See also: Sligo (disambiguation)

Sligo Sligeach
Location
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
Dáil Éireann:	Sligo-North Leitrim
European Parliament:	North-West
Dialling code:	+353 71
Area:	12. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth The Irish grid reference system is a system of geographic Grid references commonly used in Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae County Sligo ( is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Sligo-North Leitrim is a parliamentary Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU North-West is one of four Constituencies of the European Parliament in Ireland. Subscriber trunk dialling ( STD, also known as subscriber toll dialling) is a term for the UK Telephone system allowing subscribers to dial trunk Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 9 km² (5. 0 sq mi)[1]
Elevation:	13 m
Population (2006)  - Town:  - Environs:	17,892[1]  1,510[2]
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 elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. County Sligo ( is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice A charter is the grant of authority or rights stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government It is the second largest urban area in Connacht (after Galway). Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. ^[3] It is home to the Sligo Institute of Technology. Institute of Technology Sligo ( ITS) formerly Regional Technical College Sligo is a Higher education institution located in Sligo, County

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

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. Shellfish is a Culinary and Fisheries term for those aquatic Invertebrate animals that are used as Food: various species of molluscs A midden, also known as a kitchen midden, or a shell heap, is a dump for domestic waste. ^[4][5] The river (now known as the Garavogue) was originally also called the Sligeach. ^[6][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". Ordnance Survey (OS is an Executive agency of the United Kingdom government Year 1836 ( MDCCCXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap 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. Ballysadare, ( (also spelled Ballisodare) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland about 7 kilometers from Sligo town. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age

The significance of Sligo in the Early Neolithic period is demonstrated by the abundance of ancient sites close by, not least Carrowmore, on the Cuil Irra peninsula, 3k from the town. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Carrowmore (Ceathrú Mór meaning Great Quarter is the site of a prehistoric Ritual landscape on the Knocknarea or Cúil Irra Peninsula in County The NRA excavation for the N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road in 2002 revealed an early Neolithic causewayed enclosure (c. Causewayed enclosures are a type of large prehistoric earthworks common to the early Neolithic Europe. 4000 B. C. ) overlooking the site of Sligo town today. It would have been enclosed by a ditch and palisade, and was perhaps an area of commerce and ritual. According to Edward Danagher, who excavated there, 'Magheraboy demonstrates the early Neolithic settlement of this area of Sligo, while the longevity of the activity on the site indicates a stable and successful population during the final centuries of the fifth millennium and the first centuries of the fourth millennium BC'. ^[7] Sligo town's first roundabout was constructed around a megalithic tomb (Abbeyquarter North, in Garavogue Villas ^[8]).

Maurice Fitzgerald, the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland is generally credited with the establishment of the medieval town of Sligo, building the Castle of Sligo in 1245. Maurice Fitzgerald (or FitzGerald may refer to Maurice Fitzgerald (footballer, Irish GAA football player with Kerry GAA from 1988-2001 Maurice Sligo was burned with regularity throughout the medieval period. In 1257, Geoffry O'Donnell, chief of Tirconnell, marched on Sligo and burned the town. The annalists refer to this Sligo as a "sradbhaile"; meaning a village or town not defended by an enclosure or wall, and consisting of one street. A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century By the mid 15th century the town and port had grown in importance. Amongst the earliest preserved specimens of written English in Connaught is a receipt for 20 marks, dated August 1430, paid by Saunder Lynche and Davy Botyller, to Henry Blake and Walter Blake, customers of “ye King and John Rede, controller of ye porte of Galvy and of Slego”. Over a century later an order is sent from the Elizabethan Government to Sir Nicholas Malby, Knight, willing him to establish ‘apt and safe’ places for the keeping of the Assizes & Sessions, with walls of lime & stone, in each county of Connaught, “judging that the aptest place be in Sligo, for the County of Sligo…”^[9] Sligo Abbey, the Dominican Friary, is the only medieval building left standing in the town. Sligo Abbey ( Irish: Mainistir Shligigh) a ruined abbey in Sligo, Ireland (officially called the Dominican Friary of Sligo was originally The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is The abbey was founded by Fitzgerald in 1253 but was 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. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo ^[10] On the Quays, overlooking the Garavogue River, is a memorial sculpture to those people. The Garavogue (An Garbh Óg is a short and small River located in County Sligo, Ireland. 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. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. For the game see 1850 (board game. 1850 ( MDCCCL) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link 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. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world 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 "Lake Isle of Innisfree" is a poem written by William Butler Yeats about an island in Lough Gill. Lough Gill or Loch Gile in Irish is a Lake mainly situated in County Sligo, but partly in County Leitrim, in Ireland. (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. Drumcliffe ( sometimes known as Drumcliff, is a village in County Sligo, Ireland, located 8km north of Sligo town on the N15 road ^[11]

Sligo town is encircled by two mountain ranges, namely Dartry Mountains to the north and the Ox Mountains to the south. The Dartry Mountains are a range in the north west of Ireland. The Ox Mountains (Sliabh Gamh are a mountain range in County Sligo on the west coast of Ireland. The Dartry range includes the famous Benbulbin which W. Ben Bulben (alternatively spelt Benbulben or Benbulbin) (Binn Ghulbain) is a large Rock formation in Ireland B. Yeats often wrote about and is said to be the resting place of Diarmuid and Grainne. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne or Diarmid O'Dyna (also known as Diarmuid of the love spot is a son of Donn and a warrior of the Fianna in the Fenian Cycle Gráinne (pronounced /ˈgrɒːnʲə/ is the daughter of Cormac mac Airt in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. ^[12]

Sligo town recently highlighted its connections with Goon Show star and writer Spike Milligan by unveiling a plaque at the former Milligan family home at Number 5 Holborn Street. The Goon Show was a British Radio comedy programme originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960 Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE ( 16 April, 1918 &ndash 27 February 2002) known as Spike Milligan, was an Anglo ^[13]

Transport

The primary arteries of Sligo's road network are: the N4 road to Dublin (which is motorway on some stretches, dual-carriageway in others); the N15 (known as the Bundoran Road) to Lifford County Donegal; and the N16 (the Enniskillen road) which runs through Manorhamilton, County Leitrim to the border at Blacklion, County Cavan/Belcoo, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Road standard The road is a Dual carriageway from O'Connell Bridge, Dublin to Mullingar (including the motorway section Bundoran ( Bun Dobhráin in Irish) is a town on the coast of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. Lifford ( Leifear in Irish) is the County Town of Donegal, Ireland. County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall. Enniskillen ( is the county town (and largest town in County Fermanagh and the west of Northern Ireland. Manorhamilton ( is a small Town in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is located on the N16 between Sligo (27km and Enniskillen County Leitrim ( is one of the counties of Ireland and is part of the province of Connacht. Blacklion ( is a border Village in west County Cavan, in Ireland. County Cavan ( Contae an Chabháin in Irish) is a County in Ireland. Belcoo (Irish Béal Cú) is a small Village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, 12 miles from Enniskillen. County Fermanagh (fɚr'mænɘ Contae Fhear Manach or Fear Manach ('Men of Monach'in Irish) is the westernmost of the six counties that form Northern Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

The section of the N4 road between Sligo and Collooney, extending about 15 kilometers outside Sligo, is made up of dual carriageway. The first phase of this road was completed in 1999, bypassing the towns of Collooney and Ballysadare. Collooney ( is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. Transport Collooney is located just off the N4 ( Dublin to Sligo) and Ballysadare, ( (also spelled Ballisodare) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland about 7 kilometers from Sligo town. An extension to this road was completed in 2005, known as The Sligo Inner Relief Road. It stretches from Carraroe in the south of Sligo to Hughes Bridge, a four lane crossing of the river at its narrowest bridging point. This bridge was opened on 8 December 1988. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)

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. O'Connell Street - the main street in the town - was pedestrianised on 15 August 2006. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Sligo acquired rail links to Dublin in 1862, with the opening of the Sligo railway station on 3 December of that year. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Mac Diarmada station, also known as Sligo railway station, is a mainline Railway station which serves the town of Sligo in County Sligo, Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French ^[14] Connections to Enniskillen and the north followed in 1881 and Limerick and the south in 1895. Enniskillen ( is the county town (and largest town in County Fermanagh and the west of Northern Ireland. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The line to Enniskillen closed in 1957 and passenger services to Galway-Ennis-Limerick closed in 1963. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. Córas Iompair Éireann ( abbreviated CIÉ) is a statutory authority which is owned by the Irish Government. Introduction The Western Railway Corridor (WRC or Bealach Iarnród an Iarthair (BII in the Republic of Ireland is a recent term for In 1966 Sligo railway station was renamed Mac Diarmada Station after Irish rebel Seán Mac Diarmada from County Leitrim. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Mac Diarmada station, also known as Sligo railway station, is a mainline Railway station which serves the town of Sligo in County Sligo, Seán Mac Diarmada ( February 28, 1883 &ndash May 12, 1916) (born John MacDermott, usually used the name Sean MacDermott County Leitrim ( is one of the counties of Ireland and is part of the province of Connacht. ^[15] 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, Kilcock (on some services), Maynooth (on some services), Leixlip Louisa Bridge ((on some services), Drumcondra (on some services) and Dublin Connolly. rail transport in Ireland Iarnród Éireann ( IÉ;; in English, Irish Rail) is the national Railway system operator of the Republic "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Inter-city rail services are express Train passenger services which cover longer distances than Commuter trains Africa Inter-city services are reasonably

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 Airport (Aerfort Shligigh is located in Strandhill, County Sligo, about 8 kilometres (5 miles from Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. Strandhill ( is a seaside resort village in County Sligo, Ireland. Aer Arann is a Regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. They operate scheduled service on 40 different routes between Ireland, France The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Sligo port handles relatively small ships up to 2,000 metric tons of deadweight (DWT). Deadweight tonnage (also known as deadweight and variously abbreviated as DWT, D ^[16]

There is also a bus service provided by Bus Éireann (known as the Sligo City Service) that operates two different routes in the town, the Sligo Central City Service and the Sligo Western City Service. Bus Éireann ( Irish for Irish Bus) provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which There are two other routes operating in the town, which operate between the town and Strandhill and Rosses Point respectively ^[17].

Development

Like many urban areas in western parts of Ireland, Sligo suffered for many years from a lack of development. However this has improved in some sectors in the past decade. The Quayside Shopping Centre opened in 2005 and Johnston's Court Shopping Centre opened in 2007.

Some new development has occurred along the river Garavogue, most notably the regeneration of J. F. K. Parade, Kempten Promenade and the Crozon Promenade, The Riverside and Rockwood Parade, consisting of houses, bars and a number of apartments as well two new footbridges over the river itself. Kempten im Allgäu is the largest city in Allgäu, a region in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. Crozon ( Kraozon in Breton) is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France Work began on Rockwood Parade in 1992, and the footbridge there was opened in 1996. The most recent addition to the riverside is the regeneration and redesign of the former Silver Swan Hotel, overlooking the River Garavogue.

Media

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. The Sligo Weekender is a weekly local Newspaper published every Tuesday in Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland. The Sligo Champion is a weekly local Newspaper published every Wednesday in Sligo, County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. The Sligo Post is a Freesheet newspaper published in Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland.

The locality is serviced by the local radio station, Ocean FM. Ocean FM (Ireland is a local Radio station that broadcasts to the northwest of Ireland. With studios located in Collooney in Co Sligo and also in Donegal town the station broadcasts into counties Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo. Collooney ( is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. Transport Collooney is located just off the N4 ( Dublin to Sligo) and Donegal ( Irish: Dún na nGall) is a town in County Donegal, in the Province of Ulster, in Ireland.

Twin cities

Crozon, Bretagne, France^[18]

Kempten im Allgäu, Bavaria, Germany (1990)^[19]

Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America^[20]

See also

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

Gallery

Images of Sligo

Yeats' statue outside the Ulster Bank	The choir of Sligo Abbey	The Sligo Famine Memorial on the Quays	The Garavogue River in the town centre
Clock tower of the Roman Catholic Cathedral	The Roman Catholic Cathedral	Sligo Borough Council	The Court House

External links

• Official site - Sligo Borough Council
• 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, -8.4833 (Sligo)Coordinates: 54°16′00″N 8°28′60″W / 54.2667, -8.4833 (Sligo)

References

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