View source for Sligo

{{other uses}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
|settlement_type        = Town<!--PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS TO CITY. SLIGO IS OFFICIALLY A TOWN AND WAS NEVER A CITY. THE CHARTER OFTEN REFERRED TO IN THIS DEBATE DID NOT CONFER CITY STATUS ON SLIGO, BUT SIMPLY GRANTED THE TOWN THE RIGHT TO ESTABLISH A BOROUGH COUNCIL.-->
|name                   = Sligo
|native_name            = {{nativename|ga|Sligeach}}
|native_name_lang       = ga
|image_seal             = 
| image_shield          = Sligo town Coat of Arms.png
| shield_size           = 125px
|motto                  =
|image_skyline          = Sligo Borough Council.jpg
|image_caption          = [[Sligo Town Hall]]
|mapsize                = 230px
|map_caption            = Location of Sligo in Ireland
|pushpin_map            = Ireland#Europe
|pushpin_relief         = 1
|pushpin_map_caption    = Sligo in Ireland
|pushpin_label_position = left
|coordinates            = {{coord|54.2667|-8.4833|dim:100000_region:IE-C_type:city(19,000)|display=inline,title}}
|blank_name_sec1        = Irish Grid Reference
|blank_info_sec1        = {{iem4ibx|G685354}}
|area_total_km2         = 10.3
|population_density_km2 = auto
|area_footnotes         = <ref name=cso2016area>{{cite web | url = http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?MainTable=E2014&PLanguage=0&PXSId=0 | title = Population Density and Area Size 2016 | work = Census 2016 | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] | access-date = 11 July 2020 | archive-date = 24 March 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190324025223/https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?MainTable=E2014&PLanguage=0&PXSId=0 | url-status = live }}</ref>
|unit_pref              = Metric
|elevation_m            = 13
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = Ireland
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Connacht]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[County Sligo]]
|subdivision_type3      = [[Barony (Ireland)|Barony]]
|subdivision_name3      = [[Carbury, County Sligo|Carbury]]
|subdivision_type4      = [[Dáil constituency]]
|subdivision_name4      = [[Sligo–Leitrim (Dáil constituency)|Sligo–Leitrim]]
|subdivision_type5      = [[EU Parliament]]
|subdivision_name5      = [[Midlands–North-West]]
|blank_name_sec2        = Dialing code
|blank_info_sec2        = +353 71
|postal_code_type       = [[Eircode]] (Postcode) District
|postal_code            = F91
|population_total       = 20,608
|population_blank1_title=
|population_blank1      =
|population_footnotes   = <ref name="cso2022">{{cite web|title=Census 2022 – F1015 Population|work=Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office Ireland]] |date=August 2023 |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1015 |access-date=16 September 2023 }}</ref>
|population_as_of       = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
|website                = {{URL|www.sligoborough.ie}}
}}
'''Sligo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|l|aɪ|ɡ|oʊ}}; {{langx|ga|Sligeach}} {{IPA|ga|ˈʃl̠ʲɪɟəx|}}; {{lit|abounding in shells}}) is a coastal [[seaport]] and the [[county town]] of [[County Sligo]], Ireland, within the western province of [[Connacht]]. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 29.5% of the county's population) and the [[List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland|24th largest in the Republic of Ireland]].<ref name="cso2022"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sligococo.ie/media/SEDP_Chapters1_4.pdf|title=ErrorFourZeroFour|last=SCC|website=sligococo.ie|access-date=2 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006132433/http://www.sligococo.ie/media/SEDP_Chapters1_4.pdf|archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

Sligo is a commercial and cultural centre situated on the west coast of [[Ireland]]. Its surrounding coast and countryside, as well as its connections to the poet [[W. B. Yeats]], have made it a tourist destination.

==History==
{{Main|History of Sligo}}

===Etymology===
Sligo is the anglicisation 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.<ref>Wood-Martin's History of Sligo, 1882</ref><ref name=SBC> The name Sligo originates in he Gaelic Sli da Atha:  the way of the two fords. The first ford began at Balincar and ended at Finisklin; the second ford was between and Balladrehid and Ballisodare. Through mistranslation Sli da Atha became to be pronounced Slidatha and then Sligeach. See O'Rourke's History of Sligo. The fords became obsolete when the first bridge was built across the Garavogue. The route then became across Gallows Hill-Holborn Street-Bridge Street-Old Market Street-Pound Street - Gallows Hill south-Caltragh-Carrickhenry-Carrowkeel-Balladrahid.  
{{cite web 
 |url         = http://www.sligoborough.ie/asp/AboutUs/HistorySligo.asp
 |title       = History of Sligo
 |access-date  = 13 May 2008
 |work        = Sligo Borough Council – About Us
 |quote       = The scallop shells [...] were once abundant in the estuary at the mouth of the Garavogue – a river once known as the 'Sligeach', or 'shelly place', giving Sligo its name
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070610051333/http://www.sligoborough.ie/asp/AboutUs/HistorySligo.asp
 |archive-date = 10 June 2007
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> The river now known as the [[River Garavogue|Garavogue]] ({{langx|ga|An Gharbhóg}}), perhaps meaning "little torrent", was originally called the Sligeach.<ref name=Origins>{{cite web|title=Origins of Sligo/Slicech/Sligeach|date=10 November 2009|url=http://www.sligoheritage.com/archsligeach.htm|website=Sligo Heritage|access-date=1 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611171542/http://www.sligoheritage.com/archsligeach.htm|archive-date=11 June 2017}}</ref> It is listed as one of the seven "royal rivers" of Ireland in the ninth century AD tale ''[[Togail Bruidne Dá Derga|The Destruction of Da Dergas Hostel]]''. The river ''Slicech'' is also referenced in the ''[[Annals of Ulster]]'' in 1188.<ref name=Origins/>

The [[Ordnance Survey]] letters of 1836 state that "cart loads of shells were found underground in many places within the town where houses now stand". The whole area, from the river estuary at Sligo, around the coast to the river at [[Ballysadare]] Bay, is rich in marine resources which were utilised as far back as the [[Mesolithic]] period.

===Early history===
The importance of Sligo's location in [[prehistory]] is demonstrated by the abundance of ancient sites close by and even within the town. For example, Sligo town's first roundabout was constructed around a megalithic [[passage tomb]] at Abbeyquarter North in Garavogue Villas.<ref name=Bergh>
{{cite book
| last             = Bergh
| first            = Stefan
| title            = Landscape of the monuments. A study of the passage tombs in the Cúil Irra region, Co. Sligo, Ireland
| year             = 1995
| publisher        = Riksantikvarieämbetet Arkeologiska Undersökningar
| location         = Stockholm
| isbn             = 91-7192-945-2
}}</ref> This is an outlier of the large group of monuments at [[Carrowmore]] on the [[Coolera Peninsula]] on the western outskirts of the town. The area around Sligo town has one of the highest densities of prehistoric [[archaeological sites]] in Ireland, and is the only place in which all classes of Irish megalithic monuments are to be found together. [[Knocknarea]] mountain, capped by the great cairn of [[Miosgán Médhbh|Miosgan Maeve]], dominates the skyline to the west of the town. Cairns Hill on the southern edge of the town also has two very large stone cairns.

Excavations for the [[National Roads Authority]] (NRA) for the N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road in 2002 revealed an early [[Neolithic]] [[causewayed enclosure]]. Built around 4000 B.C., the [[Magheraboy Causewayed Enclosure|Magheraboy causewayed enclosure]] is located on high ground overlooking the town from the south. This is the oldest causewayed enclosure so far discovered in Britain or Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nra.ie/archaeology/archaeology-ireland-articles/ |title=Archaeology Ireland articles |access-date=7 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308014240/http://www.nra.ie/archaeology/archaeology-ireland-articles/ |archive-date=8 March 2014  }}</ref> It consists of a large area enclosed by a segmented ditch and [[palisade]], and was perhaps an area of commerce and ritual. These monuments are associated with the coming of agriculture and hence the first farmers in Ireland. According to archaeologist Edward Danagher, who excavated the site, "Magheraboy indicates a stable and successful population during the final centuries of the fifth millennium and the first centuries of the fourth millennium BC".<ref name=Danaher>
{{cite book
| last             = Danaher
| first            = Edward
| title            = Monumental beginnings: the archaeology of the N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road
| year             = 2007
| publisher        = Wordwell Books
| isbn             = 978-1-905569-15-1
}}
</ref>
Danagher's work also documented a [[Bronze Age]] [[Henge]] at Tonafortes (beside the Carraroe roundabout) on the southern outskirts of Sligo town.

[[Sligo Bay]] is an ancient natural harbour, being known to [[Ancient Greece|Greek]], [[Phoenicia]]n and [[Roman Empire|Roman]] traders as the area is thought by some to be the location marked as the city of [[Nagnata]] on [[Claudius Ptolemy]]'s second century A.D. co-ordinate map of the world.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/00750770801909375 | volume=41 | title=Ptolemy's map of Ireland: a modern decoding | journal=Irish Geography | pages=49–69| year=2008 | last1=Darcy | first1=R. | last2=Flynn | first2=William | doi-access=free }}</ref> During the early medieval period, the site of Sligo was eclipsed by the importance of the great [[Drumcliff Monastery|monastery]] founded by [[Columcille]] 5 miles to the north at [[Drumcliff]]. By the 12th century, there was a bridge and a small settlement in existence at the site of the present town.

===Medieval history===
The [[Norman people|Norman]] knight [[Maurice Fitzgerald, Baron of Offaly|Maurice Fitzgerald]], the [[Justiciar of Ireland]], is generally credited with the establishment of the medieval European-style town and port of Sligo, building [[Sligo Castle]] in [[1245 in Ireland|1245]]. The [[Irish annals|annalists]] refer to the town as a ''sraidbhaile'' ('street settlement') which seems to have consisted of the castle and an attached defensive [[bawn]] in the vicinity of Quay street. A [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] Friary (Blackfriars) was also founded by Maurice Fitzgerald and the King of Connacht, [[Felim mac Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair]], in 1253. This was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1414, and was subsequently rebuilt in its present form by Tighernan O’Rourke. Norman hegemony was, however, not destined to last long in Sligo. The Norman advance was halted in Sligo after the battle of [[Creadran-Cille|Credran Cille]] in 1257 at Ros Ceite ([[Rosses Point Peninsula|Rosses Point]]) between [[:s:O'Donnell, Godfrey (DNB00)|Godfrey O'Donnell]], Lord of [[Tirconnell]], and Maurice Fitzgerald. Both commanders were mortally wounded in single combat. The Norman invasion of Tír Chonaill was abandoned after this. In 1289 a survey indicates there were 180 [[Burgess (title)|burgesses]] in the town. The Normans had laid a foundation that was to last.

The town is unique in Ireland in that it is the only Norman-founded Irish town to have been under almost continuous native Irish control throughout the Medieval period. Despite Anglo-Norman attempts to retake it, it became the administrative centre of the O'Conor Sligo ([[Ó Conchobhair Sligigh|O'Conchobar Sligigh]]) confederation of [[Íochtar Connacht|Iochtar Connacht]] (Lower Connacht) by 1315 AD. Also called Clan Aindrias, the O 'Conors were a branch of the O'Conchobar dynasty of [[Kings of Connacht]]. It continued to develop within the [[túath]] (Irish territory) of [[Cairbre Drom Cliabh]] becoming the effective centre of the confederation of túatha. The other Irish túatha subject to here were [[Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe]], [[Luighne Connacht]], [[Tir Ollíol|Tir Olliol]] and [[Corann]]. Throughout this time Sligo was under the system of [[Early Irish law|Fénechus]] (Brehon) law and was ruled by the Gaelic system of an elected [[Rí]] túath (territory king/lord), and an assembly known as an oireacht.

Through competition between Gaelic dynasties for the lucrative port duties of Sligo, the town was burned, sacked or besieged approximately 49 times during the medieval period, according to the annals of Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005A/ |title=Annals of the Four Masters |publisher=Celt.ucc.ie |access-date=2019-11-15 |archive-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414145719/https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005A/ |url-status=live }}</ref> These raids seem to have had little effect on the development of the town, as by the mid-15th century the town and port had grown in importance. It traded with Galway, [[Bristol]], France and Spain. Amongst the earliest preserved specimens of written English in Connacht is a receipt for 20 marks, dated August 1430, paid by Saunder Lynche and Davy Botyller, to Henry Blake and Walter Blake, customers of "ye King and John Rede, controller of ye porte of Galvy and of Slego".

Sligo continued under Gaelic control until the late 16th century when, during the Elizabethan conquest, it was selected as the county town for the newly shired County of Sligo. An order was sent by the Elizabethan Government to [[Sir Nicholas Malby]], Knight, wanting him to establish "apt and safe" places for the keeping of the Assizes & Sessions, with walls of lime & stone, in each county of Connacht, "judging that the aptest place be in Sligo, for the County of Sligo…"<ref name=wood-m>
{{cite book
| last            = Wood-Martin
| first           = W.G.
| title           = History of Sligo, County and Town. From the accession of James 1. to the Revolution of 1688.
| series          = Vol. 2
| publisher       = Hodge & Figgis
| location        = Dublin
| year        = 1892
}}</ref> The walls were never built.

===17th and 18th centuries===

[[Sligo Abbey]], actually a [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] Friary, although a ruin, is the only medieval building left standing in the town. Much of the structure, including the choir, carved altar (the only one in situ in Ireland) and cloisters, remains. When [[Frederick Hamilton (soldier)|Sir Frederick Hamilton's]] Parliamentarian soldiers partially sacked Sligo in 1642, the Friary was burned and many friars killed.

During the [[Williamite War]] (1689–91) the town was fought over between the [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] [[Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland)|Irish Army]] loyal to [[James II of Ireland|James II]] and [[Williamite]] forces. [[Patrick Sarsfield]] was able to capture the town and repulsed a Williamite attack to retake it; however, Sligo was later surrendered to forces under the command of [[Arthur Forbes, 1st Earl of Granard]].

In 1798, a mixed force of the Limerick Militia, [[List of British fencible regiments|Essex Fencibles]] and local yeomanry under a Colonel Vereker<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sligolibrary.ie/sligolibrarynew/media/MILITARY%20(14).pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328023448/http://www.sligolibrary.ie/sligolibrarynew/media/MILITARY%20(14).pdf |archive-date=28 March 2014  }}</ref> were defeated at the [[battle of Carricknagat]] at [[Collooney]] by the combined Irish and French forces under [[General Humbert]]. A street in the town is named after the hero of this battle [[Bartholomew Teeling]]. The ''Lady Erin'' monument at Market Cross was erected in 1899 to mark the centenary of the [[1798 Rebellion]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lady Erin statue|url=http://www.sligotown.net/ladyerin.shtml|publisher=Sligo town website|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113050829/http://www.sligotown.net/ladyerin.shtml|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref>

===19th century===
The town suffered badly from a [[1832 Sligo cholera outbreak|cholera outbreak]] in 1832. Scholars speculate that [[Bram Stoker]], whose mother [[Charlotte Stoker|Charlotte Blake Thornley]] was probably (there are no records and the family lived in both Sligo and [[Ballyshannon]])<ref name="donegalhistory.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.donegalhistory.com/old/DA57.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308014425/http://www.donegalhistory.com/old/DA57.pdf |archive-date=8 March 2014  }}</ref> born in Sligo in 1818<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bramstokerestate.com/Charlotte-Blake-Thornley_-Stoker-Bram-Abraham-Sligo-Dublin-.html|title=Charlotte-Blake-Thornley -Stoker-Bram-Abraham-Sligo-Dublin-ODonnells-Manus-the-Magnificent|website=bramstokerestate.com|access-date=2 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923040340/http://bramstokerestate.com/Charlotte-Blake-Thornley_-Stoker-Bram-Abraham-Sligo-Dublin-.html|archive-date=23 September 2017}}</ref> and experienced the epidemic first hand, was influenced by her stories when he wrote his famous novel, ''[[Dracula]]''. The family lived on Correction Street in the town. After fleeing to Ballyshannon, Charlotte wrote:

{{Blockquote
| text = At the end of that time, we were able to live in peace till the plague had abated and we could return to Sligo. There, we found the streets grass-grown and five-eighths of the population dead. We had great reason to thank God who had spared us.<ref name="donegalhistory.com"/>
| author= Charlotte Thornley Stoker
}}

[[File:sligo famine.jpg|thumb|upright|Sligo Famine Memorial on the quays]]
The Great Famine between 1847 and 1851 caused over 30,000 people to emigrate through the port of Sligo.<ref name=norton>
{{cite journal
| last            = Norton
| first           = Desmond
| year            = 2003
| title           = Lord Palmerston and the Irish Famine Emigration: A Rejoinder
| journal         = The Historical Journal
| volume          = 46
| issue = 1
| pages           = 155–165
| jstor           = 3133599
| doi = 10.1017/S0018246X02002881
| s2cid = 162314147
}}
</ref> On the Quays, overlooking the [[River Garavogue|Garavogue River]], is a cast bronze memorial to the emigrants. This is one of a suite of three sculptures commissioned by the Sligo Famine Commemoration Committee to honour the victims of the [[Irish Potato Famine (1845–1849)|Great Famine]].

A plaque in the background tells one family's sad story:
{{Blockquote
| text=  ''I am now, I may say, alone in the world. All my brothers and sisters are dead and children but yourself... We are all ejected out of Mr. Enright's ground... The times was so bad and all Ireland in such a state of poverty that no person could pay rent. My only hope now rests with you, as I am without one shilling and as I said before I must either beg or go to the poorhouse... I remain your affectionate father, Owen Larkin. Be sure answer this by return of post.''
| author = 'Letter to America, 2 January 1850'
}}

===20th century===
The early years of the century saw much industrial unrest as workers in the Port of Sligo fought for better pay and conditions. This resulted in two major strikes, in 1912 and, in 1913 the prolonged [[1913 Sligo Dock strike|Sligo dock strike]]. Both ended in victory for the workers.

Sligo Town was heavily garrisoned by the [[British Army]] during the [[Irish War of Independence|War of Independence]]. For this reason IRA activity was limited to actions such as harassment, sabotage and jailbreaks. At various times during the war, prominent Republicans were held at the [[Sligo Gaol]]. The commander of IRA forces in Sligo was [[Liam Pilkington]].

[[Arthur Griffith]] spoke in April 1922 on the corner of O'Connell Street and Grattan Street. To this day it is known as Griffith's Corner.{{cn|date=January 2024}}
During the Civil War, Sligo railway station was blown up by Anti-Treaty forces on 10 January 1923.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/more-destruction-on-railways-as-sligo-train-station-set-ablaze | title=More destruction on railways as Sligo train station set ablaze &#124; Century Ireland | website=[[RTÉ.ie]] }}</ref>

In 1961, [[St John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo|St. John the Baptist's Church]] became a cathedral of the [[Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh]] after St. Mary's Cathedral in Elphin was abandoned, being destroyed by a storm four years previously.

==Geography==
[[File:North Sligo Town.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Sligo]]
Situated on a coastal plain facing the Atlantic Ocean, Sligo is located on low gravel hills on the banks of the [[Garavogue River]] between [[Lough Gill]] and the estuary of the Garavogue river leading to [[Sligo Bay]]. The town is surrounded on three sides by an arc of mountains, with the Ox Mountain ridges of Slieve Daeane and Killery Mountain to the southeast bordering Lough Gill. The flat topped limestone plateaux of Cope's, Keelogyboy and Castlegal Mountains to the north and northeast and the singular hill of [[Knocknarea]] with its Neolithic cairn to the west and the distinctive high plateau of [[Benbulben]] to the north.

Sligo is an important bridging point on the main north–south route between [[Ulster]] and [[Connacht]]. It is the county town of [[County Sligo]] and is in the Barony of [[Carbury, County Sligo|Carbury]] (formerly the Gaelic ''[[túath]]'' of ''[[Cairbre Drom Cliabh]]''). Sligo is the diocesan seat of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin]]. It is in the Church of Ireland [[Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh]].

County Sligo is one of the counties that make up the province of [[Connacht]]. The county is part of the [[Border Region]] due to the fact that part of North Sligo is relatively close to '[[Republic of Ireland-United Kingdom border|the Border]]'. The Border Region in the Republic of Ireland has a population of over 500,000 people and consists of the counties of [[County Cavan|Cavan]], [[County Donegal|Donegal]], [[County Leitrim|Leitrim]], [[County Louth|Louth]] and [[County Monaghan|Monaghan]].<ref name=WDC>
{{cite web
| url              = http://www.wdc.ie/countyprofiles_sligo.html
| title            = County Profiles – Sligo
| access-date       = 13 May 2008
| work             = Western Development Commission
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071118174420/http://www.wdc.ie/countyprofiles_sligo.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 18 November 2007}}
</ref>

===Architecture===
The town consists of a medieval core street layout, but with mainly 19th-century buildings, many of which are of architectural merit.<ref name="amazonaws1">{{cite web|url=https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.ria.ie/ihta/ihta-digital/anglo-norman-towns/sligo/IHTA_24_Sligo_Text.pdf|title=Topographical information. In Fióna Gallagher and Marie-Louise Legg, Irish Historic Towns Atlas, no. 24, Sligo.|publisher=Royal Irish Academy, Dublin|year=2012|access-date=4 February 2016|pages=1–27|archive-date=14 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414145715/https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.ria.ie/ihta/ihta-digital/anglo-norman-towns/sligo/IHTA_24_Sligo_Text.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The town has a High Street which descends from the south of the town and terminates in a market flare at the Market Cross, a pattern typical of Norman street layouts. Here it meets the east west road leading from the Abbeyquarter on the east side to St. Johns Cathedral to the west. This seems to have been the first street laid out in the town. [[Burgage]] plots of Norman origin are also evident in the long narrow property boundaries typical of the centre of the town.<ref name="amazonaws1"/>

The only surviving medieval building is [[Sligo Abbey|Sligo Holy Cross Dominican Friary]] built in 1252. An arched tower and three sided cloister of the Abbey Church still survive. The next oldest extant building is the Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin and St. John the Baptist on John Street. The current building dates from 1730 when it was designed by the German architect [[Richard Cassels]] who was visiting to design [[Hazelwood House, Sligo|Hazelwood House]]. The cathedral contains four memorials to the Pollexfen family, maternal relatives of [[W. B. Yeats]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archiseek.com/2009/1730-st-johns-church-of-ireland-sligo-co-sligo/ |title=1730 – St. Mary the Virgin & St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo, Co. Sligo – Archiseek – Irish Architecture |date=30 December 2009 |publisher=Archiseek.com |access-date=2019-11-15 |archive-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414145712/http://archiseek.com/2009/1730-st-johns-church-of-ireland-sligo-co-sligo/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the nineteenth century, Sligo experienced rapid economic growth and therefore architectural change was rapid.<ref name="amazonaws1"/> This was marked by the erection of many public buildings. These include [[Sligo Town Hall]], designed by William Hague in a [[Lombard Romanesque|Lombardo-Romanesque]] style. [[Sligo Courthouse]] on Teeling street is an asymmetrical Neo-Gothic building designed by [[James Rawson Carroll|Rawson Carroll]] and built in 1878. The Gilooly Memorial Hall is an austere building on Temple Street built as a memorial to the [[Temperance movement|Temperance]] campaigner Bishop Gillooly. His statue above the door bears the inscription "Ireland sober, is Ireland free". The Model School, now the [[Model Arts and Niland Gallery|Model Arts & Niland Gallery]], was built by James Owen of the Board of Works to provide education to all denominations between 1857 and 1863, it was to serve as a model for other schools throughout the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archiseek.com/2009/2000-model-arts-and-niland-gallery-sligo-co-sligo/ |title=2000 – Model Arts and Niland Gallery, Sligo, Co. Sligo – Archiseek – Irish Architecture |date=31 December 2009 |publisher=Archiseek.com |access-date=2019-11-15 |archive-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414145712/http://archiseek.com/2009/2000-model-arts-and-niland-gallery-sligo-co-sligo/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The former Batchelors factory on Deep Water Quay is an industrial building which was built in 1905 as a maize mill and grain silo, and used an innovative construction method invented by [[François Hennebique]] in 1892. It is one of the earliest examples of its type in Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sligococo.ie/media/SligoCountyCouncil2015/Services/Planning/Downloads/SCDP20172023/DraftCDP2017-2023ProposedChangesRPS.pdf|title=Records of Protected Structures Proposed additions and deletions|publisher=Sligo County Council|access-date=15 November 2019|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524164850/http://www.sligococo.ie/media/SligoCountyCouncil2015/Services/Planning/Downloads/SCDP20172023/DraftCDP2017-2023ProposedChangesRPS.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{See also|Climate of Ireland}}
Sligo's climate is classified, like all of Ireland, as [[Oceanic climate|temperate oceanic]]. It is characterised by high levels of precipitation and a narrow annual temperature range. The mean yearly temperature is {{convert|9.7|°C|0|abbr=on}}. The mean January temperature is {{convert|5.3|°C|0|abbr=on}}, while the mean July temperature is {{convert|14.7|°C|0|abbr=on}}. On average, the driest months are April to June while the wettest months are October to January.

Rainfall averages 1303&nbsp;mm (51.3&nbsp;in) per year. The high rainfall means Sligo is in the [[temperate rainforest]] biome, examples of which exist around [[Lough Gill]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=73wAHH8PHz8C&q=ireland+temperate+rain+forest&pg=PA163|title=Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World: Ecology and Conservation|first=Dominick A.|last=DellaSala|date=2 May 2018|publisher=Island Press|access-date=2 May 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9781597266765}}</ref> The lowest temperature ever recorded in Ireland was −19.1&nbsp;°C (−2.4&nbsp;°F) at Markree Castle, County Sligo, on 16 January 1881.

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Sligo

| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan mean C = 5.3
| Feb mean C = 5.5
| Mar mean C = 6.5
| Apr mean C = 8.5
| May mean C = 11.2
| Jun mean C = 13.5
| Jul mean C = 14.7
| Aug mean C = 14.5
| Sep mean C = 13.1
| Oct mean C = 10.3
| Nov mean C = 7.5
| Dec mean C = 5.6
| year mean C = 
| Jan high C = 7.4
| Feb high C = 8.0
| Mar high C = 9.5
| Apr high C = 11.9
| May high C = 14.6
| Jun high C = 16.7
| Jul high C = 17.6
| Aug high C = 17.4
| Sep high C = 16.0
| Oct high C = 12.9
| Nov high C = 9.7
| Dec high C = 7.7
| year high C = 
| Jan low C = 3.1
| Feb low C = 3.1
| Mar low C = 3.6
| Apr low C = 5.1
| May low C = 7.7
| Jun low C = 10.2
| Jul low C = 11.8
| Aug low C = 11.7
| Sep low C = 10.3
| Oct low C = 7.8
| Nov low C = 5.2
| Dec low C = 3.5
| year low C = 
| Jan precipitation mm = 111.7
| Feb precipitation mm = 99.2
| Mar precipitation mm = 94.0
| Apr precipitation mm = 83.7
| May precipitation mm = 109.4
| Jun precipitation mm = 108.4
| Jul precipitation mm = 119.2
| Aug precipitation mm = 122.7
| Sep precipitation mm = 99.2
| Oct precipitation mm = 124.9
| Nov precipitation mm = 114.3
| Dec precipitation mm = 116.0
| year precipitation mm = 
| source 1 = Weather.Directory<ref name="Weather.Directory">
{{cite web|url=https://weather.directory/ie/sligo
|title= Sligo Weather & Climate Guide
|access-date= 26 Jul 2025
|website= Weather.Directory}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Sligo town nite.jpg|thumb|Sligo at night]]

Sligo had a population of 19,199 in 2016 and 20,608 in 2022, a growth of 7.3% according to the census.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://citypopulation.de/en/ireland/towns/sligo/31143__sligo/ | website = citypopulation.de | title = Sligo (Ireland) Agglomeration| accessdate = 21 September 2023 }}</ref>

From the 2022 population, 9,969 were males and 10,639 females. Irish citizens made up 79.6% of the population with Polish (542 persons or 2.6%), British (311, 1.5%) and Indian (255, 1.2%) as the next largest declared citizenships. People from other EU countries (674, 3.3%) and those from elsewhere outside the EU (978, 4.7%) were also noted.<ref name="sapmap2022">{{cite web | url = https://data.cso.ie/table/SAP2022T2T1TOWN22 | work = Census 2022 | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] | title = SAP2022T2T1TOWN22 - Usually Resident Population by Birthplace or Citizenship | year = 2022 | access-date = 18 November 2024 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240716053516/https://data.cso.ie/table/SAP2022T2T1TOWN22 | archive-date = 16 July 2024 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

6,522 persons could speak the Irish language. 3,410 persons spoke a language other than Irish or English at home and, of these, Polish was the most common foreign language spoken at home, with 744 speakers.<ref name="sapmap2022" />{{fv|reason=The CSO record labelled SAP2022T2T1TOWN22 contains census information on those "Usually Resident Population by Birthplace or Citizenship". It doesn't appear to contain information on languages spoken(?) |date=November 2024}}

==Religion==
[[File:Sligo Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception 2013 09 14.jpg|thumb|left|Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]]
In the [[2022 census of Ireland|2022 census]], 13,226 residents (64.2%) identified their religion as Roman Catholic or [[Lapsed Catholic|Lapsed (Roman) Catholic]]. A further 791 (3.8%) identified as [[Islam]]ic, 469 (2.3%) as [[Church of Ireland]], [[Church of England]], [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] or [[Episcopalian]] and 242 as [[Orthodoxy|Orthodox (Greek, Coptic or Russian)]]. 3,100 persons (15.0%) indicated that they had no religion, and a further 1,937 (9.4%) did not state any religion.<ref name="sapmap2022"/>{{fv|reason=What CSO table does this religion information come from? As it doesn't appear to be in SAP2022T2T1TOWN22? |date=November 2024}}

Sligo is located in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin]].  The main church of the diocese is the [[Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo|Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]] which is located on Temple Street. Other Catholic churches in the town are St. Anne's Church, Cranmore<ref>{{cite web |title=St. Anne's Church, Cranmore |url=http://stanneschurchsligo.ie/ |website=St. Anne's Church, Cranmore |access-date=23 April 2020 |archive-date=18 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218150638/http://stanneschurchsligo.ie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and St. Joseph's Church, Ballytivnan.<ref>{{cite web |title=St. Joseph's and Calry |url=http://www.stjosephsandcalry.ie/stjosephs.html |website=St. Joseph's and Calry parish |access-date=23 April 2020 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807043432/http://www.stjosephsandcalry.ie/stjosephs.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The town is also part of the [[Church of Ireland]] United [[Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh]]. The primary church in the diocese is the [[St John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo]] which is located on John Street. Sligo Presbyterian Church is located on Church Street and Sligo Methodist Church is located on Wine Street. There is also a small Baptist church at Cartron Village, Rosses Point Road.

The Sligo-Leitrim Islamic Cultural Centre (SLICC) is located on Mail Coach Road.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sligo-Leitrim Islamic Cultural Centre |url=http://www.sligoislamicsociety.com/ |website=Sligo-Leitrim Islamic Cultural Centre |access-date=6 May 2020 |archive-date=29 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129081539/http://www.sligoislamicsociety.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Indian [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]] meets at the St. Johns Hospital Chapel, Benbullen Rehabilitation Unit, Ballytivan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sligo St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church |url=https://indianorthodoxuk.org/parishes/ireland/sligo-st-thomas-indian-orthodox-church/ |website=Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Syrian Church |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Irsko Sligo.jpg|thumb|Sligo Town at dusk]]

Sligo is in the [[Northern and Western Region]], a NUTS&nbsp;2 region classified as an underdeveloped "region in transition" by the [[EU Commission]].<ref>{{CELEX|32021D1130|text=Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1130 of 5 July 2021 setting out the list of regions eligible for funding from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund Plus and of Member States eligible for funding from the Cohesion Fund for the period 2021-2027 (notified under document C(2021) 4894)}}</ref> This is an area where GDP is from 75% to 90% of the EU average. It is entitled to funding from [[European Regional Development Fund]] (ERDF) Operational Programmes, which are administered by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. Sligo Town is part of the NUTS&nbsp;3 [[Border Region]], which recognises that part of north County Sligo is relatively close to the [[Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border|border with Northern Ireland]]. A study by the European Committee of the Regions found that the Border Region was the most exposed in Europe to the economic effects of [[Brexit]].

Sligo is a major services and shopping centre within this region. As of 2016 the service sector is the primary employment sector in the county, employing 18,760 (71.7%) of workforce. Industry and construction makes up 17% (4,427) of employment, and agriculture, forestry and fishing 7.2% (1,868). The total number employed is 26,002. 3,843 people are employed in agency assisted ([[IDA Ireland|IDA]]) companies. Sligo borough labour catchment as of 2016 is 21,824.<ref name="westerndevelopment.ie">{{cite web | title = Sligo | url = https://westerndevelopment.ie/policy/our-region/sligo-county-analysis/ | publisher = Western Development Commission | access-date = 1 June 2021 | archive-date = 26 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210426171852/https://westerndevelopment.ie/policy/our-region/sligo-county-analysis/ | url-status = live }}</ref> 92% of enterprises in Sligo are micro-enterprises of 10 or fewer employees.

Sligo has traditionally been a centre for the tool-making industry.{{clarify|date=February 2019}}

The pharmaceutical industry is significant with several companies producing goods for this sector,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.sligochamber.ie/sligo/ |website =  Sligo Chamber of Commerce | title = Welcome to Sligo | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 7 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200807081410/https://www.sligochamber.ie/sligo/ | url-status = live }}</ref> including [[Abbott Laboratories|Abbott (Ireland) Ltd]], which is among the largest employers in Sligo.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sligo-s-educated-workforce-and-quality-of-life-can-make-up-for-its-remoteness-1.3395310 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = Sligo's educated workforce and quality of life can make up for its remoteness | date = 16 February 2018 | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 23 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210123074943/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sligo-s-educated-workforce-and-quality-of-life-can-make-up-for-its-remoteness-1.3395310 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Development has occurred along the River Garavogue with the regeneration of J.F.K. Parade (2000), Rockwood Parade (1993–1997), and The Riverside (1997–2006), as well as two new footbridges over the river, one on Rockwood Parade (1996) and one on The Riverside (1999).{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} Sligo has a number of independent shops and shopping malls, and there is a retail park on the town's outskirts at Carraroe.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.sligoretailpark.com/location/ | website = sligoretailpark.com | title = Sligo Retail Park - Location | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 7 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200807073553/https://www.sligoretailpark.com/location/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

==Culture==
{{See also|Media of the Republic of Ireland}}
[[File:sligo yeats.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of [[W. B. Yeats]] outside the [[Ulster Bank]] in Sligo Town.]]
The culture of County Sligo, especially of North Sligo, was an inspiration for both poet and Nobel laureate [[W. B. Yeats]] and his brother, the artist and illustrator [[Jack Butler Yeats]]. A collection of Jack B. Yeats's art is housed in The Niland Gallery, part of the Model centre on The Mall in Sligo.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/fine-art-antiques/mystery-donor-gives-valuable-yeats-art-to-sligo-arts-centre-1.3367320 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = Mystery donor gives valuable Yeats art to Sligo arts centre | date = 27 January 2018 | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 3 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210103005716/https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/fine-art-antiques/mystery-donor-gives-valuable-yeats-art-to-sligo-arts-centre-1.3367320 | url-status = live }}</ref> The Yeats Summer School takes place every year in the town.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2019/0727/1065592-sligo-yeats/ | publisher = RTÉ News | website = rte.ie | title = Poetry readings launch Sligo's 60th Yeats Summer School | date = 27 July 2019 | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 2 December 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191202233007/https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2019/0727/1065592-sligo-yeats/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

Sligo town has connections with ''[[Goon Show]]'' star and writer [[Spike Milligan]], whose father was from Sligo, and a plaque was unveiled at the former Milligan family home on Sligo's Holborn Street.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.irishtimes.com/news/sligo-council-to-erect-plaque-to-honour-spike-milligan-1.1165547 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = Sligo council to erect plaque to honour Spike Milligan | date = 9 November 2004 | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 28 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210128002921/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/sligo-council-to-erect-plaque-to-honour-spike-milligan-1.1165547 | url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Traditional Irish music ===

[[Traditional Irish music]] sessions are held in several venues in the town.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.discoveringireland.com/sligo-town/ | website = discoveringireland.com | title = Sligo Town | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 7 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200807050119/https://www.discoveringireland.com/sligo-town/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

In the early 13th century, the poet and crusader [[Muireadhach Albanach Ó Dálaigh]] kept a school of poetry at [[Lissadell]] north of Sligo town. He was ''Ollamh Fileadh'' (High Poet) to the [[O'Donnell|Ó Domhnaill]] kings of [[Tír Chonaill]]. The school appears to have been dissolved after the Norman invasion. In the 16th century, the poet [[Tadhg Dall Ó hÚigínn]] wrote many praise poems in strict ''[[Dán Díreach]]'' metre for local chiefs and patrons such as the O'Conor Sligo. He was killed for a satire he wrote on the O'Haras. The [[Annals of Loch Cé|annals]] record the death in 1561 of [[Naisse mac Cithruadh]], the "most eminent musician that was in Éireann", by drowning on [[Lough Gill]].{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

In the 17th century, two brothers from County Sligo, [[Thomas Connellan|Thomas]] and [[William Connellan]] from Cloonamahon, were among the last of the great Irish bards and harpists. Thomas is the author of the tune ''Molly MacAlpin'', now known as ''Carolan's Dream'', and William may have written ''Love is a Tormenting Pain'' and ''Killiecrankie''.

Traditional musicians from Sligo active in the early 20th century include [[Michael Coleman (Irish musician)|Michael Coleman]], [[James Morrison (fiddler)|James Morrison]] and [[Paddy Killoran]].{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

===Festivals===
Sligo hosts several festivals throughout the year, including Sligo Live, occurring every October; the Sligo Summer Festival, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of Sligo town; and the [[Fleadh Cheoil]], which the town hosted in three consecutive years (1989, 1990 and 1991) and again in 2014 and 2015. Approximately 400,000 people attended the 2014 and 2015 festivals. During the festival, much of the music was played by musicians on the streets of Sligo.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

The [[Sligo Jazz Project]] is held every July.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Another annual festival, the Sligo Festival of Baroque Music, was started in 1995 and takes place on the last weekend of September.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.sligobaroquefestival.com/about | website = sligobaroquefestival.com | title = About the Sligo Festival of Baroque Music | access-date = 15 March 2020 | quote = Sligo Festival of Baroque Music began life in 1995 as Sligo Early Music Festival | archive-date = 16 January 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200116202807/http://www.sligobaroquefestival.com/about | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Sligo garavogue river in the evening.jpg|thumb|The Garavogue River and Rockwood Parade (right)]]

===Theatre===
Sligo also has a tradition of theatre, both professional and amateur. Sligo has had a theatre at least as far back as 1750, according to Wood-Martins’ ''History of Sligo'', and often "her Majesty's servants from the Theatre Royal, Crow Street …. visited Sligo, even during the Dublin season, showing that in those days the townsfolk appreciated the Drama, for in some instances the company remained during several months".{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

There are now two full-time theatres in the town, including the Blue Raincoat Theatre Company, was founded in 1990 and based in Quay street.<ref name="drama">{{cite web | url = https://sligotourism.ie/cultural-sligo/ | publisher = Sligo Tourism Ltd | website = sligotourism | title = Cultural Sligo | access-date = 15 March 2020 | archive-date = 15 August 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210815035744/https://sligotourism.ie/cultural-sligo/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Sligo is also home to [[Hawk's Well Theatre]], a 340-seat theatre founded in 1982.<ref name="drama"/>

===In media===
Sligo is the setting for author Declan Burke's series of hard boiled detective novels, featuring detective Harry Rigby.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jsydneyjones.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/celtic-crime-declan-burkes-sligo/|title=Celtic Crime: Declan Burke's Sligo|date=13 July 2010|website=wordpress.com|access-date=2 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316153921/https://jsydneyjones.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/celtic-crime-declan-burkes-sligo/|archive-date=16 March 2016}}</ref>

[[Sebastian Barry]]'s novels ''[[The Secret Scripture]]'' and ''The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty'' are also set in Sligo town.

Sligo is the setting for [[John Michael McDonagh]]'s 2014 darkly comedic drama film ''[[Calvary (2014 film)|Calvary]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/20/sundance-film-festival-calvary-review|title=Calvary: Sundance 2014 – first look review |date=20 January 2014|website=The Guardian|access-date=2 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206222004/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/20/sundance-film-festival-calvary-review|archive-date=6 December 2017}}</ref> in which a priest continues to serve his parishioners despite their increased hostility towards him and the [[Catholic Church]].

Together with Dublin, [[County Sligo]] is one of the two main settings for [[Sally Rooney]]'s 2018 novel, ''[[Normal People]]''. A [[Normal People (TV series)|2020 adaptation]] made by [[BBC Three]] and [[Hulu]] was partially filmed in Sligo.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://vipmagazine.ie/sarah-greene-spills-the-beans-on-new-series-normal-people/|title=Sarah Greene spills the beans on new series Normal People|journal=VIP Magazine|first=Adele|last=Miner|date=27 August 2019|access-date=3 November 2019|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118103022/https://vipmagazine.ie/sarah-greene-spills-the-beans-on-new-series-normal-people/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Sport==
{{See also|Sport in Ireland}}

===Football===
The town is home to {{as of|2013|alt=2012}} [[League of Ireland Premier Division]] champions [[Sligo Rovers F.C.|Sligo Rovers]], who have played home matches at The [[The Showgrounds, Sligo Town|Showgrounds]] since they were founded in 1928.

There are also a number of junior [[association football]] (soccer) clubs who play in the Sligo/Leitrim & District league from the town. These include Calry Bohemians, Cartron United, City United & St. John's FC who play in the Super League and Glenview Stars, MCR FC, Merville United & Swagman Wanderers who play in the Premier League.

===Gaelic games===
There are three [[Gaelic Athletic Association|GAA]] clubs located in and around the town, including [[Calry/St. Joseph's GAA|Calry/St. Joseph's]] of [[Hazelwood, County Sligo|Hazelwood]], [[St John's GAA (Sligo)|St John's]] of Cuilbeg and [[St Mary's GAA (Sligo)|St Mary's]] of Ballydoogan with [[Coolera/Strandhill GAA|Coolera/Strandhill]] of Ransboro and [[Drumcliffe/Rosses Point GAA]] also being close by. Calry/St Joseph's and St Mary's compete in the [[Sligo Senior Football Championship]] while St John's compete in the [[Sligo Intermediate Football Championship]]. Calry/St Joseph's also compete in the [[Sligo Senior Hurling Championship]]. These clubs also field Junior, Ladies, Minor and Underage teams. Many of the major [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] matches, such as the inter-county home games of [[Sligo GAA|Sligo]] or a club championship finals, take place at [[Markievicz Park]].

===Rugby===
[[Sligo RFC]] is situated at Hamilton Park, [[Strandhill]], 8&nbsp;km west of the town. This club participates in the [[All-Ireland League (rugby union)|Ulster Bank All-Ireland League]] Division 2B.

===Other sports===
Sligo (in particular Strandhill) is a location for surfing, and there are several surf schools in the area.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

There are two nearby golf courses, County Sligo ([[Rosses Point]]) Golf Club and Strandhill Golf Club. Also just north of the borough boundary at Lisnalurg, there is Pitch and Putt called Bertie's. Rosses Point hosted the West of Ireland Championship in which future golfing star [[Rory McIlroy]] won in consecutive years (2005 and 2006).

Two basketball clubs are based in the town. These are Sligo All-Stars (located at the Mercy College Gymnasium) and Sligo Giant Warriors (whose venue is the Sligo Grammar Gymnasium).

[[Sligo Racecourse]] at Cleveragh hosts race days at least 8 times per year.

==Administration==
{{see also|High Sheriff of Sligo}}
Sligo was administered by its own local [[oireachtas]] and the kings of [[Cairbre Drom Cliabh|Cáirbre Drom Cliab]] until the English conquest in the early 17th century. This territory corresponds closely to the newly created Sligo Borough District.

Sligo town then became an incorporated municipal borough with a [[Royal charter]] issued by the British [[King James I of England|King James I]] between 1613 and 1614. Sligo has had a mayor since incorporation in 1613. It had the right to elect 12 burgesses to the corporation. It was one of ten boroughs retained under the [[Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840]]. Under the [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]], the area became an [[urban district (Ireland)|urban district]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Clancy |first=John Joseph|author-link=J. J. Clancy (North Dublin MP)|title=A handbook of local government in Ireland: containing an explanatory introduction to the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898: together with the text of the act, the orders in Council, and the rules made thereunder relating to county council, rural district council, and guardian's elections: with an index|url=https://archive.org/details/handbookoflocalg00clan/page/426/mode/2up |page=426 |year=1899|publisher=Sealy, Bryers and Walker|location=Dublin }}</ref> while retaining the style of a borough corporation.<ref>{{cite ISB|name=[[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]]|section=22|stitle=County districts and district councils|year=1898|number=37|regy=61 & 62 Vict.|parl=uk|date=12 August 1898|access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref>

Sligo Borough Corporation became a borough council in 2002.<ref>{{cite ISB|year=2001|number=37|name=[[Local Government Act 2001]]|schedno=6|stitle=Local Government Areas (Towns)|date=21 July 2001|access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref> On 1 June 2014, the borough council was dissolved and administration of the town was amalgamated with the [[Sligo County Council]].<ref>{{cite ISB|name=[[Local Government Reform Act 2014]]|year=2014|section=24|stitle=Dissolution of town councils and transfer date|number=1|date=27 January 2014|access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite ISB|name=Local Government Reform Act 2014 (Commencement of Certain Provisions) (No. 3) Order 2014|type=si|year=2014|number=214|signedby=[[Phil Hogan]], [[Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government]]|date=22 May 2014|access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref> It retains the right to be described as a borough.<ref>{{cite ISB|year=2014|number=1|section=19|name=[[Local Government Reform Act 2014]]|stitle=Municipal districts|date=27 January 2014|access-date=5 September 2020|archive-date=15 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215171029/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2014/act/1/section/19/enacted/en/html}}</ref> The chair of the borough district uses the title of mayor, rather than Cathaoirleach.<ref>{{cite ISB|year=2014|number=1|section=37|name=[[Local Government Reform Act 2014]]|stitle= Alternative titles to Cathaoirleach and Leas-Chathaoirleach, etc.|date=27 January 2014|access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref>

As of the [[2019 Sligo County Council election]], the borough district of Sligo contains the [[local electoral area]] of Sligo–[[Strandhill]], electing 10 seats to the council.<ref>{{cite ISB|year=2018|type=si|number=632|name=County of Sligo Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018|date=19 December 2018|access-date=31 October 2022|archive-date=2 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202212421/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/si/632/made/en/print}}</ref>

===Law enforcement===
[[File:SligoCourtHouse.JPG|thumb|upright|Sligo courthouse]]
From its foundation in the 13th century, Sligo was administered under local [[Early Irish law|Fénechus]] (Brehon law) until the establishment of [[Common law|English Common law]] in the early 17th century after the battle of Kinsale. Courts were held regularly throughout the [[tuath]] at various buildings and on hilltops reserved for the purpose. Law enforcement was a function of the nobility and freemen of the area as no police force existed. No records survive from these early courts, but a case is recorded of a Dublin merchant being reimbursed by the local courts after he was fraudulently sold an out of date poem in the 1540s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eqdnAAAAMAAJ|title=Power, Politics, and Land: Early Modern Sligo, 1568–1688|first=Mary|last=O'Dowd|date=2 May 1991|publisher=Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University of Belfast|access-date=2 May 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9780853894049}}</ref> Sligo then came under English martial law and eventually the common law as administered from Dublin and from which descends the present system.

The modern [[Sligo Courthouse]] was built in 1878. It hosts regular [[District Court (Ireland)|District]] and [[Circuit Court (Ireland)|Circuit Court]] sittings throughout the year, and occasionally the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]].

After 1922 the establishment of Garda Síochána.

Sligo-Leitrim divisional headquarters of the [[Garda Síochána]] is on Pearse Road in the town on the site of the old [[Royal Irish Constabulary|RIC]] barracks.

===Health services===
Sligo provides hospital services to much of the North Western region. The two main hospitals are [[Sligo University Hospital]] (formerly General and Regional) and St. John's Community Hospital. There is also a private hospital at Garden Hill.

==Education==
{{See also|Education in the Republic of Ireland}}

As of 2016, 14.2 per cent of adults were educated to at most primary level only; a further 45.1 per cent attained second level while 40.7 per cent were educated to third level.<ref name="westerndevelopment.ie"/>

There are five secondary schools in Sligo. These are two all-girls schools ([[Mercy College, Sligo|Mercy College]] and [[Ursuline College Sligo|Ursuline College]]) and three mixed ([[Summerhill College]], [[Sligo Grammar School]] and Ballinode Community College).<ref>{{cite web |title=Sligo Find secondary schools |url=https://www.schooldays.ie/secondary-schools-in-ireland/Sligo |website=School Days |access-date=23 March 2023 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817014259/http://schooldays.ie/secondary-schools-in-ireland/sligo |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sligo has a campus of [[Atlantic Technological University]] (ATU) located in Ash Lane.  The university was formed in 2022 through the merger of: the [[Institute of Technology, Sligo]] (ITS); [[Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology]] (GMIT) and [[Letterkenny Institute of Technology]] (LYIT).<ref name=IT_20211123>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/atlantic-technological-university-name-of-state-s-newest-university-revealed-1.4736340 |title=Atlantic Technological University: Name of State's newest university revealed |date=23 November 2021 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |issn=0791-5144 |location=Dublin |language=en-ie |access-date=27 March 2022|archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123165817/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/atlantic-technological-university-name-of-state-s-newest-university-revealed-1.4736340 |url-status=live }}</ref> It offers courses in the disciplines of business, engineering, humanities and science.

[[St. Angela's College, Sligo|St. Angela's College]] (outside the town proper) is a campus of the Atlantic Technological University, and offers courses in nursing and health studies, home economics and education.

==Transportation==
{{See also|Transport in Ireland}}
[[File:Border diagram 2007.JPG|thumb|Sligo Hub & Gateway access]]

===Road===
The main roads to Sligo are the [[N4 road (Ireland)|N4]] to [[Dublin]], the [[N17 road (Ireland)|N17]] to [[Galway]], the [[N15 road (Ireland)|N15]] to [[Lifford]], County Donegal; and the [[N16 road (Ireland)|N16]] to [[Blacklion]], County Cavan. The section of the N4 road between Sligo and Collooney is a dual carriageway. The first phase of this road was completed in January 1998, bypassing the towns of [[Collooney]] and [[Ballysadare]]. An extension to this road was completed in September 2005, and is known as the Sligo Inner Relief Road.

O'Connell Street – the main street in the town – was pedestrianised on 15 August 2006. Plans for the proposed redevelopment and paving of this street were publicly unveiled on 23 July 2008 in ''The Sligo Champion''. The newspaper later revealed that people were not in favour of the pedestrianisation of the street.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The street was reopened to traffic in December 2009.

Sligo has a certain amount of cycleways in proximity to the town and various road traffic calming measures have been installed helping to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.  The ''Urban Cycle Sligo'' initiative, for example, created six cycle routes.<ref name="ubike1">{{cite web|url=http://sligoactivetravel.ie/portfolio/all-routes/|title=All Routes|publisher=Urban Cycle Sligo|access-date=4 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831172933/http://sligoactivetravel.ie/portfolio/all-routes/|archive-date=31 August 2017}}</ref>

===Rail===
Sligo acquired a rail link to Dublin on 3 December 1862, with the opening of [[Sligo Mac Diarmada Station|Sligo railway station]].<ref>{{cite book| first=R.V.J.| last=Butt| title=The Directory of Railway Stations| publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd| year=1995| isbn=1-85260-508-1|pages =213}}</ref> Connections to [[Enniskillen]] and the north followed in 1881 and [[Limerick]] and the south in 1895. The line to Enniskillen closed in 1957 and passenger services to Galway-Ennis-Limerick closed in 1963. For many years [[Córas Iompair Éireann]] (CIÉ) kept the latter line open for freight traffic, before its full closure. The proposed [[Western Rail Corridor]] redevelopment project seeks to reopen it. In 1966 Sligo railway station was renamed [[Sligo Mac Diarmada Station]] after Irish rebel [[Seán Mac Diarmada]] from [[County Leitrim]].<ref name=MacD>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=31127
 |title       = Restore name to Sligo rail station
 |access-date  = 3 July 2007
 |last        = Gilligan
 |first       = James
 |date        = 19 December 2006
 |work        = [[Sligo Weekender]]
 |publisher   = Sligo Weekender Ltd
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235113/http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=31127
 |archive-date = 27 September 2007
 |df          = dmy-all
}}
</ref> [[Irish Rail]], the Republic of Ireland's state railway operator, runs [[inter-city rail]] services on the [[Dublin-Sligo railway line]]. There are currently{{when|date=February 2020}} up to eight trains daily each way between Sligo and [[Dublin Connolly]], with a frequency of every two hours.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.irishrail.ie/timetables | title = Timetables and Service Updates – Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail | access-date = 18 November 2012 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121202050918/http://www.irishrail.ie/timetables | archive-date = 2 December 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

[[File:Ireland Western Rail Corridor.png|frame|Map of the west of Ireland. Proposed [[Western Rail Corridor]] indicated between Collooney and Athenry. Ex-GSWR line south of Limerick in green, other ex-MGWR lines are in red.]]

===Air===
Sligo and County Sligo are served by [[Sligo Airport]], {{convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Sligo town and near [[Strandhill]], though no scheduled flights operate out of the airport. The nearest airport with scheduled flights is [[Ireland West Airport]] near to [[Charlestown, County Mayo]], {{convert|55|km|mi|abbr=on}} away.

The [[Irish Coast Guard]] Helicopter Search & Rescue has been based at Sligo Airport since 2004, callsign Rescue 118. [[CHC Helicopter|CHC Ireland]] provide 24 hour [[search and rescue]] using a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter.

The helicopter is operated by a crew of four, maintained and supported year round. The most northerly base in Ireland, it deals with the stern challenges posed by the Atlantic Ocean and the clifftop environment along the north-west coast.<ref>[http://www.sligoairport.com/SligoAirport-Serach+Rescue.html Irish Coast Guard – Search & Rescue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206183636/http://sligoairport.com/SligoAirport-Serach+Rescue.html |date=6 December 2013 }}</ref>

===Bus===
[[Bus Éireann]] operates four bus routes in the town: one serves the town centre and another the west of the town. The other two routes run from the town to Strandhill and [[Rosses Point]] respectively.<ref name=Bus>{{cite web| url = https://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=248##sligo| title = Sligo City Services – Bus Éireann| access-date = 28 January 2012| work = Bus Éireann timetable| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111219165625/http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=248| archive-date = 19 December 2011| df = dmy-all}}</ref> Bus Éireann also provides inter-city services to: [[Enniskillen]], via [[Manorhamilton]]; to [[Derry]]; to Galway, via [[Ireland West Airport]]; and to Dublin, via [[Dublin Airport]] and towns along the [[N4 road (Ireland)|N4 road]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=246| title = Intercity Services – Bus Éireann| access-date = 18 November 2012| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130115062436/http://buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=246| archive-date = 15 January 2013| df = dmy-all}}</ref>

Bus Feda operates a route from [[Gweedore]], County Donegal, via Sligo to [[Galway]].<ref name="FEDA1">{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/bus-feda-owner-rejects-bus-%C3%A9ireann-s-accusations-1.2949493|title=Bus Feda owner rejects Bus Éireann's accusations|access-date=4 May 2017|date=25 January 2017|newspaper=The Irish Times|first=Marese|last=McDonagh|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210063613/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/bus-feda-owner-rejects-bus-%C3%A9ireann-s-accusations-1.2949493|archive-date=10 February 2017}}</ref>

===Sligo Port===

{{wide image|Sligo Harbour 2020.jpg|1000px|Picture of Sligo Harbour looking west to Sligo Bay, with [[Knocknarea]] mountain visible to the left|100%|center}}

Sligo is one of just two operating ports on Ireland's northwest coast between [[Galway]] and [[Derry]], the other being [[Killybegs]]. The harbour can accommodate ships with a maximum draft of {{Convert|5.2|m|ft}} and a maximum length of {{Convert|100|m|ft}}; the Port of Sligo extends from the Timber Jetty for a distance of {{Convert|1.3|km|mi}}.

The Harbour Commissioners of Sligo administered the port from 1877 until Sligo County Council took over responsibility for the Harbour from Sligo Harbour Commissioners in June 2006.

Records show the development of Sligo's port, exporting agricultural goods to Britain and Europe, in the 13th century with the arrival of the Normans. In 1420 port dues were levied for the first time. Later, as a port under Gaelic lords the harbour continued to flourish. Control of the taxes or "[[cocket]]" of Sligo port became a sought after prize of local dynasties. Native merchant families, like the O'Creans wine importers being the most well known. Sligo traded with France, Spain and Portugal throughout the Middle Ages.

After incorporation into the [[British Empire]] from 1607 onward Sligo was an important port.<ref>Sligo County Council, 2008</ref>{{nonspecific|date=March 2020}} During the 17th and 18th centuries, the port was used for the transit of significant quantities of cattle, hides, butter, barley, oats, and oatmeal being exported and with the city's linen exports well established. Imports included wood, iron, maize and coal. The town prospered due to the trade with wealthy merchants setting up homes along the then fashionable Castle Street and Radcliffe Street (later renamed Grattan Street).

During the time of the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]] 1847–1850, it is estimated that more than 30,000 people emigrated through Sligo Port, mainly to Canada and the United States.

The most notable ship companies to operate out of Sligo included [[Sligo Steam Navigation Company]] who introduced the first steamer in 1857, Messrs Middleton & Pollexfen, Harper Cambell Ltd and the former Sligo Harbour Commissioners who owned a number of dredgers used for maintenance of the Channel (McTernan, 1992).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.environ.ie/en/Foreshore/ApplicationsandDeterminations/SligoCountyCouncil/ApplicationsDetails/FileDownLoad,32814,en.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=1 October 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006165015/http://www.environ.ie/en/Foreshore/ApplicationsandDeterminations/SligoCountyCouncil/ApplicationsDetails/FileDownLoad,32814,en.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2014  }}</ref>

Linen was a major export also through Sligo port, with Pernmill road memorialising the linen textile mills.
{{Blockquote
|text= When I was a child at Sligo I could see above my grandfather's trees a little column of smoke from "the pern mill," and was told that "pern" was another name for the spool, as I was accustomed to call it, on which thread was wound.
|author=W B Yeats
}}

The Sligo docks played an important role in the history of the labour movement in Ireland. The [[1913 Sligo Dock strike]] lasted for 56 days and was a precursor to the [[Dublin Lockout]] that occurred 6 months later. Unlike the Dublin Lockout, the Sligo Dock strike resulted in victory to the workers.

The port of Sligo declined during the 20th century with the decline of sail and steamships and the increasing size of cargo vessels.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://catalogue.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=sligo+quays&type=AllFields&filter%255B%255D=format%253A%22Photo%22&filter%255B%255D=digitised%253A%22Digitised%22
| title = Search Results – sligo quays
| website = catalogue.nli.ie
| access-date = 29 February 2016
| archive-date = 6 November 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181106223119/http://catalogue.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=sligo+quays&type=AllFields&filter%255B%255D=format%253A%22Photo%22&filter%255B%255D=digitised%253A%22Digitised%22
| url-status = live
}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The URL gives a set of NLI search results – unclear how this supports the prior text|date=February 2016}} In modern times, the port handles cargoes of coal, timber, fish meal and scrap metal and around 25 ships per year dock in the harbour.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} In 2012 a feasibility study was undertaken into the dredging of the shipping channel.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

==Media==
There are three local newspapers in Sligo: The ''[[Sligo Weekender]]'' – out every Thursday (formerly Tuesday); the free ''Northwest Express''  – out the first Thursday of each month; and ''[[The Sligo Champion]]'' – out every Tuesday (formerly Wednesday). ''Sligo Now'' is a monthly entertainment guide for the town, while ''Sligo Sport'' is a monthly sports-specific newspaper.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

The town has two local/regional radio stations: [[Ocean FM (Ireland)|Ocean FM]], which broadcasts throughout County Sligo and parts of some bordering counties; and West youth radio station [[i102-104FM]], which merged with its sister station [[i105-107FM]] in 2011 to create [[iRadio]].{{fact|date=June 2024}}

==Notable people==
See [[List of people from Sligo]]

==Twinning==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland}}
Sligo is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with the following places:
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Everett, Washington]], United States
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Crozon]], [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]], France
* {{flagicon|Chile}} [[Illapel]], Choapa Province, Chile
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Kempten]], Bavaria, Germany
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tallahassee, Florida]], United States<ref name=Tallahassee>{{cite web| url = http://www.irishtallahassee.org/sligo-ireland-sister-city| title = Tallahassee Irish Society| access-date = 18 November 2012| url-status = usurped| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120423043457/http://www.irishtallahassee.org/sligo-ireland-sister-city| archive-date = 23 April 2012| df = dmy-all}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:sligo abbey.jpg|Choir of [[Sligo Abbey]]
File:County Sligo - Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo - 20170625140419.jpg|Interior of the [[Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo|Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]]
File:Sligo-tower.jpg|Clock tower of the cathedral
File:Sligo Post Office 1996 08 27.jpg|Sligo Post Office in 1996
File:Sligo Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 241318.jpg|[[St John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo|St John the Baptist Cathedral]], [[Church of Ireland]]
File:Queen Maeve Square.jpg|Queen Maeve Square
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sligo}}
{{EB1911 poster|Sligo (town)|Sligo}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.sligoborough.ie/ Official site – Sligo Borough Council]
* [http://www.sligoheritage.com/ Sligo Heritage]
* [https://www.sligo-ireland.com/ Sligo and the surrounding area]
* [http://www.sligotown.net/ Sligo Town on the Net]
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Sligo (capital)|display=Sligo. The capital of County Sligo, Ireland|year=1905 |short=x}}

{{Sligo}}
{{County Sligo}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sligo (town)| ]]
[[Category:Boroughs in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:County towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Sligo]]