County Sligo

County Sligo (Irish: Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is 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 3rd most populated county in the province.

History

The county was theoretically formed in 1585, but was not made a reality until after the chaos of the Nine Years' War had ended, in 1603. Its boundaries reflect the Ó Conchobhair Sligigh overlordship of Lower Connacht (Irish: Íochtar Connacht) as it was at the time of the Elizabethan conquest.

This overlordship consisted of the tuatha, or territories, of Cairbre Drumcliabh, Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe, Tír Ollíol, Luíghne, Corann and Cúl ó bhFionn. Each of these was subsequently made into an English style barony: Carbury, Tireragh, Leyny, Tirerril, Corran and Coolavin. The capital of the newly shired county was placed at Sligo.

Sligo

Sligo (Irish: Sligeach, meaning "abounding in shells" — /ˈslaɪɡoʊ/ SLY-goh; Irish pronunciation: [ˈɕlʲɪɟəx]) is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2014 it is the largest urban centre in the northwest of Ireland. The Sligo Borough District constitutes 61% (38,581) of the county's population of (63,000).

Despite its relatively small size, Sligo is a historic, cultural, commercial, industrial, retail and service centre of regional importance. Served by established rail, port and road links, Sligo exerts a significant influence on its hinterland. Sligo is also a popular tourist destination, being situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with many literary and cultural associations.

History

Etymology

Sligo is an English corruption of the Irish name Sligeach, meaning "abounding in shells" or "shelly place". It refers to the abundance of shellfish found in the river and its estuary, and from the extensive shell middens in the vicinity. The river now known as the Garavogue (Irish: An Gharbhóg) meaning "little rough one" was originally called the Sligeach. It is listed as one of the seven "royal rivers" of Ireland in the 9th century AD tale The Destruction of Da Dergas Hostel.

Sligo (disambiguation)

Sligo is an Irish name meaning shelly place, and may refer to:

Places in Ireland

Constituencies

In the United States of America

Sligo (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Sligo was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1937 to 1948. The constituency elected 3 deputies (Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs) to the Dáil, using the single transferable vote form of proportional representation (PR-STV).

History

The constituency was created for the 1937 general election, when the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935 split the old Leitrim–Sligo constituency, with County Leitrim being represented from 1937 through the new Leitrim constituency.

Under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947, the Sligo constituency was abolished, and the Sligo–Leitrim constituency was created for the 1948 general election.

Boundaries

Some Dáil Éireann constituencies cross county boundaries, in order to ensure a reasonably consistent ratio of electors to TDs. The Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act 1935 defined the boundaries of the Sligo constituency as being:

The boundaries of the Leitrim constituency were defined as: