County Sligo

History

The county was officially formed in 1585, but did not come into effect until the chaos of the Nine Years' War ended, in 1603. Its boundaries reflect the Ó Conchobhair Sligigh overlordship of Lower Connacht (Irish: Íochtar Connacht) as it was at the time of the Elizabethan conquest.

This overlordship consisted of the tuatha, or territories, of Cairbre Drumcliabh, Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe, Tír Ollíol, Luíghne, Corann and Cúl ó bhFionn. Each of these was subsequently made into an English style barony: Carbury, Tireragh, Leyny, Tirerril, Corran and Coolavin. The capital of the newly shired county was placed at Sligo.

Archaeological studies suggest that Sligo may have been one of the earliest places of human settlement in Ireland. The megalithic cemetery of Carrowmore dates back to the Stone Age and is part of a huge complex of remains connecting Carrowkeel in the south of the county to the Ox Mountains, to the Cuil Irra Peninsula, where what is believed to be the tomb of Queen Maeve, Miosgán Médhbh, dominates the western skyline from the crest of Knocknarea Mountain.

Archaeology

The megalithic cemetery of Carrowmore is located in County Sligo. It forms part of a huge complex of Stone Age remains connecting Carrowkeel in south Sligo to the Ox Mountains, to the Cuil Irra Peninsula, where the alleged tomb of Queen Maeve, Miosgán Médhbh, dominates the western skyline from the crest of Knocknarea Mountain.

Medieval

Famous medieval manuscripts written in County Sligo include the Book of Ballymote, the Great Book of Lecan, and the Yellow Book of Lecan. The patron of the Annals of the Four Masters was Ferghal O Gadhra of Coolavin in south County Sligo.

Coat of Arms

This crest 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.

Local government and politics

Sligo County Council is the governing body for the county. It is divided into five Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) Ballymote, Dromore, Sligo-Drumcliff, Sligo-Strandhill and Tubbercurry. There are 25 members elected to Sligo County Council.

Sligo is part of the Sligo–North Leitrim constituency and has three representatives (TD's) in Dáil Éireann, Tony McLoughlin (FG), John Perry (FG) and Michael Colreavy (SF). It also has one representative to Seanad Éireann, Marc MacSharry

Culture

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.

Music

County Sligo has a long history of traditional music. 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. 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, Tabby Callaghan and The Conway Sisters who are from Sligo. Strandhill, about 9 km west of Sligo, hosts the Strandhill Guitar Festival [1] each year, featuring a wide variety of guitar music and musicians.

Sport

Unlike its neighbouring counties, Sligo has had more success at soccer rather than Gaelic games. The county is home to League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers, who have played home matches at The Showgrounds since they were founded in 1928. Brother Walfrid, the founder of Celtic Football Club, was born in Ballymote.

The county is represented in Gaelic Games by Sligo GAA.

Geography and political subdivisions

Sligo is the 22nd largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and 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 to the west, County Roscommon to the south and south-east and County Leitrim to the north-east.

Largest Towns County Sligo (2011 Census)

1. Sligo, 19,452
2. Tubbercurry, 1,747
3. Strandhill, 1,596
4. Ballymote, 1,539
5. Collooney, 1,369

People

Railways

Served by the Sligo Line connecting Sligo to Dublin Connolly railway station.