Foraging and Wild Food Around Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery

There are few places in County Sligo where the land feels as alive with history and nature as Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, just a few kilometres southwest of Sligo town. One of the oldest megalithic complexes in Ireland, the site sits in an open, windswept landscape that has sustained people for thousands of years — and that same landscape, with its hedgerows, coastal margins and boggy ground, remains extraordinarily rich in wild edible plants and fungi. Visiting Carrowmore as a starting point for a foraging walk through the surrounding countryside gives the outing a real sense of depth: you are walking ground that fed communities long before supermarkets existed.

The cemetery is managed by the OPW and is straightforward to reach by car from Sligo town along the R292 road heading towards Strandhill. The drive takes roughly ten minutes. There is a small car park on site, and the surrounding lanes are quiet enough to walk or cycle from the town centre if you prefer. Public transport to the site itself is limited, so having your own vehicle or joining a guided group is the most reliable approach. Once there, you can explore the megalithic tombs at your own pace before heading out along the nearby lanes and field margins where the real foraging interest begins.

The hedgerows and verges around Carrowmore offer a changing larder through the seasons. Wild garlic, hawthorn berries, blackberries, elderflower and elderberries, wood sorrel and various coastal greens appear depending on the time of year. The area's proximity to Sligo Bay also means that, with the right local knowledge, edible seaweeds are reachable within a short drive toward Strandhill beach. Fungi enthusiasts will find the damp, mixed ground around the margins of Knocknarea mountain — visible from Carrowmore — worth exploring in autumn. Always forage responsibly: take only small amounts, identify everything with absolute certainty before eating, and follow the leave-no-trace principle on OPW land itself.

If you would rather learn than go it alone, guided foraging walks run occasionally in County Sligo through local food and heritage organisations; checking with the Sligo tourist office or local social media groups is the best way to find upcoming sessions. These guided outings typically cost somewhere around €25-40 per person and include identification guides and tasting. For a self-directed visit, a good foraging field guide specific to Ireland is worth bringing along, as is a small basket or cloth bag, a penknife, and sturdy waterproof footwear — the ground near Carrowmore can be soft underfoot even in dry weather.

One local tip most visitors miss: the lane running past the cemetery toward the lower slopes of Knocknarea is one of the quieter and more productive hedgerow walks in the area, largely bypassed by tourists who head straight up the mountain trail. Walking this lane slowly, rather than rushing to the summit, often yields more wild food finds and a gentler appreciation of the Sligo landscape. Sligo town itself, just a short drive away, has a good selection of independent food shops and a regular market where local producers sell foraged preserves, artisan cheeses and seasonal produce — a fine way to round off the day if your own harvest is modest.