Sligo

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See also: Sligo (disambiguation)

Sligo Sligeach
Location
Image:Locationinireland.gif Image:Ireland map County Sligo Magnified.png
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54°16′00″N 8°28′60″W / 54.2667, -8.4833
Irish Grid Reference G685354
Statistics
Province:	Connacht
County:	County Sligo
Elevation:	13 m
Population (2006)  - Town:  - Rural:	17,892 [1]  24,096[1]
Website: www.sligoborough.ie

Sligo (Irish: Sligeach, meaning Shelly place) (pronounced /ˈslaɪɡoʊ/ "sly-go", Irish IPA: [ˈɕlʲɪɟəx]), is the county town of County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is the second largest urban area in Connacht (after Galway)^[2]. Sligo's population dropped at the 2006 census^[1] to a little under 18,000 inhabitants. It is home to the Sligo Institute of Technology.

Contents 1 History 2 Transport 3 Development 4 Twin cities 5 Other items of interest 6 See also 7 Gallery 8 External links 9 References

[edit] History

Sligo's Irish name "Sligeach" - meaning shelly place - originates in the abundance of shellfish found in the river and its estuary, and from the extensive 'shell middens' or Stone Age food preparation areas in the vicinity.^{[3] [4]} The river (now known as the Garavogue) was originally also called the Sligeach.^[5] The Ordnance Survey letters of 1836 state that "cart loads of shells were found underground in many places within the town where houses now stand". At that time shells were constantly being dug up during the construction of foundations for buildings. This whole area, from the river estuary at Sligo, around the coast to the river at Ballysadare Bay, was rich in marine resources which were utilised as far back as the Mesolithic period.

Sligo town's first roundabout was constructed around a megalithic tomb (Abbeyquarter North, in Garavogue Villas ^[6]).

In the medieval period Sligo was an important crossroads strategically and commercially.^{[citation needed]} Sligo Abbey, the Dominican Friary, is the only medieval building left standing in the town. It was founded by the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, Maurice Fitzgerald in 1253 but accidentally destroyed by fire in 1414, and was rebuilt in its present form. When Frederick Hamilton’s soldiers sacked Sligo Town in 1642, the Abbey was burned and everything valuable in it was destroyed. Much of the structure, including the choir, carved altar and cloisters remain.

Between 1847 and 1851 over 30,000 people emigrated through the port of Sligo.^[7] On the Quays, overlooking the Garavogue River, is a memorial sculpture to those people. This is one of a suite of three sculptures commissioned by the Sligo Famine Commemoration Committee to honour the victims of the Great Famine. A plaque in the background, headed 'Letter to America, January 2, 1850' tells one family's sad story: "I am now, I may say, alone in the world. All my brothers and sisters are dead and children but yourself... We are all ejected out of Mr. Enright's ground... The times was so bad and all Ireland in such a state of poverty that no person could pay rent. My only hope now rests with you, as I am without one shilling and as I said before I must either beg or go to the poorhouse... I remain your affectionate father, Owen Larkin. Be sure answer this by return of post."

The poet W. B. Yeats is associated with Sligo. Much of his writing is descriptive of the area around Sligo town. In particular "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is a reference to a small, uninhabited island on Lough Gill, which is a lake adjacent to the town. (The poet was likely thinking of Beezies Island, a bigger island in the lake close to the mouth of the Garavogue and a popular place to row to in the nineteen hundreds.) Yeats, who spent much of his youth in Sligo and its environs, died in 1939 and is buried in the graveyard in Drumcliffe, County Sligo^[8].

Sligo town is encircled by two mountain ranges, namely Dartry Mountains to the north and the Ox Mountains to the south. The Dartry range includes the famous Benbulbin which W. B. Yeats often wrote about and is said to be the resting place of Diarmuid and Grainne^{[citation needed]}.

Sligo town recently highlighted its connections with famous Goon Show star and writer Spike Milligan by unveiling a plaque at the former Milligan family home at Number 5 Holborn Street.^[9]

[edit] Transport

The primary arteries of Sligo's road network are the "Inner-Relief Road" dual-carriageway, part of the N4 road to Dublin (which is motorway on some stretches, dual-carriageway in others). The section of the N4 road between Sligo and Collooney, about 15 kilometers outside Sligo is made up of dual carriageway which was completed in around the Millenium, bypassing The towns Of Collooney and Ballisodare. An extension onto this road was completed in 2005. This is The Sligo Inner Relief Road. It stretches from Carraroe in the south of Sligo to the outside of Sligo town. The Sligo County Council ‘Traffic & Transportation Plan’ identified the pedestrianisation of Sligo’s core streets as a priority following the opening of the Sligo Inner Relief Road, and O'Connell Street, the main street in the town has been pedestrianised as of 15th August 2006.

Sligo acquired rail links to Dublin in 1862, with the opening of the Sligo railway station on 3 December of that year^[10]. Connections to Enniskillen and the north followed in 1881 and Limerick and the south in 1895. The line to Enniskillen closed in 1957 and passenger services to Galway/Limerick closed in 1963. For many years CIE kept the latter line open for freight traffic, and although it is now disused, it forms part of the Western Rail Corridor redevelopment project. In 1966 Sligo railway station was renamed Mac Diarmada Station after Irish rebel Seán Mac Diarmada from County Leitrim^[11]. Iarnród Éireann, Ireland's national railway operator, runs inter-city rail services between Sligo and Dublin, Stopping At Collooney, Ballymote, Boyle, Carrick-On-Shannon, Dromod, Longford, Edgeworthstown (Mostrim), Mullingar, Enfield, Mayooth, Leixlip (On selected Services), and Dublin Connolly.

Sligo Town and County Sligo are served by Sligo Airport, 8 kilometres (5 miles) from Sligo town and close to Strandhill village, served by Aer Arann, which operates flights to Dublin and to Manchester in the United Kingdom.

Sligo port handles relatively small ships up to 2,000 dwt.^[12]

[edit] Development

Like many urban areas in western areas of Ireland, Sligo suffered for many years from the lack of development.^{[citation needed]} However this has improved in some sectors in the past decade, particularly with the opening of two new shopping centres in 2005 (Quayside) and 2007 (Johnston's Court).

Some new development has occurred along the river Garavogue, most notably the regeneration of J.F.K. (Kennedy) Parade, Kempton Promenade, and Rockwood Parade, consisting of houses, bars and a number of apartments as well two new footbridges over the river itself. The most recent addition to the riverside is the new Glasshouse Hotel, a 7-Story, glass building overlooking the River Garavogue and Rockwood Parade. At the far end of the Glasshouse Hotel, an apartment complex named Swan Point is currently under construction.

[edit] Twin cities

• Crozon, Brittany, France^[13]
• Kempten im Allgäu, Bavaria, Germany^[14]
• Tallahassee, Florida, United States^[15]

[edit] Other items of interest

• There are three local newspapers in Sligo. The Sligo Weekender is published on Tuesday while The Sligo Champion and The Sligo Post are both published on Wednesday.
• Sligo is the birthplace of Ronan & Keith Mulligan of Sligo / San Francisco band The Hooks.
• Sligo is the home to three members of the pop group Westlife: Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily.

[edit] See also

• List of Sligo people
• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• Sligo Jail
• Institute of Technology, Sligo

[edit] Gallery

Sligo yeats.jpg Yeats' statue outside the Ulster Bank, Sligo	Sligo abbey.jpg The choir of Sligo Abbey	Sligo famine.jpg The Sligo Famine Memorial on the Quays	Sligo garavogue.jpg The Garavogue River in the town centre
Sligo-tower.jpg Clock tower of Sligo's Roman Catholic Cathedral	Sligo-church.jpg Sligo's Roman Catholic Cathedral	Sligo garavogue river in the evening.jpg The Garavogue River in the evening

[edit] External links

• Official site - Sligo Borough Council
• Official site - Sligo Yeats Society
• Sligo Heritage
• Unofficial tourist guide to Sligo Town
• Sligo Weekender Newspaper
• The Sligo Champion Newspaper
• Sligo travel guide from Wikitravel

• Sligo is at coordinates 54°16′00″N 8°28′60″W / 54.2667, -8.4833Coordinates: 54°16′00″N 8°28′60″W / 54.2667, -8.4833

[edit] References

v • d • e Places in County Sligo, Ireland
County seat: Sligo
Boroughs	Sligo	Image:Ireland map County Sligo Magnified.png
Towns	Ballymote  • Tubbercurry
Villages	Achonry • Aclare • Ballaghnatrillick • Ballinafad • Ballintogher • Ballysadare • Banada • Beltra • Carney • Castlebaldwin • Cliffoney • Cloonacool • Collooney • Coolaney • Dromore West • Drumcliffe • Easky • Geevagh • Grange • Gurteen/Gorteen • Iniscrone  • Kilglass • Keash • Monasteraden • Mullaghmore • Riverstown • Rosses Point • Skreen • Strandhill • Tourlestrane
Townlands	Aughris • Ballynary • Carrickbanagher • Carrowhubbock South • Killeenduff • Kilmactigue • Rathbraughan • Tullavilla
See also	Sligo County Council

br:Sligeach

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