Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Region

County Leitrim

Base in Carrick-on-Shannon for 2 nights; add a car for the lakes and hills, or skip if you have no car.

Not field-verified
Open Northwest Ireland and Lakelands Plan a trip

Key facts · Ireland

Best months
Apr–May
Visa
Depends on your passport
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Language
English everywhere
Plugs
G · 230 V
Time zone
GMT in winter
Month by month hereIn detail ↓
Rules in force · 10Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Neither the UK nor Ireland is part of Schengen: days spent here do not count towards the 90/180-day Schengen limit, and a Schengen visa does not admit you to either country.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗The island of Ireland runs on two currencies: euro in the Republic, pound sterling in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Carry a card that pays in both without fees.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Both islands drive on the left. Speed limits are in miles per hour in the UK (including Northern Ireland) and in kilometres per hour in the Republic of Ireland.
  • Ireland ↗Ireland is in the EU but not in the Schengen area; it sets its own entry rules and a Schengen visa is not valid for Ireland. Check Irish immigration for your passport.
  • Ireland ↗Ireland and the UK form the Common Travel Area, with no routine checks on the land border. Visitors who are not Irish or British must still meet UK rules (including the UK ETA where it applies) to enter Northern Ireland.
  • Ireland ↗Driving is on the left; rural roads are narrow with hedges and few passing places.
  • Northwest Ireland and Lakelands ↗Drive on the left; speed limits are in km/h in the Republic, mph once you cross into Northern Ireland.
  • Northwest Ireland and Lakelands ↗The border with Northern Ireland is open and has no checks; currency changes to pound sterling on the far side.

Leitrim is a thin, quiet county split by Lough Allen and threaded by the Shannon. Its pull is the water: cruisers, kayaks, a floating boardwalk, and small towns with ruined abbeys and castles. Without a car you see Carrick-on-Shannon and little else, so treat it as a 1–2 night stop between Dublin and Sligo rather than a destination in itself.

Sleep

Which bed, for how many nights, and what to do from it

Where to sleep

3 places in this region

Sleep base

Day trip

Night sequences

1 nights
Carrick-on-Shannon only: town, Costello chapel, river walk
2 nights
Carrick 2 nights with a car: Blueway boardwalk, Arigna mine, Glencar waterfall
  • Public transport inside the county is sparse: without a car you are limited to Carrick-on-Shannon and a few town-to-town buses.
  • Leitrim has only about 4 km of coastline at Tullaghan; for beaches drive into County Sligo instead.

Day-trips door to door

ToFromDoor-to-door p50Last returnNote
DrumshanboCarrick-on-Shannon25 mincheckBlueway boardwalk and Acres Lake; Local Link buses run but check times.
ManorhamiltonCarrick-on-Shannon40 mincheckGateway to the north Leitrim loop drive; car needed.
SligoCarrick-on-Shannon50 mincheckTrain continues to Sligo; better beaches and Yeats country.

Bags between cities

Luggage forwarding is not a service here; with a car, bags travel with you. Without one, keep to Carrick-on-Shannon and pack light for the train.

When and how

Months, arrival and passes

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

CountryJFMAMJJASOND
Carrick-on-Shannon
Manorhamilton
Drumshanbo
Northwest Ireland and Lakelands (country-wide)
Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month
ZoneJFMAMJJASOND
LeitrimLough Allen and the Shannon valleywetwetokbestbestokokokokokwetwet
best: dry, mildok: workablewet: daily rain
Leitrim
Atlantic rain year-round; May to September is the driest and warmest window, with long evenings. Winter days are short and roads can flood near the lakes.

Boat-hire and festival season peaks June to August; book cruisers and Carrick beds ahead for those months.

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate
FromToHowp50Note
Dublin ConnollyCarrick-on-ShannonIrish Rail train via Maynooth, Mullingar and Longford~2 h 30Trains roughly every hour or two; Dromod is the other Leitrim stop.
Dublin Busáras or Dublin AirportCarrick-on-ShannonExpressway 23 coach via Maynooth, Mullingar and Longford~3 hAbout six services a day; continues to Boyle and Sligo.
DublinCarrick-on-ShannonM4 then N4 through Mullingar and Longford~2 h 15The practical option if you want the lakes and hills.

Regional passes

Verdict first

TFI Leap Card

check

Useful on Dublin commuter rail and buses; check whether it applies to your specific Leitrim legs.

Eat and move on

Regional food

Where and when it works
DishWhereTiming / trap
Pub sit-down mealsCarrick-on-Shannon and small townsPubs are usually the best bet for a full meal; Carrick has the widest choice.
Gin from Shed DistilleryDrumshanboDistillery tours run; check current times and booking.

Go next

County Sligo

planned

Train or N4 north, ~50 min from Carrick

Beaches, megaliths and Yeats country; better base for north Leitrim.

County Donegal

Via Sligo then N15, ~2 h

Wild north-west coast and cliffs.

County Cavan

planned

N4 then N3 via Belturbet, ~1 h 15

Continues the Shannon–Erne waterway east.

County Monaghan

planned

N4 then N2 via Carrickmacross, ~1 h 30

Lakes and market towns on the border.

Northwest Ireland and Lakelands

Region guide

Plan the wider loop.

Open Northwest Ireland and Lakelands Up to Northwest Ireland and Lakelands

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Sources