Two very different waters run through this county. In the north, under the Dartry Mountains, Glencar Waterfall drops 15 metres into a mossy pool a short walk from a free car park and boardwalk, with Glencar Lough stretching west along the Sligo border. The same valley holds the Devil’s Chimney, at 150 metres Ireland’s tallest fall, which only runs after heavy rain. Fowley’s Falls near Rossinver is a run of cascades over blue limestone on the Glenaniff River, with a 3km riverside path linking the falls to the Organic Centre, and Glenade Lough fills a glacial trough of its own, a Special Area of Conservation carrying the legend of the Dobhar-chú.
South and east, the water flattens out. The Shannon is at its calmest here, wide and slow not far from its Cavan source, with Carrick-on-Shannon and Leitrim Village as the launch points for self-drive cruisers, kayaks and the Shannon Blueway. The Shannon-Erne Waterway runs 63km from there to Upper Lough Erne through 16 self-service locks. Ballinamore sits on that canal with 40 coarse-fishing lakes inside a 10km radius; Rockfield Lake, on the Cavan border east of Carrigallen, has no facilities at all.
The border lakes form a third group: Lough Melvin at Kinlough, and Lough MacNean at the heart of the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark. The falls and the Bonet River at Dromahair are rain-fed, so wet weather works in your favour.
A 15-metre plunge into a mossy pool below Glencar Lough, reached by accessible woodland trails from a free car park, with a tea-shed on site.
Clear, low-nutrient border water holding the endemic Melvin charr and two native trout, with an Eco Park and 32km cycle loop for non-anglers.
The county's angling base, on the Shannon-Erne Waterway with 40 coarse-fishing lakes inside 10km and licence-free boats for hire on the canal.
Cascades over blue limestone in a steep wooded valley near Rossinver, free and quiet, with a 3km riverside path to the Organic Centre.
A glacial lake framed by the Dartry Mountains and protected as a Special Area of Conservation, tied to the Dobhar-chú legend and Pol na mBear.
14 of 14 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Glencar Waterfall, leitrim
Step into the mist-shrouded valley that inspired W.B. Yeats's *The Stolen Child*. Glencar Waterfall's 15-metre plunge into a mossy pool is surrounded by accessible woodland trails, a tea-shed, and panoramic views of Glencar Lough.
Northwest Ireland, leitrim
Lough Melvin straddles the Leitrim–Fermanagh border, its clear, low-nutrient water home to fish found almost nowhere else: the endemic Melvin charr and two native trout, the red-spotted gillaroo and the dark sonaghen. It's a fishing lake first, but the Eco Park at Kinlough and a 32km cycle loop give non-anglers a reason to come too.
Ballinamore, leitrim
Ballinamore sits on the Shannon-Erne Waterway, with 40 coarse-fishing lakes inside a 10km radius and licence-free boats for hire on the canal. A self-guided trail of six inscribed monoliths threads the town's plantation-era history, and Glenview is the only folk museum in County Leitrim.
Rossinver, leitrim
Fowley's Falls is not one big drop but a run of cascades over blue limestone, where the Glenaniff River falls through a steep wooded valley near Rossinver towards Lough Melvin. A 3km riverside path links the falls to the Organic Centre. It is free, quiet, and best after a few days of rain.
Glenade, leitrim
Glenade Lough is a glacial lake in one of Ireland's finest glacial valleys, framed by the Dartry Mountains and protected as a Special Area of Conservation. It's tied to the legend of the Dobhar-chú water hound, and to Pol na mBear, the cave where the bones of Ireland's last brown bears were found in 1997.
Glencar Valley, leitrim
Glencar Valley straddles the Leitrim-Sligo border, a glacial trough with two waterfalls at its heart. One is the easy 15 m Glencar Waterfall that inspired W.B. Yeats; the other is the 150 m Devil's Chimney, Ireland's tallest, which only runs after heavy rain and can blow its spray back uphill in a southerly.
Glencar Lough, leitrim
Glencar Lough is a narrow, exceptionally clear lake straddling the Leitrim-Sligo border, fed on its northern shore by the 15-metre waterfall W.B. Yeats made famous. Two early-medieval crannogs sit off either end, and a free car park and boardwalk make the falls an easy stop.
Kinlough, leitrim
Kinlough is a north Leitrim village at the head of Lough Melvin, a lake famous for its early-run Atlantic salmon and three native trout, one of them found almost nowhere else. Beyond the water there are ruined island churches, the Dartry Mountains at its back, and a village that eats better than its size suggests.
Border of County Fermanagh (Northern Ireland) and Counties Cavan & Leitrim (Republic of Ireland), fermanagh
Lough MacNean lies in two basins on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, with the villages of Belcoo and Blacklion on the neck of land between them. It’s the heart of the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark, ringed by a 40-mile sculpture trail, island crannogs and a free amenity area with fishing, boats and a playground.
Carrick-on-Shannon, leitrim
In County Leitrim the Shannon is at its calmest – wide, slow and moored every few kilometres, close to its Cavan source. Carrick-on-Shannon and Leitrim Village are the launch points for self-drive cruisers, kayaks and the Shannon Blueway.
Carrick-on-Shannon, leitrim
The Shannon-Erne Waterway runs 63 km across the Irish border, linking the River Shannon with Upper Lough Erne through lakes, rivers and 16 self-service, smart-card locks. Closed for over a century, it reopened in 1994 as a cruising, paddling and cycling route.
Dromahair, leitrim
Drumkeeran, leitrim
cavan
← All things to do in County Leitrim
Book tours & tickets
We may earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Book tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips with GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most experiences.
See tours & tickets in County Leitrim →