County Sligo

Sligo (Sligeach in Irish) is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. Area: 1836 km² (709 square miles). Population (census 2002): 53,178.

The name Sligeach means "an area abounding in shells".

The poet and Nobel laureate W. B. Yeats (1865-1939) spent much of his childhood in northern Sligo and the county's landscapes (particularly the Isle of Inisfree, in Lough Gill) were the inspiration for much of his poetry. Yeats said, "the place that has really influenced my life most is Sligo."

Sligo Town (population: 19,735) is home to the Institute of Technology, Sligo an Institute of Technology.