County Sligo Explained

County Sligo
Native Name:Irish: Contae Shligigh
Settlement Type:County
Native Name Lang:ga
Nickname:Yeats Country
Motto:Land of Heart's Desire
Anthem:"Isle of Innisfree" and
"Down by the Salley Gardens"
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:1837
Area Rank:22nd
Seat Type:County town
Seat:Sligo
Blank Name Sec1:Vehicle index
mark code
Blank Info Sec1:SO
Population Total:70198
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Rank:27th
Population As Of:2022
Population Footnotes:[2]
Leader Name1:Sligo County Council
Leader Title2:Dáil constituency
Leader Name2:Sligo–Leitrim
Leader Title3:EP constituency
Leader Name3:Midlands–North-West
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Ireland
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Connacht
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Northern and Western
Timezone:WET
Utc Offset:±0
Timezone Dst:IST
Utc Offset Dst:+1
Established Title:Established
Established Date:1585[3]
Area Code Type:Telephone area codes
Area Code:071 (primarily)
Postal Code Type:Eircode routing keys
Postal Code:F56, F91 (primarily)
Elevation Max M:647
Elevation Max Point:Truskmore
Module:
Zoom:7

County Sligo (Irish: Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo 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 70,198 at the 2022 census.[2] It is noted for Benbulben Mountain, one of Ireland's most distinctive natural landmarks.

History

See main article: article and History of Sligo. The county was officially formed in 1585 by Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland, 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 of Lower Connacht (Irish: 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. The capital of the newly shired county was placed at Sligo.

A causewayed enclosure discovered in 2003 at Maugheraboy is one of the earliest indications of Neolithic farming activity on the Cúil Irra Peninsula.[4] The nearby megalithic cemetery of Carrowmore 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 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, are in south County Sligo. A recent decoding[5] of the work of Marinus of Tyre and Ptolemy 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 was Fearghal Ó Gadhra of Coolavin in south County Sligo.

Local government and politics

See main article: Sligo County Council. Sligo County Council is the local authority for the county. At the 2019 Sligo County Council election, it was divided into three local electoral areas (LEAs): BallymoteTobercurry (7 seats), SligoStrandhill (6 seats), and Sligo–Drumcliff (5 seats).[6] Each of these form a municipal district, with the containing Sligo–Strandhill known as the borough district of Sligo.[7]

Former districts

Under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, County Sligo was divided into the rural districts of Boyle No. 2, Dromore West, Sligo, and Tobercurry, and the urban district of Sligo.[8] Unlike most urban districts, Sligo had retained its borough corporation. The rural districts were abolished in 1925.[9] Sligo Borough Corporation became a borough council in 2002,[10] before being abolished in 2014 in common with all borough and town councils in Ireland.[11]

National politics

County Sligo is part of the Dáil constituency of Sligo–Leitrim (4 TDs).[12] At the 2020 election, Martin Kenny (Sinn Féin), Frank Feighan (Fine Gael), Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fáil) 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.[13]

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 W. B. 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. W. B. Yeats's brother Jack, a painter, also was inspired by the Sligo landscape.

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[14] each year, featuring a wide variety of guitar music and musicians.

Sport

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 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 27th largest in terms of population.[15] 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 northeast.

Largest towns in County Sligo (2016 Census)

  1. Sligo, 19,452
  2. Tubbercurry, 1,986
  3. Strandhill, 1,753
  4. Collooney, 1,610
  5. Ballymote, 1,549
  6. Ballisodare, 1,350
  7. Enniscrone, 1,223
  8. Coolaney, 990
  9. Rosses Point, 883
  10. Grange, 586

Towns and villages

Places of interest

See also: List of National Monuments in County Sligo.

People

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

See also

External links

54.25°N -48°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: County Profiles – Sligo . Western Development Commission . 2 June 2021 . 26 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210426171852/https://westerndevelopment.ie/policy/our-region/sligo-county-analysis/ . live .
  2. Web site: Census Mapping – Sligo County Council . . . 8 January 2024.
  3. Web site: Mesmerising Beauty of County Sligo. ConnollyCove. 13 December 2018. 20 June 2019. 20 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190620163812/https://www.connollycove.com/mesmerising-beauty-of-county-sligo/. live.
  4. Danaher, E. (2007) Monumental beginnings: The archaeology of the N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road. NRA Scheme Monograph 1. Dublin: The National Roads Authority
  5. Web site: Login. irishgeography.ie. 20 June 2019. 23 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191223225626/http://irishgeography.ie/index.php/irishgeography/login?source=%2Findex.php%2Firishgeography%2Farticle%2Fview%2F109%2F101&loginMessage=reader.subscriptionRequiredLoginText. live.
  6. 2018. si. 632. County of Sligo Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018. 19 December 2018. 31 October 2022. 2 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190202212421/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/si/632/made/en/print.
  7. 2014. 1. 19. Local Government Reform Act 2014. municipal districts. 27 January 2014. 5 September 2020. 15 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200215171029/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2014/act/1/section/19/enacted/en/html.
  8. Book: Clancy, John Joseph. J. J. Clancy (North Dublin MP). A handbook of local government in Ireland: containing an explanatory introduction to the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898: together with the text of the act, the orders in Council, and the rules made thereunder relating to county council, rural district council, and guardian's elections: with an index. 426 . 1899. Sealy, Bryers and Walker. Dublin .
  9. 1925. ifs. 5. Local Government Act 1925. 26 March 1925. 3. Abolition of rural district councils. 22 December 2021.
  10. 2001. 37. Local Government Act 2001. 6. Local Government Areas (Towns). 21 July 2001. 3 August 2022.
  11. Local Government Reform Act 2014. 2014. 24. Dissolution of town councils and transfer date. 1. 27 January 2014. 21 May 2022.
  12. 2017. 39. y. Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017. 23 December 2017. 24 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20180718205639/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/act/39/schedule/enacted/en/html. 18 July 2018. live.
  13. Web site: History Around You. resources.teachnet.ie. 28 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140729043105/http://www.resources.teachnet.ie/vmcmahon/history/crests.htm. 29 July 2014. dead.
  14. Web site: Sligo Arts. sligoarts.ie/FestivalsandEvents/Name,13321,en.html/ Sligo Arts. 6 October 2017. 6 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171006161826/http://www.sligoarts.ie/FestivalsandEvents/Name,13321,en.html. live.
  15. Book: Corry, Eoghan. The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. 2005 . 186–191. 0-340-89695-7.
  16. News: He danced to his own tune . 14 December 2022 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20171126143136/https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/he-danced-to-his-own-tune-36314538.html . 26 November 2017 . en . live.