Ballyfarnan is a small village in north Roscommon, tucked into the Curlew Mountains near the Leitrim border. It is not a destination—it is a location. The hills around it have been watching the valley for a very long time.
The Curlew Pass, the mountain passage south of the village, was the site of the Battle of Curlew Pass on 15 August 1599. An Irish force under Red Hugh O'Donnell ambushed an English force under Sir Conyers Clifford. The English had marched all day—hungry, thirsty, tired—and the Irish had felled trees across the pass and positioned themselves along the ridge. Clifford died in the ambush. His men scattered.
The battle was part of the Nine Years' War, one of the last stand-ups between Irish and English before the old Irish order collapsed. You can walk the pass now. The road is still narrow. The ambush spots are still obvious.
The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.
From Roscommon town, head north toward Boyle, then towards the Leitrim border. The Curlew Pass is on the mountain road between Roscommon and Leitrim. Allow 40 km and an hour.
No direct service. Local bus may pass through but irregular.