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115-396: Sligo ( / ˈ s l aɪ ɡ oʊ / SLY -goh ; Irish : Sligeach [ˈʃl̠ʲɪɟəx] , meaning '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 24th largest in

230-540: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There

345-473: A Colonel Vereker 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 . The town suffered badly from a cholera outbreak in 1832. Scholars speculate that Bram Stoker , whose mother Charlotte Blake Thornley

460-697: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of

575-560: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It

690-522: A centre for the tool-making industry. The pharmaceutical industry is significant with several companies producing goods for this sector, including Abbott (Ireland) Ltd , which is among the largest employers in Sligo. 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

805-472: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,

920-541: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of

1035-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in

1150-681: A further 1,937 (9.4%) did not state any religion. Sligo is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin . The main church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which is located on Temple Street. Other Catholic churches in the town are St. Anne's Church, Cranmore and St. Joseph's Church, Ballytivnan. The town is also part of the Church of Ireland United Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh . The primary church in

1265-413: A house belonging to the parson of Drumcliff at the west end of the church. Samuel Lewis in 1837 mentions that some remains of monastic buildings were then still visible. A round tower survives at the western end of the site. An early Christian cross slab was found in the graveyard. There are four high crosses known so far from Drumcliff. The sandstone shaft of a cross stands near the entrance, it has

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1380-585: A journey of the Fenian warriors through the district that they travelled "to Cailli in Chosnuma, called Cill Muadnatan." Saint Osnats church exists in the valley of Glencar, formerly Geann Dallain, nearby. Around 1223 the church lands at Ballynagalliagh became attached to the Arroasian Augustinian convent at Kilcreevanty near Tuam . This order was known for providing service to travellers. The old monastery

1495-497: 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. Sligo's climate is classified, like all of Ireland, as temperate oceanic . It is characterised by high levels of precipitation and a narrow annual temperature range. The mean yearly temperature is 9.4 degrees Celsius (49 degrees Fahrenheit). The mean January temperature

1610-537: A mortise for a cross piece that is now missing. Sections of another cross are built into the interior wall of the church, these were discovered during repairs in 1999. Decorative patterns are visible on this cross. Three sections of a cross are also held by the national museum. The west face has the mocking of Christ and the Resurrection , the east, Daniel in the Lions den and the sacrifice of Isaac . The main high cross

1725-574: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in

1840-554: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on

1955-611: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by

2070-472: A stable and successful population during the final centuries of the fifth millennium and the first centuries of the fourth millennium BC". 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 Greek , Phoenician and Roman traders as the area is thought by some to be

2185-537: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss

2300-408: Is 5.2 °C (41 °F), while the mean July temperature is 15.3 °C (60 °F). On average, the driest months are April to June while the wettest months are October to January. Rainfall averages 1131 mm (44.5 in) per year. The high rainfall means Sligo is in the temperate rainforest biome, examples of which exist around Lough Gill . The lowest temperature ever recorded in Ireland

2415-448: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of

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2530-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years

2645-514: Is housed in The Niland Gallery, part of the Model centre on The Mall in Sligo. The Yeats Summer School takes place every year in the town. 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. Traditional Irish music sessions are held in several venues in

2760-660: Is known as Griffith's Corner. During the Civil War, Sligo railway station was blown up by Anti-Treaty forces on 10 January 1923. In 1961, 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. Situated on a coastal plain facing the Atlantic Ocean, Sligo

2875-566: 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

2990-567: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described

3105-468: Is reported have struck the tower in 1396. Archaeological excavations were carried out in 1982, 1983 and 1984. The excavations revealed evidence for metal manufacturing on site. Bronze and iron waste were found along with pins, bronze needles and buckles, glass and paste beads and iron knives. So called "Crannog ware" pottery showing activity from the 13th century onwards. Bone and antler were used also, particularly for combs. Extensive evidence for agriculture

3220-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it

3335-631: 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 . The cathedral contains four memorials to the Pollexfen family, maternal relatives of W. B. Yeats . In the nineteenth century, Sligo experienced rapid economic growth and therefore architectural change

3450-641: 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 ' the Border '. The Border Region in the Republic of Ireland has a population of over 500,000 people and consists of

3565-648: Is the only example of its kind surviving in county Sligo. It is carved in the Urnes style . It has been dated tentatively on artistic grounds to the 9th or 10th century. It measures 3 metres (10 feet) high x 1.1m arms span, the shaft is 47 cm wide by 31 cm. The west face shows scenes from the New Testament , the east face shows scenes from the Old Testament . There is considerable debate about interpretation of these scenes, many of which remain uncertain. The cross has

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3680-522: Is uncertain. Suggestions include the Second Coming of Christ , The Last Judgement , Maiestas Domini . Top and ring, interlace, animal heads (presumed) spirals. The cross arm of the south side depicts Mary with the Child Jesus, held in front of her. The diameter is just under 5 meters. The tower rises about 9 meters from ground level. The ESE-facing doorway is 1.75 meters above ground level. Lightning

3795-659: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act

3910-603: The British Army during the 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

4025-619: The Cenél nEogain overking Áed Oirdnide , was detrimental to Columban fortunes, as this king was openly hostile towards the Columban community Armagh, the head of the Patrician paruchia, saw itself as the ‘Rome of the Irish’,and sought to extend its power using its associations with Patrick, and therefore Rome, and also to take asdvantage of the fact that the Columban federation had been mired in controversy during

4140-653: The Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as a result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022

4255-475: 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 . The 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 Friary (Blackfriars) was also founded by Maurice Fitzgerald and

4370-619: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")

4485-607: The Williamite War (1689–91) the town was fought over between the Jacobite Irish Army loyal to 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, Essex Fencibles and local yeomanry under

4600-611: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English

4715-769: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as

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4830-400: The 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of

4945-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which

5060-567: 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. The only surviving medieval building is 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

5175-563: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme

5290-578: The County of Sligo…" The walls were never built. Sligo Abbey , actually a 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 Sir Frederick Hamilton's Parliamentarian soldiers partially sacked Sligo in 1642, the Friary was burned and many friars killed. During

5405-611: The EU (978, 4.7%) were also noted. 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. In the 2022 census , 13,226 residents (64.2%) identified their religion as Roman Catholic or Lapsed (Roman) Catholic . A further 791 (3.8%) identified as Islamic , 469 (2.3%) as Church of Ireland , Church of England , Anglican or Episcopalian and 242 as Orthodox (Greek, Coptic or Russian) . 3,100 persons (15.0%) indicated that they had no religion, and

5520-463: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish

5635-536: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but

5750-470: The Irish monasteries began to conform to this pattern, with the founder of a monastery becoming, in a similar way to the founder of a dynasty, the head of, in Latin, a familia or paruchia, a group of confederated monasteries. Drumcliff was an early member of the "paruchia Columbae", the confederation of monasteries that was headquartered at Iona . The Cenél Conaill dynasty, to which Colmcille himself belonged,

5865-482: The Irish parliament to dissolve the Irish houses . This could not be acted on until the Tudor conquest had been extended to Connacht during the last decade of the 16th century. Lands belonging to the monastery were transferred to the new church of Ireland Diocese of Elphin . An inquisition of the 17th century states that there stood at Drumcliff "a certain vaulted stone house known as Teach O Connell" and also "a church and

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5980-587: 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 Credran Cille in 1257 at Ros Ceite ( Rosses Point ) between Godfrey O'Donnell , Lord of Tirconnell , and Maurice Fitzgerald. Both commanders were mortally wounded in single combat. The Norman invasion of Tír Chonaill

6095-750: The Northern and Western Regional Assembly. Sligo Town is part of the NUTS ;3 Border Region , which recognises that part of north County Sligo is relatively close to the 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

6210-421: 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 Olliol and Corann . Throughout this time Sligo was under the system of Fénechus (Brehon) law and

6325-402: The O'Conor Sligo. He was killed for a satire he wrote on the O'Haras. The annals record the death in 1561 of Naisse mac Cithruadh , the "most eminent musician that was in Éireann", by drowning on Lough Gill . In the 17th century, two brothers from County Sligo, Thomas and William Connellan from Cloonamahon, were among the last of the great Irish bards and harpists. Thomas is the author of

6440-424: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,

6555-434: The Republic of Ireland . 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. 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

6670-411: The St. Johns Hospital Chapel, Benbullen Rehabilitation Unit, Ballytivan. Sligo is in the Northern and Western Region , a NUTS 2 region classified as an underdeveloped "region in transition" by the EU Commission . 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

6785-455: The West— Drumcliffe at Culcinne's strand. Drumcliff was founded as a monastery in 574 AD, at the base of Benbulben by Saint Colmcille in the territory of Cairbre Drom Cliabh, an area ruled by the Cinel Cairbre descendants of Cairbre Mac Neill son of Niall of the Nine Hostages the founder of the Ui Neill dynasty. The site was probably donated by the northern Ui Neill High king and relative of Colmcille, Aed Ainmire . The monastery

6900-577: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He

7015-419: The counties of Cavan , Donegal , Leitrim , Louth and Monaghan . The town consists of a medieval core street layout, but with mainly 19th-century buildings, many of which are of architectural merit. 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

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7130-443: The debates over Easter. Increasing Viking attacks also took their toll, leading in 804 to the relocation of the head of the Columban monasteries from Iona to Kells. The Columban federation enjoyed close relations with the Ceile De and Drumcliff may have had a community of this group. A Saint Thorian or Mothorian was appointed the first abbot or comharba (successor) of St Columba. A later abbot, Saint Torannon who died in 921 AD,

7245-412: 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. The Indian Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church meets at

7360-409: The door bears the inscription "Ireland sober, is Ireland free". The Model School, now the 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. The former Batchelors factory on Deep Water Quay is an industrial building which was built in 1905 as

7475-414: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as

7590-506: The extensive shell middens in the vicinity. The river now known as the Garavogue ( Irish : An Gharbhóg ), perhaps meaning "little torrent", was originally called the Sligeach. It is listed as one of the seven "royal rivers" of Ireland in the ninth century AD tale The Destruction of Da Dergas Hostel . The river Slicech is also referenced in the Annals of Ulster in 1188. The Ordnance Survey letters of 1836 state that "cart loads of shells were found underground in many places within

7705-430: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of

7820-417: The great cairn of 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 is located on high ground overlooking

7935-498: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has

8050-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of

8165-425: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,

8280-585: 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

8395-440: The location marked as the city of Nagnata on Claudius Ptolemy 's second century A.D. co-ordinate map of the world. During the early medieval period, the site of Sligo was eclipsed by the importance of the great 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. The Norman knight Maurice Fitzgerald ,

8510-488: 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

8625-563: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed

8740-771: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to

8855-463: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them

8970-500: 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 (formerly the Gaelic túath of Cairbre Drom Cliabh ). Sligo

9085-639: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as

9200-501: The only known representation of the Virgin Mary and child on any cross in Ireland, on the south face of the cross arm. The cross gives prominence to the infancy cycle of John the Baptist , a story known from the apocraphyl Protoevangelion of James , attributed to James the brother of Jesus. John the Baptist was a particular focus of the Columban monastic tradition. The west face consists of The east face consists of This panel

9315-498: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish

9430-539: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After

9545-450: The poorhouse... I remain your affectionate father, Owen Larkin. Be sure answer this by return of post. 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 Sligo dock strike . Both ended in victory for the workers. Sligo Town was heavily garrisoned by

9660-487: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )

9775-432: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need

9890-625: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in

10005-421: The river, one on Rockwood Parade (1996) and one on The Riverside (1999). Sligo has a variety of independent shops and shopping malls. There is a retail park in Carraroe, on the outskirts of Sligo. The culture of County Sligo, especially of North Sligo, was an inspiration on 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

10120-480: 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 ) companies. Sligo borough labour catchment as of 2016 is 21,824. 92% of enterprises in Sligo are micro-enterprises of 10 or fewer employees. Sligo has traditionally been

10235-551: The streets grass-grown and five-eighths of the population dead. We had great reason to thank God who had spared us. The Great Famine between 1847 and 1851 caused over 30,000 people to emigrate through the port of Sligo. On the Quays, overlooking the 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

10350-578: The three "daughters of Nadfraech" and sister of Saint Molaise of Devenish . The other two sisters are Saint Osnat and Saint Tallulah (Tuilelaith) of Kildare . "Muadhnat, Virgin. Caille is the name of her abode in Carbery of Druim-Cliabh. Tallula, Abbess of Cill-dara. Osnat, Virgin. These three were the three sisters of Molaise of Daimhinis." The 12th century text the Colloquy of the Sages mentions while describing

10465-469: The town from the south. This is the oldest causewayed enclosure so far discovered in Britain or Ireland. 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

10580-455: 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. 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

10695-499: The town. 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 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

10810-526: The tune Molly MacAlpin , now known as Carolan's Dream , and William may have written Love is a Tormenting Pain and Killiecrankie . Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of

10925-705: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at

11040-458: The victims of the Great Famine . A plaque in the background tells one family's sad story: 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

11155-450: The west. The early church in Ireland may have been organised in imitation of the Diocesan model, which was an urban model with metropolitan Bishops having power. This quickly gave way to a monastic system organised in a more decentralised manner more suited to the Irish system of political organisation. Clans and their territories, known as tuatha , were organised into confederations , and

11270-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By

11385-460: Was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within the education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on the number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to

11500-583: Was abandoned after this. In 1289 a survey indicates there were 180 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 ( O'Conchobar Sligigh ) confederation of Iochtar Connacht (Lower Connacht) by 1315 AD. Also called Clan Aindrias,

11615-472: Was already in decline through the later Middle Ages as it was gradually eclipsed by the new continental abbeys like the Dominican Friary at Sligo. From the 13th century Sligo abbey became the preferred burial place for the local Gaelic dynasty of O Conchobar Sligigh . The last monks are mentioned as present in 1503, although when it was finally abandoned is unknown. In 1537 Henry introduced legislation in

11730-523: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from

11845-591: Was constructed around a megalithic passage tomb at Abbeyquarter North in Garavogue Villas. This is an outlier of the large group of monuments at Carrowmore on the Cúil Iorra 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

11960-643: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build

12075-531: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Drumcliff monastery, County Sligo Beloved to my heart also in

12190-567: Was located on the south bank of the river Codhnach, now the Drumcliff river that runs from Glencar lake to the sea at Drumcliff bay. The monastery was on land near the site of the Battle Of The Book that took place about the year 560, 15 years before the monasteries foundation. Colmcille had taken part in this battle. The termonn lands attached to the monastery were at the modern townland of Ardtermon (meaning "High Sanctuary") several miles to

12305-465: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in

12420-456: Was probably (there are no records and the family lived in both Sligo and Ballyshannon ) born in Sligo in 1818 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: 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

12535-488: Was rapid. This was marked by the erection of many public buildings. These include Sligo Town Hall , designed by William Hague in a Lombardo-Romanesque style. Sligo Courthouse on Teeling street is an asymmetrical Neo-Gothic building designed by Rawson Carroll and built in 1878. The Gilooly Memorial Hall is an austere building on Temple Street built as a memorial to the Temperance campaigner Bishop Gillooly. His statue above

12650-400: Was regarded as the patron of the area. He believed the top of Ben Bulben was the closest to heaven in Ireland. The Erenagh of Drumcliff were O' Beollain (Boland) and O'Coineil. To the east of the monastery in the townland of Ballynagalliagh (Baile na Caillech), or in the townland of Keelty, the location remains uncertain, was a church dedicated to Saint Muadhnat. She is said to be one of

12765-411: 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. These raids seem to have had little effect on the development of the town, as by

12880-678: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in

12995-562: Was the chief patron and ally of the confederation from its founding until the eighth century. The Columban paruchia in Ireland flourished during the eighth century AD under the aegis of the Southern Uí Néill branch of the Clann Cholmáin . This power was both ecclesiastical and political through alliances with secular rulers. Thereafter in the ninth century it was eclipsed in power by the Patrician paruchia based at Armagh. The reign of

13110-491: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,

13225-499: Was −19.1 °C (−2.4 °F) at Markree Castle, County Sligo, on 16 January 1881. Sligo had a population of 19,199 in 2016 and 20,608 in 2022, a growth of 7.3% according to the census. 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

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