County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of Connacht.

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 largest urban cent ...

is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 65,535 at the 2016 census. It is noted for Benbulben Mountain, one of Ireland's most distinctive natural landmarks.

History

The county was officially formed in 1585 by Sir Henry Sidney,

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland. The plural form is '' ...

, but did not come into effect until the chaos of the Nine Years' War ended, in 1603. Its boundaries reflect the Ó Conchobhair Sligigh

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

of Lower Connacht ( ga, Íochtar Connacht) as it was at the time of the Elizabethan conquest. This confederation consisted of the tuatha, or territories, of Cairbre Drumcliabh, Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe, Tír Ollíol, Luíghne, Corann and Cúl ó bhFionn. Under the system of surrender and regrant each tuath was subsequently made into an English barony: Carbury, Tireragh, Tirerril, Leyny, Corran and

Coolavin Coolavin (Irish ''Cúl ó bhFionn'') is a barony in south County Sligo, Ireland. It was created from the ancient túath of An Corann. The O'Garas were originally Lords of Coolavin. They were succeeded by the MacDermotts, a family of the Mil ...

. The capital of the newly shired county was placed at

. A causewayed enclosure discovered in 2003 at Maugheraboy is one of the earliest indications of

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several par ...

farming activity on the Cúil Irra Peninsula. The nearby megalithic cemetery of Carrowmore forms part of a huge complex of

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with th ...

remains connecting Carrowkeel in south Sligo to the Ox Mountains, to the Cuil Irra Peninsula, where the passage tomb named after the legendary Queen Maeve, Miosgán Médhbh, dominates the western skyline from the crest of Knocknarea Mountain. The Caves of Kesh, famous in Irish

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

, are in south County Sligo. A recent decoding of the work of Marinus of Tyre and

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

shows Sligo as the likely location of Nagnata, an important place of assembly in the Iron Age. Famous medieval manuscripts written in the area include the '' Book of Ballymote'', written in the territory of Corran, the '' Great Book of Lecan'', and the '' Yellow Book of Lecan'', both written in Tir Fhiacrach. The patron of the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,242 ...

'' was Fearghal Ó Gadhra of

in south County Sligo.

Local government and politics

Sligo County Council is the governing body for the county. At the 2019 Sligo County Council election, it was divided into three local electoral areas (LEAs): Ballymote– Tobercurry (7 seats),

– Strandhill (6 seats), and Sligo– Drumcliff (5 seats). Each of these form a municipal district, with the that containing Sligo–Strandhill known as the borough district of Sligo.

Former districts

Under the

Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, ...

, County Sligo was divided into the rural districts of Boyle No. 2, Dromore West, Sligo, and Tobercurry, and the urban district of

. Unlike most urban districts, Sligo had retained its borough corporation. The rural districts were abolished in 1925. Sligo Borough Corporation became a borough council in 2002, before being abolished in 2014 in common with all borough and town councils in Ireland.

National politics

County Sligo is part of the Dáil constituency of Sligo–Leitrim (4 TDs). At the 2020 election, Martin Kenny ( Sinn Féin), Frank Feighan ( Fine Gael), Marc MacSharry (

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian ...

) and Marian Harkin ( Ind) were elected.

Coat of arms

This coat of arms was adopted by Sligo County Council in 1980. The design on the black shield, which shows an open book on which there is a Celtic Cross and a red rose, represents collectively the literary and cultural history of Sligo. These refer to such early works as the Books of Ballymote and Lecan, while the rose was a significant theme in the poetry of W.B.Yeats. The escallop shells sprinkled on the shield refer to the origin of the word Sligeach – "a place abounding in shells". The boar's head refers to the "wild boar of Benbulben" in the Diarmuid and Gráinne myth. The colour scheme of the crest incorporates the Sligo GAA colours of black and white.

Culture

County Sligo is the setting for a large number of the texts in the Mythological Cycles. The story of Diarmad and Grainne has its final act played out on Ben Bulben. The Second Battle of Moytirra is associated with Moytirra in South County Sligo. Other texts include Bruidean Ceise Corann, set on Keash Mountain. The rich array of megalithic monuments in the area has been an inspiration to artists and writers such as Sir Samuel Ferguson. The poet and Nobel laureate William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) spent much of his childhood in northern Sligo and the county's landscapes (particularly the Isle of Innisfree, in Lough Gill) were the inspiration for much of his poetry. Yeats said, "the place that has really influenced my life most is Sligo." He is buried in North County Sligo, " Under Ben Bulben", in Drumcliff. William Yeats' brother

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

, a painter, also was inspired by the Sligo landscape.

Music

County Sligo has a long history of

traditional music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. The south of the county is particularly noted with such musical luminaries as James Morrison, Michael Coleman, Paddy Killoran, Fred Finn, Peter Horan, Joe O'Dowd, Jim Donoghue, Martin Wynne, Oisín Mac Diarmada (of Téada), tin-whistle player Carmel Gunning and the band

Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

. The county has many traditional music festivals and one of the most well-known is the Queen Maeve International Summer School, a traditional Irish Music summer school of music and dance which is held annually in August in Sligo Town. On the more contemporary music scene there are

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily d ...

, Tabby Callaghan and The Conway Sisters who are from Sligo. Strandhill, about 9 km west of Sligo, hosts the Strandhill Guitar Festival each year, featuring a wide variety of guitar music and musicians.

Sport

The county is home to

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland ...

club Sligo Rovers, who have played home matches at The Showgrounds since they were founded in 1928 and won the league on 3 occasions. Their colours are red and white, hence their nickname the ' Bit 'O' Red'. Brother Walfrid, the founder of Celtic Football Club, was born in Ballymote, in the south of the county. The county is represented in Gaelic Games by Sligo GAA. Their colours are black and white. Sligo has won the Connacht Championship 3 times.

Geography and subdivisions

Sligo is the 22nd largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and the 26th largest in terms of population. It is the fourth largest of Connacht's 5 counties in size and third largest in terms of population. The County borders

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Counci ...

to the west,

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

to the south and south-east and County Leitrim to the northeast.

Largest towns in County Sligo (2016 Census)

, 19,452 # Tubbercurry, 1,986 # Strandhill, 1,753 # Collooney, 1,610 # Ballymote, 1,549 # Ballisodare, 1,350 # Enniscrone, 1,223 # Coolaney, 990 # Rosses Point, 883 # Grange, 586

Towns and villages

Achonry Achonry (; ) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. The old name is Achad Cain Conairi. St. Nath Í ua hEadhra (O'Hara) founded a monastery here. The foundation gave the later diocese its name. The monastery was founded on land granted by the ...

Aclare Aclare () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland, and the main village in the parish of Kilmactigue. Formerly, the village of Aclare was not part of the same-named townland, but straddled the border of the adjacent townlands of Lislea and Carns ...

* Ballaghnatrillick * Ballinafad * Ballygawley * Ballintogher * Ballymote * Ballynacarrow *

Ballysadare Ballysadare (), locally also Ballisodare, is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. It is about 7 kilometres (4 miles) south of Sligo town. The town developed on an important crossing of the Owenmore River. History Toponymy The Ox Mountains () a ...

* Beltra * Bunninadden * Carney * Castlebaldwin * Cliffony * Cloonacool * Collooney * Coolaney * Dromore West * Drumcliff * Easky * Enniscrone * Geevagh * Grange *

Gorteen Gurteen or Gorteen () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is in the civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of l ...

* Kilglass * Monasteraden * Mullaghmore * Riverstown * Rosses Point * Skreen * Strandhill * Toorlestraun * Tubbercurry

Places of interest

* Benbulbin * Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery * Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery * Caves of Kesh * Coolera Peninsula * Curlew Mountains * Dartry Mountains * Easkey Bog * Glencar Lough * Knocknarea * Lough Arrow * Lough Gill * Maugherow Peninsula * Mullaghmore Peninsula * Ox Mountains * Rosses Point Peninsula * Sligo Abbey * Sruth in Aghaidh an Aird

People

* '' Feldmarschall'' The 3rd Earl of Carlingford (1639–1704) – a very senior-ranking military commander for the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

(or the Austrian Empire). Lord Carlingford was born in Ballymote and served for many years as the chief minister of the

Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine (french: Lorraine ; german: Lothringen ), originally Upper Lorraine, was a duchy now included in the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France. Its capital was Nancy. It was founded in 959 following th ...

. * El Marqués de Osorno (1720-1801) – Spanish colonial administrator * Owen Connellan (1797-1871) – Irish Scholar, translated the ''

'' in 1846. * George Stokes (1819-1903) – mathematician, physicist *

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwi ...

(1821-1861) – dancer, actress * Michael Corcoran (1827-1863) –

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to the ...

general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

* Brother Walfrid (1840-1915) – founder of

Celtic FC The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigr ...

* William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) – poet *

Constance Markievicz Constance Georgine Markievicz ( pl, Markiewicz ; ' Gore-Booth; 4 February 1868 – 15 July 1927), also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, socialist, and the firs ...

(1868–1927) – revolutionary Irish nationalist, the first woman elected to the British Parliament * Jack Butler Yeats (1871-1957) – Artist * Martin Moffat (1882-1946) - soldier, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

* Michael Coleman (1891-1945) – traditional music * James Morrison (1893-1947) – traditional music * Martin Savage (1897-1917) – Irish republican * Nace O'Dowd (1931-1987) -

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

captain for the Sligo county team * Mary O'Hara (born 1935) – singer * Ray McSharry (born 1938) –

Teachta Dála (TD) for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency from 1969 to 1988;

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Taoi ...

. He also served as

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) for the Connacht–Ulster constituency. * Scott Fredericks (1943–2017) - actor *

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, '' Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. He won an Academy ...

(born 1950) – film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer * Marian Harkin (born 1953) – Teachta Dála (TD) for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency; previously a

(MEP) from 2004 to 2019. * Pauline McLynn (born 1962) – actress; Mrs Doyle in the sitcom ''

Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including ...

'' * Tommy Fleming (born 1971) – singer * Shane Filan (born 1979) – a member of the pop band Westlife * Kian Egan (born 1980) – a member of the pop band

* Mark Feehily (born 1980) – a member of the pop band Westlife

Railways

The Dublin–Sligo railway line is operated by Iarnród Éireann in Ireland. It starts in Dublin Connolly station, terminating at Sligo Mac Diarmada railway station in

. In the county there are stations at Ballymote and Collooney.

References

External links

Collection of Sligo Landscape PhotographsSligo County CouncilSligo Borough CouncilMap of SligoSligoheritage.comHistory of Sligo, County and Town By William Gregory Wood-Martin Song, "Beautiful Sligo" sung by Michael McGloin,YouTube Video, with images.
* {{coord, 54, 15, N, 8, 40, W, region:IE_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title