SLIGO, a seaport and county town of Co. Sligo, Ireland. Pop. (1926) It lies on Sligo Bay and the river Garvogue, m. N.W. from Dublin by the Great Southern railway.
The Dominican Abbey, founded in 1252, was partly destroyed by fire in 1414 and again in 1642. Three sides of the cloisters remain, and the lofty quadrangular tower at the junction of the nave and chancel is entire. The east window is of the date of the original structure. The Roman Catholic cathedral (1869) for the diocese of Elphin is in the Norman style. There is also a Roman Catholic college.
A castle, built by Maurice Fitzgerald in 1242, was in 127o taken and destroyed by O'Donnel; in 1310 it was rebuilt but was again partly destroyed in 1369 and 1394. Of this and the walls with which the town was fortified there are no remains. Early in the reign of James I. the town received a market and two annual fairs; in 1613 it was incorporated and received the privileges of a borough; and in 1621 it received a charter of the staple. In 1641 it was besieged by the Parliamentary forces, but was afterwards evacuated, and occupied by the Royalists till the termination of the war. In 1688 it declared in favour of James II., and, after being captured by the Enniskilleners, was retaken by General Sarsfield, but ultimately surrendered to the earl of Granard. The borough was disfranchised in 1870.
Three miles S.W. of the town, on Carrowmore, is a remarkable collection of megalithic remains, including dolmens, stone circles, and burial cairns, which has been taken to mark the site of the traditional battle of North Moytura. On Knocknarea, (1,078 ft.), south of Sligo, is a cairn, which tradition sets down as the burial place of Queen Mab (Meave of Connaught).
Sligo takes rank with Galway and Limerick as one of the three principal ports of the west coast of Ireland. A considerable export trade is carried on in grain, flour, pork and cattle; while coals, iron, timber and provisions are imported. There is a depth on the harbour bar of 15 ft. at low water, and there are commodious quays and basins. Vessels of 24 ft. draught have entered the harbour at high water. Harbour commissioners control the port. Brewing, flour-milling and saw-milling are the chief industries, and there is an important butter-market. Monthly fairs are held. Sligo is a centre of salmon and sea-fishing industries.