County Sligo (pronounced sly -Go Irish: Contae Shligigh ) is a municipality in Ireland. It is located in the border area are also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Sligo. Sligo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 65,393 according to the 2011 census, making it the third most populous county in the province.

History

The county was formed in 1585 theoretically, but was not made reality until after the chaos of the nine-year war ended in 1603. Its boundaries reflect Ó Conchobhair Sligigh overlord Lower Connacht (Irish: Íochtar Connacht ) as it was at the time of the Elizabethan conquest.

This overlordship consisted of Tuatha or territories of Cairbre Drumcliabh, Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe, Tír Ollíol, Luíghne, Corann and CUL ó bhFionn. Each of these have subsequently been made in an English style barony: Carbury, Tireragh, Leyny, Tirerril, Corran and Cool Uninstall. The capital of the new shired county was placed on Sligo.

Archaeology

Megalithic Cemetery Carrowmore is located in County Sligo. It is part of a huge complex of stone age still connect Carrowkeel in South Sligo to Ox Mountains, to Cuil wander peninsula, where Queen Maeve’s grave, Miosgán Médhbh, dominates the western skyline from the summit of Knocknarea Mountain.

Medieval

Known medieval manuscripts written in County Sligo Ballymote include book, the great book of Lecan and Yellow Book in Lecan. Patron of the Annals of the Four Masters varFerghal O Gadhra Cool Vine in south County Sligo.

The coat of arms

This weapon was adopted by Sligo County Council in 1980. The design on the black shield, showing an open book on which there is a Celtic and a red rose, representing the collective literary and cultural history of Sligo. These relate to such early works as the Book of Ballymote and Lecan, while Rose was a major theme in the poetry WBYeats. The escallop shells splashed on the screen refers to the origin of the word Sligeach – “a place rich in shell”. The boar head refers to the “wild boar of the Benbulben” of Diarmuid and Gráinne myth. The color scheme of the crest incorporates Sligo GAA colors black and white. [1]

Local governments and politics

Main article: Sligo County Council

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

Sligo is part of Sligo North Leitrim constituency and has three representatives (TD ‘s) in Dáil, Tony McLoughlin (FG), John Perry (FG) and Michael Colreavy (SF). It also has a 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 landscape (particularly the Isle of Innisfree, in Lough Gill) was 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”, Drumcliff.

Music

County Sligo has a long history of traditional music. The southern part 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, Oisin Mac Diarmada (of Téada), tin-whistle Carmel Gunning player and band Dervish .Länet has many traditional music festivals and one of the most famous is the queen Maeve International Summer School, a traditional Irish music summer school of music and dance that is held annually in August in Sligo Town. On the more contemporary music scene is Westlife, Tabby Callaghan and Conway Sisters who come from Sligo. Beach, about 9 km west of Sligo, host of the Beach Guitar Festival [1] every year, with a wide variety of guitar music and musicians.

Sports

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

The county is represented in Gaelic Games from Sligo GAA.

Geography and political subdivisions

Sligo is the 22th largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 26th largest in terms of population. [2] It is the fourth largest of Connacht’s five counties in size and the third largest in terms of population. The county borders County Mayo in the west, Roscommon to the south and southeast and Leitrim to the northeast.

Largest Towns County Sligo (2011 Census)

Beach near Beach

  1. Sligo, 19452
  2. Tubbercurry, 1747
  3. Strand, 1596
  4. Ballymote, 1539
  5. Collooney, 1369

Towns and Villages

  • Achonry
  • Aclare
  • Ballaghnatrillick
  • Ballinafad
  • Ballygawley
  • Ballintogher
  • Ballymote
  • Ballysadare
  • Beltra
  • Bunninadden
  • Carney
  • Castle
  • Cliffoney
  • Cloonacool
  • Collooney
  • Coolaney
  • Curry
  • Dromore West
  • Cliff
  • Easky
  • Crone
  • Geevagh
  • grange
  • Gorteen
  • Kilglass
  • Monasteraden
  • Mullaghmore
  • Rivers
  • Rosses Point
  • Skreen
  • Strandhill
  • Toorlestraun
  • Tubbercurry

People

See also: Category: People from County Sligo.

  • Ambrosio O’Higgins, 1st Marquis of Osorno – Spanish colonial administrator
  • William Butler Yeats – poet
  • Jack Butler Yeats – Artist
  • Brother Walfrid – founder of Celtic FC
  • Constance Markiewicz – revolutionary Irish nationalist
  • James Morrison (musician) – traditional music
  • Michael Coleman (musician) – traditional music
  • George Stokes – mathematicians, physicists
  • Martin Moffat, recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Lola Montez – dancers, actors
  • Marian Harkin – MEP
  • Martin Savage – Irish Republican
  • Mary O’Hara – Singer
  • Michael Corcoran – Union Army general in the American Civil War
  • Neil Jordan – film director
  • Ray MacSharry – former Tánaiste
  • Tommy Fleming – Singer
  • Westlife – pop band
  • Pauline McLynn – Actor

See also

  • List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Sligo)
  • List of Sligo people
  • sligo GAA
  • Sligo Rovers FC
  • High Sheriff of Sligo
  • Wild Atlantic Way
  • Sligo (city)

References 

  1. Jump up ^http://www.resources.teachnet.ie/vmcmahon/history/crests.htm
  2. Jump up ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186-191. ISBN 0-340-89695-7.
  3. Jump up ^ For the 1653 and 1659 figures from the Civil Survey Census of those years, the paper Mr. Hardinge Royal Irish Academy March 14, 1865.
  4. Jump up ^ Census of post 1821 figures.
  5. Jump up ^ http://www.histpop.org
  6. Jump up ^ NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) in 2013. Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk (27 September 2010). Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  7. Jump up ^ Lee, JJ (1981). “On the accuracy of pre-famine Irish censuses”. In the Gold Strom, JM; Clarkson, LA Irish population, economy and society: Essays in Honour of the late KH Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  8. Jump up ^ Mokyr, Joel, O Grada, Cormac (November 1984). “New Developments in the Irish population history, 1700-1850”. The Economic History Review. 37 (4) :. 473-488 doi: 10.1111 / j.1468 -0289.1984.tb00344.x.