Visit the Lake Isle of Innisfree - The Tiny Island That Inspired W.B. Yeats

Hidden among the calm waters of Lough Gill in County Sligo, the Lake Isle of Innisfree is one of Ireland’s smallest literary landmarks, and one of its most famous.

The tiny, uninhabited island inspired W.B. Yeats to write The Lake Isle of Innisfree, his celebrated poem about swapping city noise for a simple life surrounded by water, birdsong and nature.

Yeats wrote the poem while living in London and feeling homesick for Sligo. After hearing the sound of water from a fountain in a shop window, he began thinking about Lough Gill and imagined building a small cabin on the island, growing beans and keeping bees.

There was never actually a cabin or a bean garden on Innisfree, but that has not stopped the island from becoming one of Ireland’s best-known poetic landscapes.

How to visit the Lake Isle of Innisfree

You cannot visit Innisfree in the same way you would visit a larger inhabited island. It is densely wooded, privately owned and generally admired from the shore or the water.

The easiest option is to travel to the Lake Isle of Innisfree viewing point on the southern shore of Lough Gill. There is parking nearby, and visitors can walk down towards the water for a clear view of the island.

It is a peaceful stop rather than a major attraction, so bring a coffee, read the poem and allow some time to enjoy the scenery.

For a closer look, take the Rose of Innisfree boat tour, which sails across Lough Gill and passes the island. Tours usually depart from Parke’s Castle and include stories about Yeats, local folklore and the history of the lake.

More visitors can also explore Lough Gill by kayak or canoe with a local guide.

Make a day of it

The Lake Isle of Innisfree is best combined with other attractions around Lough Gill.

Visit Parke’s Castle, walk through Slish Wood or Hazelwood Forest, or continue your Yeats-themed journey to Drumcliffe, where the poet is buried beneath Benbulben.

Innisfree may only be a small patch of trees in the middle of a lake, but its story has travelled far beyond Sligo. More than a century after Yeats wrote about escaping there, it remains the perfect place to pause, slow down and enjoy a little peace.