County Sligo

The county was officially formed in 1585 by Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland, but did not come into effect until the chaos of the Nine Years' War ended, in 1603. Its boundaries reflect the Ó Conchobhair Sligigh confederation of Lower Connacht (Irish: Íochtar Connacht) as it was at the time of the Elizabethan conquest.

This confederation consisted of the tuatha, or territories, of Cairbre Drumcliabh, Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe, Tír Ollíol, Luíghne, Corann and Cúl ó bhFionn. Under the system of surrender and regrant each tuath was subsequently made into an English barony: Carbury, Tireragh, Tirerril, Leyny, Corran and Coolavin. The capital of the newly shired county was placed at Sligo.

A causewayed enclosure discovered in 2003 at Maugheraboy is one of the earliest indications of Neolithic farming activity on the Cúil Irra Peninsula.^[4] The nearby megalithic cemetery of Carrowmore forms part of a huge complex of Stone Age remains connecting Carrowkeel in south Sligo to the Ox Mountains, to the Cuil Irra Peninsula, where the passage tomb named after the legendary Queen Maeve, Miosgán Médhbh, dominates the western skyline from the crest of Knocknarea Mountain.

The Caves of Kesh, famous in Irish mythology, are in south County Sligo. A recent decoding^[5] of the work of Marinus of Tyre and Ptolemy shows Sligo as the likely location of Nagnata, an important place of assembly in the Iron Age. Famous medieval manuscripts written in the area include the Book of Ballymote, written in the territory of Corran, the Great Book of Lecan, and the Yellow Book of Lecan, both written in Tir Fhiacrach. The patron of the Annals of the Four Masters was Fearghal Ó Gadhra of Coolavin in south County Sligo.

Sligo County Council is the local authority for the county. At the 2019 Sligo County Council election, it was divided into three local electoral areas (LEAs): Ballymote–Tobercurry (7 seats), Sligo–Strandhill (6 seats), and Sligo–Drumcliff (5 seats).^[6] Each of these form a municipal district, with the containing Sligo–Strandhill known as the borough district of Sligo.^[7]

County Sligo is the setting for a large number of the texts in the Mythological Cycles. The story of Diarmad and Grainne has its final act played out on Ben Bulben. The Second Battle of Moytirra is associated with Moytirra in South County Sligo. Other texts include Bruidean Ceise Corann, set on Keash Mountain. The rich array of megalithic monuments in the area has been an inspiration to artists and writers such as Sir Samuel Ferguson. The poet and Nobel laureate W. B. Yeats (1865–1939) spent much of his childhood in northern Sligo and the county's landscapes (particularly the Isle of Innisfree, in Lough Gill) were the inspiration for much of his poetry. Yeats said, "the place that has really influenced my life most is Sligo". He is buried in North County Sligo, "Under Ben Bulben", in Drumcliff. W. B. Yeats's brother Jack, a painter, also was inspired by the Sligo landscape.

Sligo is the 22nd largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and the 27th largest in terms of population.^[15] It is the fourth largest of Connacht's 5 counties in size and third largest in terms of population. The County borders County Mayo to the west, County Roscommon to the south and south-east and County Leitrim to the northeast.

Largest towns in County Sligo (2016 Census)

1. Sligo, 19,452
2. Tubbercurry, 1,986
3. Strandhill, 1,753
4. Collooney, 1,610
5. Ballymote, 1,549
6. Ballisodare, 1,350
7. Enniscrone, 1,223
8. Coolaney, 990
9. Rosses Point, 883
10. Grange, 586

• Feldmarschall The 3rd Earl of Carlingford (1639-1704) - senior military commander for the Habsburg monarchy in the Holy Roman Empire. Lord Carlingford was born in Ballymote, and he later served as the chief minister of the Duchy of Lorraine.
• Michael Coleman (1891–1945) – traditional musician
• Owen Connellan (1797–1871) – Irish Scholar, translated the Annals of the Four Masters in 1846
• Michael Corcoran (1827–1863) – Union Army general in the American Civil War
• Adrienne Cullen (1960–2018) – journalist, editor and healthcare campaigner
• Kian Egan (born 1980) – member of the pop band Westlife
• Mark Feehily (born 1980) – member of Westlife
• Shane Filan (born 1979) – member of Westlife
• Tommy Fleming (born 1971) – singer
• Scott Fredericks (1943–2017) – actor^[16]
• Marian Harkin (born 1953) – Teachta Dála (TD) for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency; previously a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2004 to 2019
• Neil Jordan (born 1950) – film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer
• Constance Markievicz (1868–1927) – revolutionary Irish nationalist, the first woman elected to the British Parliament
• Pauline McLynn (born 1962) – actress; Mrs Doyle in the sitcom Father Ted
• Ray McSharry (born 1938) – Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency from 1969 to 1988; Tánaiste. He also served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Connacht–Ulster constituency
• Martin Moffat (1882–1946) – soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Lola Montez (1821–1861) – dancer, actress
• James Morrison (1893–1947) – traditional musician
• Christopher O'Donnell (born 1998) – Olympic track and field athlete
• Nace O'Dowd (1931–1987) – Gaelic football captain for the Sligo county team
• Mary O'Hara (born 1935) – singer
• Ambrosio O'Higgins, 1st Marquis of Osorno (1720–1801) – Spanish colonial administrator
• Martin Savage (1897–1917) – Irish Republican
• Sir George Stokes (1819–1903) – mathematician, physicist
• Brother Walfrid (1840–1915) – founder of Celtic FC
• Jack Butler Yeats (1871–1957) – artist
• W. B. Yeats (1865–1939) – poet

The Dublin–Sligo railway line is operated by Iarnród Éireann in Ireland. It starts in Dublin Connolly station, terminating at Sligo Mac Diarmada railway station in Sligo. In the county there are stations at Ballymote and Collooney.

• High Sheriff of Sligo
• List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Sligo)
• List of people from Sligo
• Sligo GAA
• Sligo Rovers F.C.
• Sligo (Town)
• Wild Atlantic Way