Information Sligo Town Ireland
Sligo in Irish is “Sligeach”. It could be derived from “shelly place” due to the abundance of shellfish in the area. Another potential derivation has been mooted as “Slighe dha Atha” or “Harbour Road of the two Fords”. It is the county town of County Sligo. The area has had a human presence for at least six thousand years. The town itself was established in 1245, when a castle was built by the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland Maurice Fitzgerald. Sligo Abbey, in ruins today but open to the public, was founded around the same period. It is noted in the annals of the last millennium that Sligo was an unwalled and therefore unprotected town. It was razed numerous times in its history. During the Great Famine of the mid nineteenth century, over thirty thousand people emigrated from Ireland through Sligo port. Today, it is the second largest urban centre in Connaught after Galway. Sligo Town and its environs have plenty to offer historians. Ballinafad Castle built in 1590 (now along the Sligo Road) is one example. Ballymote Castle, initially constructed almost three hundred years earlier, is another. Sligo County Museum, a few miles north of Sligo, is housed in a converted nineteenth century church manse. It deals with pre-historical Sligo impressively – people lived in the region in Neolithic times. The museum also features material from the nineteenth and early twentieth century, with the War of Independence a central theme. It is also home to religious artefacts such as chalices and penal crosses. The Yeats Memorial Building is nearby. It shows the links that Nobel Prize winner William Butler Yeats had with Sligo through a presentation. Sligo County Museum also holds Yeats’s Nobel Prize, with a section dedicated to the poet. Lissadell House, where Yeats stayed as a guest when a young man, can be found twenty miles from Sligo. It was built in the mid nineteenth century.
Attractions Sligo Town Ireland
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery - Sligo
4Km from Sligo. This is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland and is also among the country's oldest. Over 60 tombs have been located by archaeologists - the oldest pre-date Newgrange by some 700 years. A restored cottage houses a small exhibition relating to the site.
Culkin's Emigration Museum - Dromore West
Cannaghanally, Dromore West, relives a poignant era when emigration was the only hope for a better life and when families were scattered all over the world. The museum brings back to life this landmark, in a purpose built modern museum, with a host of fascinating artifacts and features, such as the original shop it self, now restored and housed within the building.
Drumcliffe Village - Drumcliffe
Drumcliffe is the final resting place of W. B. Yeats, one of Ireland's greatest writers. When visiting Drumcliffe, take the opportunity to view the film animation 'Saint Columba and Drumcliffe' and discover Drumcliffe as an important sixth century Christian site.
Lisadell House - Drumcliffe
The Gore Booths have lived near Drumcliffe since the time of Elizabeth I and the present house, built by Sir Robert Gore Booth in 1830s is still their home. Lisadell holds the legacy of generations of colourful Gore Boths including pictures and artifacts collected by Sir Robert on the Grand Tour. Lisadell is a fine but austere example of Greek Revival architecture and as a lot of the house was last refurbished 100 years ago visitors can expect an atmosphere of faded grandeur.
Sligo Abbey - Abbey Street, Sligo Town - Sligo
Known locally as the Abbey, this Dominican Friary was founded in the mid-13th century by Maurice FitzGerald. The site contains a great wealth of carvings including Gothic and Renaissance tomb sculpture, well preserved cloisters and the only sculptured 15th century high altar to survive in any Irish monastic church. This enigmatic Friary will inspire and enlighten its visitors.
