Welcome to Sligo Town on the Net
Sligo Town is believed to have been built on, or in the immediate vicinity of Ptolemy's ancient town of Nagnata, on the banks of the Garavogue River, with strong evidence to suggest there has been a human settlement of one kind or another here for several thousand years.
Sligo Town got it's name from the
Gaelic word
Sligeach, which translates to
Shelly River due to the due to the abundance of shellfish found in the waters surrounding the town.
Sligo Town is situated on the banks of the
Garavogue River, connecting Lough Gill to the
Atlantic Ocean. To the north lie the
King Mountains, which includes
Truskmore and the instantly recogniseable
Benbulben which has become Synonymous with
Sligo
The modern town of
Sligo, the largest in the North West of
Ireland, with a population of around 18,000 people
(official 2006 census figures), dates back to 1245 when
FitzGerald erected a castle somewhere in the vicinity of the present day Dominican ruin.
With over 5,000 recorded archeological sites, the largest of which the
Carrowmore Magalithic Cemetery,
County Sligo has one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric monuments in Western Europe.
One of Ireland's most famous personalities must have been the poet,
William Butler Yeats, whose family came from
Sligo, and whom inspired the young poet in many of his future works, drawn spiritually from the county's scenic landscape and sense of place.
William Butler Yeats is buried in
Drumcliffe graveyard, within the shadow of
Benbulben mountain, and to the east of
Sligo Town, the mythical
Queen Maeve is said to be buried beneath the large stone cairn atop
Knocknarea mountain.
With so much to do and so much beautiful scenery throughout
Sligo Town & County, it's easy to see why so many people come back time after time to
Sligo Town, as it certainly lives up to its name.
Sligo - Land of hearts desire.
Last Modified Saturday, 03-Jan-2009 21:35:00 GMT.
