About Sligo

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Sligo (Irish: Sligeach, meaning "Shelly place") is the county town of County Sligo in 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)

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.[4][5] The river (now known as the Garavogue) was originally also called the Sligeach.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.

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. 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. 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…” Sligo Abbey, the Dominican Friary, is the only medieval building left standing in the town. 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. 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.

Iranród Éireann, Ireland's national railway operator, runs inter-city rail services between Sligo 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 metric tons deadweight (DWT).[14]

There is also a town bus service provided by Bus Éireann that operates two different routes in the town, one which serves the town centre and one which serves the western area of the town. There are two other routes operating in the town, which operate between the town and Strandhill and Rosses Point respectively [15].

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 locality is serviced by the local radio station, Ocean FM, which also broadcasts to counties Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo.

Twin cities
Crozon, Bretagne, France
Kempten im Allgäu, Bavaria, Germany
Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America

Sligo map