Gort

united kingdom

Gort sits on the N18 about 50 kilometres south of Galway city, making it a handy stop between Dublin and Limerick. The market town sits where the limestone plains of east Galway meet gentle hills, surrounded by dairy country. You can reach it via the M18 motorway from Galway in 45 minutes, or take the R460 from Ennis in Clare. The town centre has a proper square with colourful shops, but the real draw is Thoor Ballylee, the 16th-century Norman tower where W.B. Yeats spent his summers writing poetry.