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Town in Connacht, Ireland
Photo: en:The.Q, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Sligo (Sligeach in Irish, meaning shelly place) is the principal town in County Sligo in Northwest Ireland & Lakelands. In 2022 it had a population of 21,000, with the service sector the main employer.
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The abbey was founded in 1253, destroyed by fire in 1414, rebuilt but sacked in 1642. In the 19th century the last friars left to nearby Holy Cross, but the building was restored, and the choir, carved altar and cloisters are impressive. Yeats set two short stories here.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Romanesque Catholic cathedral completed in 1874.
Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin and St John the Baptist
This was the Church of Ireland (Anglican) parish church from the 1730s. The diocese was based in Elphin in Roscommon until 1961, but that building was far from its congregation and was damaged by storms in 1957, so the Sligo church became the cathedral.
This houses a display on WB Yeats. They also organise cultural events such as the annual summer school.
Niland Collection
Contemporary art gallery named for the "model school" in this building 1862-1970s. The permanent exhibition is the Niland Collection, which majors on the paintings of Jack B Yeats, brother of the poet WB Yeats. Plus other temporary exhibitions of visual art, plus music.
Remarkable ritual landscape with some 30 tombs dating to 3700-3000 BC; they're passage tombs but with atypical features.
This is just across the boundary into County Leitrim, but easiest to reach from Sligo — boat trips of the lough call here. It's a 17th-century fortified manor house built over the 15th-century O'Rourke's Castle. It fell derelict but was restored by OPW in the 20th century.
Substantial ruin of a Franciscan Friary established in 1508. In spite of formal dissolution of the Order and ousting by Cromwell's forces, the friars retained a presence until 1837.
Rovers play soccer in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland, the Republic's top tier. The season is March to November and games are usually Friday evenings. The stadium, capacity 5500, is 200 m west of the bus station.
Look up your Sligo ancestors — former US Vice President Mike Pence, the founder of Chile and a noble Goon all have roots here — but do your homework first with online resources. All Ireland's births, marriages and deaths are online from 1864, see Ireland#Do for other resources you might search. The Centre offers assistance but you pay for their time, and you need to book a slot.
Stages National Hunt and flat racing, with 8 meetings May-Oct. It's a right-hand course with a one-mile circuit.
Deli and gourmet cafe. They also sell kitchenware and toiletries.
A few Thai and Indonesian dishes but mostly classic Indian. Gets very mixed reviews for food and service.
Cheerful pizzeria and Italian restaurant. Carlo Bianconi (1786-1875) lived in Clonmel Tipperary, and set up regular stagecoach routes across Ireland.
Donaghy's Bar
Donaghy's Bar is at street level, with bar meals. Coach Lane restaurant is upstairs, offers European classics majoring on steak. Vegetarians have little choice but omnivores post great reviews for food and service.
Grand pub founded 1876 in the days when a bounty was paid for shooting crows, on production of the bodies. Times were hard so the understanding publican accepted shot crows as payment, which he could exchange himself for cash or whatever. There's trad music three nights a week and an eclectic collection of other music. No you're not drunk, the place really is built at those peculiar angles.
Good beer, food and atmosphere.
A traditional Irish bar with music and an old-style setting, a family business since 1889. Roaring open fire in winter and beer garden in summer.
An "intimate late night bar" named for the 19th-century courtesan from County Sligo.
Basic hostel open all year. There is no cooker, only microwave ovens.
Great location, gets mixed reviews for room quality. Has leisure centre and free parking.
Smart welcoming B&B.
Funky design, resembling the prow of a ship, on the river bank.
formerly Sligo City Hotel
Good mid-range place, very central but sometimes noisy.
This great barn of a place was a psychiatric hospital to 1992. It's now a mid-range place with 76 bedrooms and 91 suites, earning good customer reviews.
Decent mid-range place with Wellness Centre, 4 km northwest of city.
Good mid-range place with leisure club and pool.
They stock a wide range of hand-made gold and silver jewellery from their own workshop, plus other local crafts and giftware.
By train
Trains from Dublin Connolly take 3 hr 20 min to Sligo via Drumcondra, Maynooth, Mullingar, Longford, Dromod, Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle and Ballymote.
By bus
Expressway Bus 23 runs six times a day from Dublin Busáras, taking four hours to Sligo via Dublin Airport, Lucan, Maynooth, Mullingar, Longford, Dromod and Carrick-on-Shannon.
By road
From Dublin take M4/N4 northwest via Mullingar, Longford and Carrick-on-Shannon, 210 km, 2 hr 30 min.
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