Overview
Carrigallen (Irish: Carraig Álainn, ‘beautiful rock’) is a village of 387 people in east Leitrim, on the R201 and R203 about 19 km west of Cavan town. Its main claim is geography: it sits close to the point where the three provinces of Ulster, Leinster and Connacht come together, a genuine oddity even if the exact meeting point lies in the fields rather than on the main street. What actually draws visitors is smaller and more practical – lakes within walking distance for the fishing, a well-regarded community theatre, and one of the busiest livestock marts in the region.
Fishing and the lakes
The angling is the reason most visitors come, and it’s unusually convenient: Town Lake is about 50 yards from the village centre, and Gangin Lake lies 500 yards to the south. Between them and the smaller loughs scattered through the surrounding drumlins, there’s coarse fishing – pike, perch and roach – within a short walk or drive. Rockfield Lake is around 4 km east if you want more water to work. This is quiet, low-key fishing country rather than a managed fishery, so a licence or permit may be required for some species; check with Inland Fisheries Ireland or a local tackle shop before you head out.
The Corn Mill Theatre
The Corn Mill Theatre & Arts Centre, in the village centre, has staged drama, music and poetry since it opened in 1989. For a village this size, a working theatre with a regular programme is a real asset, and it’s the thing to build an evening around – check what’s on before you travel, as the run of any given show is short. It’s the cultural centre of gravity here in a way a bigger town’s venue rarely manages.
The mart, the fairs and some famous names
Carrigallen runs one of the region’s busiest livestock marts, with regular sales – and online auctions now – for sheep, cattle and pigs. It’s the modern descendant of the old fair days: for generations, fairs were held on set dates through the year, on 12 April, 7 May, 28 May, 9 August, 8 October and 31 December. A mart morning is the closest thing to a public spectacle the village offers, and worth timing a visit around if the working life of rural Leitrim interests you.
The parish has produced a surprising roll of names. Margaret Haughery (1813–1882), the New Orleans philanthropist remembered there in a public statue as ‘Margaret of New Orleans’, was born at Tully near the village. The actor Patrick McGoohan (1928–2009) spent part of his childhood in the Mullaghmore area of Carrigallen. And John Godley, 3rd Baron Kilbracken (1920–2006), the author and journalist, lived at Killegar House nearby.
History
The wider district was crossed by St Patrick in legend – he is said to have baptised followers at St Patrick’s holy well in Aghawillin and blessed the old graveyard at Errew. A 16th-century graveyard sits about 3 km east of the village, overlooking Gulladoo Lake, and Killahurk ring fort, 2 km out, is a good example of an early medieval enclosure. The Catholic church of St Mary’s dates from 1846, the Church of Ireland church from 1814.
Practical information
- Getting here: Carrigallen is on the R201 and R203. Bus services are limited and run on set days rather than a daily timetable – Bus Éireann routes 465 to Cavan, 464 to Enniskillen and 462 to Sligo, plus Local Link LD63 to Longford. Check the current timetable before relying on it.
- Parking: There’s on-street parking through the village centre.
- Accessibility: The village centre and theatre are on level ground with paved paths. Contact the Corn Mill Theatre in advance about seating or access.
Nearby
A short drive north brings you to Ballinamore, a market town on the Shannon-Erne Waterway with more angling and boating. The county town of Carrick-on-Shannon is a little over twenty minutes away for riverside walks, restaurants and a wider choice of accommodation, and the Cavan & Leitrim Railway runs heritage trips from Dromod. If you’re fishing, the standing tip is to ring ahead about the theatre programme too – catch a show the same evening and you’ve made a full day of a very small place.