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Benbulbin, County Sligo
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons user Kanchelskis · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Province of Connacht

County Sligo

Sligeach

Known as Yeats County. For W. B. Yeats, who spent his childhood summers here and put the county into the poems: Innisfree on Lough Gill, the faeries at Glencar, and Ben Bulben, under which he asked to be buried and is.

Did you know? The great cairn on Knocknarea is said to hold Queen Medb, buried standing upright in full armour, facing her enemies in Ulster. It has never been excavated.
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Clans & surnames of Sligo
Brennan Ó Braonáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Braonán, 'little drop / sorrow'” Coleman Ó Colmáin / Ó Clumháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Colmán, 'little dove' — from Latin columba” Healy Ó hÉilidhe / Ó hÉalaighthe Gaelic sept · “'claimant' (Sligo) or 'ingenious' (Cork)” Higgins Ó hUiginn Gaelic learned family · “descendant of Uiginn — 'the Viking'” Loftus Ó Lachtnáin Gaelic sept (renamed) · “descendant of Lachtnán, 'milk-white'” MacDermot Mac Diarmada Gaelic dynasty · “son of Diarmaid” McDonagh Mac Donnchadha Gaelic sept · “son of Donnchadh” Mooney Ó Maonaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Maonach” O'Connor Ó Conchobhair Gaelic dynasty · “descendant of Conchobhar, 'lover of hounds'” O'Dowd Ó Dubhda Gaelic dynasty · “descendant of Dubhda, 'the dark'” O'Hara Ó hEaghra Gaelic sept · “descendant of Eaghra of Luighne” Quigley Ó Coigligh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Coigleach” Scanlon Ó Scannláin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Scannlán — from scannal, 'contention' or 'strife'” Taaffe Táth Norman-Welsh · “from Welsh Dafydd (David)”

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On the ground in Sligo

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Quick answers
What is the Irish name for County Sligo?

Sligeach. Sligo is one of the 5 counties of Connacht (Cúige Chonnacht).

Who ruled County Sligo in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Kingdom of Connacht (O'Connor); by 1450, O'Connor lordships. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Sligo?

Names historically associated with Sligo include Brennan, Coleman, Healy, Higgins, Loftus, MacDermot, McDonagh, Mooney, among others.

Trace your ancestors in Sligo

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