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seasonal · Wednesday 30 September 2026 · Various 
Carrigallen Autumn Festival
At Carrigallen · Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim
At Carrigallen · Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim
Carrigallen’s five-day autumn angling festival draws coarse fishing anglers from across Ireland, the UK, and the Netherlands to one of the country’s most celebrated fishing destinations. If you fish for bream, roach, or tench and want a week in east Leitrim with competitive match fishing and a proper social scene around it, this is the event that regulars plan their calendar around. Non-angling partners and families tend to come along too - the town is a comfortable base and the surrounding countryside gives plenty to do between sessions.
The festival runs from 30 September to 4 October 2026 and centres on structured match fishing across the lakes around Carrigallen. Within a three-mile radius of the town there are 14 recognised fishing waters, all part of the great Erne system that stretches across three counties. The main lakes - Gulladoo, Tully, Beaghmore, and the Town Lake - each fish differently. Gulladoo is divided into two halves by a short connecting channel and is known for consistent bream and roach; Tully and Beaghmore produce rudd-bream hybrids that can run to 5lb; Town Lake holds bream to 11lb and decent tench.
Match fishing follows peg-draw format, with anglers competing over weights rather than individual fish counts. A prize-giving ceremony wraps up the week and the hospitality around it - pubs, accommodation, and local businesses all take the festival seriously - is as much a part of the draw as the fishing itself. The British King of Clubs competition is run here in September each year, so the autumn festival slots into a well-worn annual rhythm for travelling anglers who know this corner of Leitrim.
Carrigallen sits in the east of Co. Leitrim, roughly 20km south-east of Carrick-on-Shannon. The most direct route from Dublin is the N3 to Cavan town and then west on local roads through Killeshandra - around two hours from the M50. From Enniskillen it is a straightforward 45-minute drive south. There is no direct bus service to Carrigallen, so a car is effectively essential for anyone carrying rods and tackle. Parking in and around the village is free and easy.
Carrigallen is a small market town with a strong community identity - it punches above its weight for the quality of its pubs and the welcome that local accommodation extends to fishing visitors. The wider area runs into the drumlins and lakelands of south Ulster, with Cavan and Fermanagh both within easy reach for a day trip. There is more to see in Carrigallen and across Co. Leitrim.
Heading to Carrigallen in Carrigallen? Leitrim has plenty more to see. Read the Carrigallen area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.