SLIGO, a county of Ireland in the province of Connaught,
bounded N. by the Atlantic, E. by Leitrim, S.E. by Roscommon,
and S. and W. by Mayo. The area is 452,356 acres or about
707 sq. m. The coast-line is very irregular, and in some places
rises into grand escarpments and terraces. The principal inlets
are Killala Bay and Sligo Bay, the latter subdivided into Brown
Bay, Drumcliffe Bay and Ballysadare Bay. Near the coast
are the islands of Inishmurray and Coney and other smaller
islets. Though Sligo cannot be compared for scenery with the
western parts and north coast of County Mayo, it is well wooded
and possesses several beautiful lakes and rivers and some ranges
of hills finely situated and grouped. In the north are the
limestone elevations of Ben Bulbin (1712 ft.) and Knocknarea (1078),
contrasting with the adjacent rugged gneiss mountains, among
which are King's Mountain (1527) and Gullogherboy (1430).
On the boundary with Leitrim, Truskmore reaches a height
of 2113 ft. In the west are the ranges of the Slieve Gamph and
Ox Mountains, upwards of 1300 and 1600 ft. respectively. The
Curlew Mountains, an abrupt ridge of limestone gravel, upwards
of 800 ft. in height, with flattened summit, separate Sligo from
Roscommon. The principal rivers are the Moy, forming for
a part of its course the boundary with Mayo, and flowing
south-westward and then northward into Killala Bay; the Easky,
flowing northward from Lough Easky; and Ballysadare, with
its branches the Owenmore, Owenbeg, and Arrow, or Unshin;
and the Garvogue, or Garavogue, flowing from Lough Gill.
Except the finely-situated Lough Gill (extending into Leitrim),
Lough Arrow, and Lough Gara, all of which exceed 3000 acres
in extent, none of the lakes has so large an area as 400 acres.
The salmon, sea-trout and trout fishing is generally excellent
in these waters, especially during the autumn, but Lough Arrow
also provides sport during the Mayfly season.
This county essentially consists of Carboniferous Limestone,
broken by the Dalradian axis of the Ox Mountains. The gneisses
of this range, which obviously result from the intermingling of
granite and a series of schists and quartzites, form a ridge of rocky
hills, smoothed by glaciation, on the flanks of which Carboniferous
shales rest. Above these, the limestone is boldly developed, forming
great scarped tablelands north of Sligo, with some sandstone on the
summit of Truskmore. Knocknarea, conspicuous from Sligo, is an
outlier of the Upper Limestone. Lough Gill Is picturesquely bounded
by the gneissic range on the south and these high carboniferous masses
on the north. The limestone also produces fine features in the
south of the county, in Keishcorran and round Lough Arrow. East
of this point, it forms the slopes of the Leitrim and Roscommon
coalfield, the summits being capped by the Millstone Grit series;
while on the south, bounded by a fault, rises the Old Red Sandstone
range of the Curlew Hills. Lead was mined at Ballysadare, and the
clay-ironstone from the east of the county was at one time smelted.
Industries. — There is considerable variety both in the character
of the soil and in the agricultural advancement in different parts
of the county. In some parts it is a light sandy loam resting on a
freestone bottom, and in the lower districts a rich and deep mould
prevails resting on a substratum of limestone. Owing to the moistness
of the climate cattle feeding is found to be the most remunerative
method of farming, as may be gathered from the increasing or
well-maintained numbers of cattle, sheep and poultry. Oats and potatoes
are the principal crops, but the acreage devoted to them decreases,
and the proportion of tillage to pasturage is roughly as 1 to 3½.
Coarse woollens and linens are manufactured for home consumption,
and there are tanneries, distilleries, and breweries in the principal
towns. A considerable general trade is carried on at the ports of
Ballina (on the Moy) and Sligo. The fisheries on the coast are
valuable, and there are important salmon fisheries at the mouths of
the rivers. The town of Sligo is the chief centre.
The Sligo branch of the Midland Great Western railway enters
the county from the S.E., with a branch S.W. from Kilfree to
Ballaghaderreen in county Mayo; the Limerick and Sligo line of
the Great Southern and Western enters from S.W.; and the Sligo,
Leitrim and Northern counties, from Enniskillen (county Fermanagh),
and Manor Hamilton (county Leitrim), from the N.E. These lines
unite at Cpllooney and share the railway from this junction to the
town of Sligo.
Population and Administration. — The population (94,416 in 1891,
84,083 in 1901) decreases at a rate considerably above the average
of the Irish counties, and emigration is heavy. Of the total about
90% are Roman Catholics and about 7% Protestant Episcopalians.
About 88% is rural population. The county town is Sligo (pop.
10,870); Ballymote and Tobercurry (or Tubbercurry) are small
inland market towns. The county is divided into six baronies.
Assizes are held at Sligo and quarter-sessions at Ballymote, Easky
and Sligo. For parliamentary representation the county has since
1885 formed two divisions (North and South), each returning a
member. The county is mainly in the Protestant diocese of Kilmore,
and in the Roman Catholic dioceses of Ardagh, Achonry, Elphin and
Killala.
History. The county was created by Sir Henry Sydney in
1579. On Carrowmore, between Sligo and Ballysadare, there
is a remarkable collection of ancient stone monuments (see
Sligo, town). At Drumcliffe (5 m. N. of Sligo) are the only
round tower remaining in the county and a beautiful Celtic
cross 13 ft. in height. The principal monastic ruins are the
abbey of St Fechan at Ballysadare, with a church of the 11th
or 12th century; the abbey of Sligo; and a remarkable group
of buildings on the island Inishmurray, which include a cashel
or walled enclosure; three oratories, one of which contains an
oaken figure in ecclesiastical garb; two holy wells; and also
altars, pillar stones, inscribed slabs (one of which is unique
among those of its kind in Ireland in having an inscription partly
in Latin), and several examples of beehive cells. This settlement
is associated with Molaise, a saint of the early 6th century (not
identical with the Molaise of Devenish in Loch Erne), and the
remains still attract pilgrims, who revere the oaken figure
mentioned as an image of the saint, though it is more probably
the figurehead of a vessel.