full and people were queuing at the door. This is rarely the sign of a bad meal and so my expectations went up a notch. 

I won’t go on too long about the dinner as I’m not a food critique, but everything was as you would want it. The products are sourced seasonally and locally. The early bird menu is simple but appealing and every dish we chose was well cooked and frankly delicious. 

Two things to note come to mind after eating at Eala Bhan. The first one is the quality of the service. It’s attentive and friendly without being disruptive. It’s fair to say this was the case everywhere we ate or shopped in Sligo. The second one is that fresh banana is delicious on creme brulee.To to take on such a classic and give it a surprising but delicious twist is the sign of a great chef. As a French woman I am extremely fussy about the way French food is cooked and this pleased me greatly. 

 

To wrap up my impression of Eala Bhan, I can confirm that we had a tasty dinner accompanied by a rather nice bottle of wine. Although we did not have to pay for our meal that evening, I would be more than happy to go back and pay for dinner myself. I’m very interested by their A La Carte Menu and I intend to go back to sample it. 

 

Our first experience of eating in Sligo was a most excellent one.

 

 

On the Sunday, we went to the Model Museum in town. The Model is one of Ireland’s most important contemporary Art Centres and is home to the Niland collection. The coffee shop is a great sun trap and you could spend a lovely couple of hours in their big couches forgetting the world with a good book and plenty of tea. We then went to Strandhill (less than 10 min drive from Sligo) and stopped at the Strandhill People’s Market. It’s held in a hangar at Sligo airport every Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm and is a joyful spot. It’s a wild mix of local craft, foods and textiles. Great fun for every one. It reminded me on the Green Doors Market in Dublin, one of my favourite haunts. We grabbed a coffee at the market and spent a lovely half an hour taking in the stalls and the atmosphere. 

 

If you go back into the village, you need to go and have a walk on the sea front. We were incredibly lucky with the weather and we managed to enjoy a good walk in the sun with the ocean lapping at our feet. It’s an idyllic spot. I had wanted to check the renowned Shell Cafe but it was packed and we were wanting to explore a bit further a field. There seems to be so many delicious opportunities for eating in Sligo.

 

 

 

You can’t really go to Sligo and not pay your respect to W.B. Yeats at his grave side in Drumcliff cemetery. We are aware by now that the body that lies there is very unlikely to be Yeats but does it matter? I don’t think so. The cemetery lies at the feet of Ben Bulben and the setting is unforgettable. 

 

 

We wrapped up the day with a walk around Rosses point and a cheeky pint in the sun. 

 

 

 

There is much to be seen and done in Sligo and two days only give you the bare minimum of times to get stuck in. Next time I want to go hiking if I can. The one thing you can’t miss out on is eating in Sligo.  

 

A special thank you must go out to Val Robus who really went out of her way to give me tailored recommendations as to what to do and see. It made all the difference to our visit.

 

If you have any recommendations please do leave me a comment underneath this post.