Toadstool sculpture at Hazelwood Demesne - geograph

Hazelwood ( ga, Coill an Eanaigh) is an ancient area of woodland located just over outside the town of

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

in northwest

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, in the parish of Calry. It is the setting for W.B.Yeats's ''The Song of Wandering Aengus''. The wood is situated on the shores of

Lough Gill Lough Gill () is a freshwater lough (lake) mainly situated in County Sligo, but partly in County Leitrim, in Ireland. Lough Gill provides the setting for William Butler Yeats' poem " The Lake Isle of Innisfree". Location and environment Lough ...

, which contains Yeats's

Lake Isle of Innisfree "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is a twelve-line poem comprising three quatrains, written by William Butler Yeats in 1888 and first published in the '' National Observer'' in 1890. It was reprinted in '' The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends ...

, and is popular for its scenic walks, which are dotted with sculptures. Swans, mallards and gulls congregate at the picnic area, and there is fishing on Lough Gill. The wood is part of the Hazelwood estate, owned by the Wynne family for two hundred years. The walk along forests trails provides views of the lake and Church Island, Cottage Island and Goat Island. The woods are dominated by

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s (''Quercus'' spp.), with rowan (''

Sorbus aucuparia ''Sorbus aucuparia'', commonly called rowan (UK: /ˈrəʊən/, US: /ˈroʊən/) and mountain-ash, is a species of deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family. It is a highly variable species, and botanists have used different Circumscription (taxo ...

''), willows (''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

'' spp.), bird cherry (''

Prunus padus ''Prunus padus'', known as bird cherry, hackberry, hagberry, or Mayday tree, is a flowering plant in the rose family. It is a species of cherry, a deciduous small tree or large shrub up to tall. It is the type species of the subgenus '' Padus' ...

''), yew (''

Taxus baccata ''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe (including Britain and Ireland), northwest Africa, northern Iran, and southwest Asia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain ...

''), and the rare rock whitebeam (''

Sorbus rupicola ''Sorbus rupicola'', known as rock whitebeam, is a rare shrub or small tree best known from the British Isles but also reported from Norway, Sweden and Russia. Reaching heights of 10 m,''New Flora of the British Isles''; Clive Stace; Third edi ...

''). The shores of the lake are home to the world's northernmost specimens of the rare Mediterranean strawberry tree (''

Arbutus unedo ''Arbutus unedo'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry — hence the common name ...

''). This area supports several rare plant species, including yellow bird's-nest (''

Monotropa hypopitys ''Monotropa hypopitys'', the so-called Dutchman's pipe, false beech-drops, pinesap, or yellow bird's-nest, is a herbaceous perennial plant, formerly classified in the families Monotropaceae or Pyrolaceae, but now included within the subfamily Mon ...

''), lady’s mantle (''

Alchemilla glaucescens ''Alchemilla glaucescens'' is a species of plants belonging to the family Rosaceae. It is native to Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the wei ...

''), ivy broomrape (''

Orobanche hederae ''Orobanche hederae'', the ivy broomrape, is, like other members of the genus ''Orobanche'', a parasitic plant without chlorophyll, and thus totally dependent on its host, which is ivy. It grows to , with stems in shades of brown and purple, some ...

''), black bryony (''

Dioscorea communis ''Dioscorea communis'' or ''Tamus communis'' is a species of flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae and is commonly known as black bryony, lady's-seal or black bindweed. Description It is a climbing herbaceous plant growing to 2–4 m t ...

''), intermediate wintergreen (''

Pyrola media ''Pyrola media'', the intermediate wintergreen, is a flowering plant in the genus '' Pyrola'', native to northern and eastern Europe and Western Asia.''Flora Europaea'Pyrola media''/ref> It is a herbaceous evergreen perennial plant with a ba ...

'') and bird's-nest orchid (''

Neottia nidus-avis ''Neottia nidus-avis'', the bird's-nest orchid, is a non-photosynthetic orchid, native to Europe, Russia and some parts of the Middle East. Description ''Neottia nidus-avis'' grows to tall and each shoot can carry up to 60 flowers. Plants ar ...

'').

Hazelwood is part of the estates of Hazelwood House, a Georgian mansion set beside the

River Garavogue The Garavogue or Garvoge ( ga, An Gharbhóg is a river in County Sligo, northwest Ireland, known historically as the Sligeach or Sligo River. Etymology Garavogue is not the original name of the river, which was earlier and for centuries calle ...

, which was built in 1722 by the Wynne family. After the Wynne family left in 1923 the house has had several changes of ownership, suffered periods of neglect, and is now boarded up. The parkland is now used for industrial purposes. To the south of the house the abandoned remains of the former Korean factory SaeHan Information Systems can be seen.

References

{{coord, 54.26, -8.43, display=title, region:IE_type:forest Geography of County Sligo Parks in County Sligo Forests and woodlands of the Republic of Ireland