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Look up your Sligo ancestors — former US Vice President Mike Pence, the founder of Chile and a noble Goon all have roots here — but do your homework first with online resources. All Ireland's births, marriages and deaths are online from 1864, see Ireland#Do for other resources you might search. The Centre offers assistance but you pay for their time, and you need to book a slot.
The abbey was founded in 1253, destroyed by fire in 1414, rebuilt but sacked in 1642. In the 19th century the last friars left to nearby Holy Cross, but the building was restored, and the choir, carved altar and cloisters are impressive. Yeats set two short stories here.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Romanesque Catholic cathedral completed in 1874.
Niland Collection
Contemporary art gallery named for the "model school" in this building 1862-1970s. The permanent exhibition is the Niland Collection, which majors on the paintings of Jack B Yeats, brother of the poet WB Yeats. Plus other temporary exhibitions of visual art, plus music.
Remarkable ritual landscape with some 30 tombs dating to 3700-3000 BC; they're passage tombs but with atypical features.
This is just across the boundary into County Leitrim, but easiest to reach from Sligo — boat trips of the lough call here. It's a 17th-century fortified manor house built over the 15th-century O'Rourke's Castle. It fell derelict but was restored by OPW in the 20th century.
Substantial ruin of a Franciscan Friary established in 1508. In spite of formal dissolution of the Order and ousting by Cromwell's forces, the friars retained a presence until 1837.