Sooey, Súmhaí, Co. Sligo

Súmhaí · Co. Sligo

A small crossroads village on the R284 between Ballygawley and Geevagh - a church, two schools and a hall, no shop, no destination.

Sooey is a small village in the south-east corner of Sligo, on the R284 between Ballygawley and Geevagh, a few minutes north-east of Riverstown. The Irish name is Súmhaí; one reading links it to samhadh, the sorrel plant. It sits in the civil parish of Ballynakill, in the barony of Tirerrill, on the road that runs from Sligo town through to Leitrim village and the Shannon.

There is not much in the village itself, and the place is honest about that. No shops. What is here is the Church of the Assumption on the rise above the road, Sooey National School with over a hundred pupils, a community hall, a playground beside the church, and a small river running past it. Just outside the village is Coola Post Primary School, the secondary school for this whole stretch of east Sligo - founded in 1954, and the reason a lot of the local map runs through Sooey at all.

The reasons a passing visitor will be on this road are around Sooey rather than in it. The R284 is the back route from Sligo down to the east side of Lough Arrow, the Bricklieve country and the Carrowkeel passage tombs, with Riverstown and Sligo Folk Park a few minutes south-west. Treat Sooey as part of a south-east Sligo loop. The half-day around it is the reason to be in the country.

Walk score

Church to the playground in two minutes

Founded

Townland recorded as Suie in the Down Survey, 1655; church built 1837

Coords

54.1656° N, 8.3925° W

01 / 06

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The setting

On the R284 in south-east Sligo.

Sooey sits on the R284 between Ballygawley and Geevagh, near Riverstown, in the civil parish of Ballynakill and the barony of Tirerrill. The name comes from the Irish Súmhaí. The road carries on into Leitrim.

Next stops → 02 The honest take

A few houses and a church.

There are no shops. What is here is the Church of the Assumption, a national school, the post-primary school just outside, a community hall and a playground. Treat Sooey as a stop on a south-east Sligo drive, not a day out.

Skip → 03 The country

Riverstown, Lough Arrow, Carrowkeel.

Sooey is on the way to all three. Riverstown is a few minutes south-west; the Carrowkeel passage tombs and Lough Arrow are the reasons to be in this corner of the county.

Next stops →

02 / 06

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

Built by the parish, 1837

The Church of the Assumption

The Church of the Assumption stands in the townland of Carrowkeel on the R284, built in 1837 to replace an older church that had fallen into disrepair. The site was given by William Phibbs, the local Protestant landlord, and an inscription records that Luke Cullenan erected the chapel that year. The parish built it themselves - the story locally is that everything bar the roof slates was donated by the people of the district. The subscribers list is said to have included Lord Palmerston, later British prime minister, who held estates in Sligo. Inside, the main altar depicting the Last Supper is carved from Caen stone, the Stations of the Cross are carved oak, and there is stained glass, the seating dating from 1880 and the altars and Stations from the 1890s.

Sooey cemetery

Kevin Coen's grave

Sooey is the burial place of Kevin Coen, an IRA volunteer from Rusheen near Riverstown who was killed on active service at Cassidy's Cross near Kinawley, Co. Fermanagh, in January 1975, aged 28. He is buried in Sooey cemetery, where John Joe McGirl gave the graveside oration, and a commemoration is still held locally. It is a piece of Troubles history rooted in a very quiet south Sligo village, and worth knowing if you read the headstones.

Blacksmith, then spirit merchant

The old forge

The old forge and dwelling in the village dates from around 1880. It started as a blacksmith's forge and later became a spirit merchant's premises known as P. Breheny - a small reminder that even a crossroads this size once had its own working trades before the cars and the bypass roads thinned the country out.

03 / 06

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

The village and the river Short stroll: the Church of the Assumption on its rise, the playground beside it, and the small river that runs in front. Not a destination walk, but pleasant enough if you are stopping to stretch the legs on the R284 drive.

1 kmdistance

20 minutestime

04 / 06

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

Roads quiet, the country opening up. Best time for the lakes and Carrowkeel nearby.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

Long evenings on the back roads. Sligo Folk Park at Riverstown open seven days.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

Best light of the year on the Bricklieves to the south-west.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

Wet, dark, slow. The R284 climbs and twists - drive it carefully.

◐ Mind yourself

05 / 06

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Treating Sooey as a destination

It is a small village with no shop and no signposted attraction. The reasons to be in the area are around Lough Arrow, Carrowkeel and Riverstown a few minutes away.

Expecting a pub in the village

Do not arrive thirsty assuming there is a bar to fall into. Riverstown a few minutes south-west is the place to find one.

Getting there.

By car

Sligo to Sooey is about 25 minutes on the R284 via Ballygawley. Riverstown is a few minutes south-west; Geevagh is the next village south-east.

By bus

TFI Local Link route 572 (Sligo to Ballinamore via Drumshanbo) stops at Sooey Hall, with several return services Monday to Saturday and a reduced Sunday service.

By train

No station. Nearest is Sligo MacDiarmada (about 25 minutes) or Boyle in Co. Roscommon (about 30 minutes).

By air

Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC) is about 1h 15m. Dublin is about 2h 45m.