County Sligo, affectionately known as Yeats Country, is nestled on the north west seaboard of Ireland on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Derived from the Irish "Sligeach", Sligo covers an area of some 690 square miles and is home to over 55,800 residents.

Nobel Prize winning Irish poet William Butler Yeats immortalized the County with his writings on his childhood years in his beloved Sligo. Described by Yeats as the land of heart's desire bears witness to the great beauty of the Sligo landscape and the warmth of its people. The literary tradition continues today with the Sligo Arts Festival and a full programme of cultural events throughout the year. Traditional Irish music can be found in many of Sligo's charming pubs and taverns.

Visitors to County Sligo can discover a rich concentration of archaeological and burial sites of the megalithic age. Carrowmore , west of Sligo town is one of the oldest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe. Knocknarea mountain is home to the outstanding tomb of the legendary Queen Meabh. Other evidence of early settlements in County Sligo can be found on Inishmurray Island and at Drumcliffe.

Sligo's distinctive countryside of mountains, lakes and beaches offer a range of activities for all tastes including golf, fishing, horse riding, cruising, walking, sailing, swimming and surfing. Dominated by the loaf shaped Benbulben mountain, County Sligo remains an unspoiled pocket of Ireland.

The principal towns and cities of the county are:-

Sligo town is the capital of the county. Other significant townships are Tubbercurry, Ballymote, Grange, Collooney and Enniscrone.

Please see the town guides for further information.

The North West of Ireland is noted for its precision engineering. County Sligo offers a skilled labour force for tool making and design through the Regional College in Sligo town which specializes in several engineering disciplines. Multinationals to make their home in Sligo include Saehan Media from South Korea, the German company, Bruss GMBH and Abbot Laboratories from the US.

Sligo town has a strong retail sector and is the principle services centre for the county. With a population evenly distributed across the county, Sligo has a steady beef production and dairy industry along with small farm holdings countywide. Cross border initiatives are promoted through Chamberlink and the Council's Omagh/Sligo Partnership.

Sligo County Enterprise Board	tel: (353) (0) 71 70548
Sligo Chamber of Commerce	Tel: (353) (0) 71 61274
Enterprise Ireland Regional Office	Tel: (353) (0) 71 61219
IDA Ireland Regional Office	Tel: (353) (0) 71 61311
Enterprise Ireland	Tel: (353) (0)91 735900
The Irish Trade Board	Tel: (353) (0)91 756600
Sligo Leader Partnership	Tel: (353) (0) 71 41138

County Sligo is served by several major trunk roads to and from Belfast, Dublin, Galway and Limerick. Bus Eireann operates an efficient service across the county with links to the rest of Ireland. Belfast and Dublin Airports are the principle international airports closest to Sligo. The county has its own domestic airport at Strandhill with flights daily to Dublin. A mainline train serves Sligo via Boyle, Ballymote and Collooney. The nearest seaports are Dublin, Dun Laoghaire and Larne.

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