|
|
|
|
County Leitrim
|
| |
|
| |
County Leitrim is one of the counties of Ireland and is part of the province of Connacht. Its name derives from the Irish , meaning "grey ridge."
ncient times Leitrim formed the western half of the Kingdom of Breifne. This region was long influenced by the O'Rourke family of Dromahair, whose heraldic lion occupies the official county crest to this day. Close ties initially existed with East Breifne, now County Cavan, and the O'Reilly clan seated there.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'County Leitrim' Start a new discussion about 'County Leitrim' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
County Leitrim is one of the counties of Ireland and is part of the province of Connacht. Its name derives from the Irish , meaning "grey ridge."
History
In ancient times Leitrim formed the western half of the Kingdom of Breifne. This region was long influenced by the O'Rourke family of Dromahair, whose heraldic lion occupies the official county crest to this day. Close ties initially existed with East Breifne, now County Cavan, and the O'Reilly clan seated there. The Normans invaded in the 13th century and occupied the south of Breifne. Much of the county was confiscated from its owners in 1620 and given to Villiers and Hamilton. Their initial objective was to plant the county with English settlers. However, this proved unsuccessful. British Deputy Sir John Perrot had ordered the legal establishment of "Leitrim County" a half-century prior, in 1565. Perrott also demarked the current county borders around 1583. The County takes its name from Leitrim Village which is situated on the banks of the Shannon within Co. Leitrim. Five forests are traditionally said to have stood in Leitrim up till the 17th century. With soil suitable principally for cows and potatoes, Leitrim's 155,000 residents (as of the 1841 census) were ravaged by the Potato Famine and the population dropped to 112,000 by 1851. The population subsequently continued to decrease due to emigration. After many years, the wounds of such rapid population decline have finally started to heal. Agriculture improved over the last century. Leitrim now has the fastest growing population in Connacht.
Working of the county's rich deposits of iron ore began in the 15th century and continued until the mid 18th century. Coal mining became prominent in the 19th century to the east of Lough Allen in Sliabh an Iariann and also to the west in Arigna, on the Roscommon border. The last coal mine closed in July 1990 and there is now a visitor centre. Sandstone was also quarried in the Glenfarne region. William Butler Yeats spent the turn of the twentieth century fascinated with Lough Allen and much of Leitrim. In the northwest, 11 km from Manorhamilton can be found Glencar Waterfall, which was an inspiration to Yeats and is mentioned in his poem The Stolen Child.
Geography
Leitrim has a dramatic hilly and mountainous landscape in its northwest and is relatively flat in the southeast, each separated from the other by Lough Allen in the middle of the county. It is an unspoiled, tranquil area of great natural beauty, consisting of lofty mountains, deep valleys, pastures, lakes, rolling hills and rivers. Leitrim is not a landlocked county as it has a short length of Atlantic coastline (5km) between Sligo and Donegal in the northwest. Neighbouring Leitrim are the Ulster counties of Donegal to the north, Fermanagh to the northeast, and Cavan to the east, the Leinster county of Longford to the south and, to the west, the Connacht counties of Roscommon and Sligo. Fermanagh is in Northern Ireland while all the other neighbouring counties are within the Republic. Leitrim offers scenic panoramic vistas of Lough Allen and the River Shannon. The Shannon is linked to the Erne via the Shannon-Erne Waterway.
Lakes in Leitrim
Kilargue
- Killargue is a small village with a wealth of beautiful scenery in its surrounds which can be best discovered by foot. The Holy Well is an ancient place of pilgrimage and is also near a 19th century limekiln.
There is a sweat house and a number of historical ruins in the vicinity. By taking the road north towards Manorhamilton and turning right at the junction near Cullens bridge, visitors can drive to the summit of O'Donnell's Rock and savour the magnificent scenery, taking in the spectacular view of five counties.
St Mary's Holy Well (Tobair Mhuire)
This is an ancient place of pilgrimage and was attached to a religious settlement, Cill Fearga, which according to the Annals of the Four Masters was founded by a holy woman, St Fearga, as early as the 6th century.
1798 Memorial Tree of Liberty & Memorial Stone to French Soldier
Demographics
- Leitrim has the fastest growing population of any county in Connacht. As measured by census, the population rose by 12.2% between 2002 and 2006 to 29,000.
- 2005 HEA statistics identified that Leitrim has the highest rate of participation in higher education in the Republic with 75% of 17-19 year olds being admitted to a higher course.
- The county town is Carrick-on-Shannon (3,505 inhabitants). It is a highly developed, prospering river port on the River Shannon and many tourists hire cruising boats here to explore the Shannon and the Shannon-Erne Waterway -a 63km canal linking the two river systems. It is amongst the fastest growing towns in Ireland having grown by 25% in the past few years.
Transport
Settlements
Towns
Villages
Aghamore,
Ballinagera
Buckode,
Carrigallen
Cloone,
Drumcong,
Dromahaire,
Drumkeeran Drumsna,
Dromod,
Fenagh,
Glenfarne,
Jamestown,
Keshcarrigan,
Kinlough,
Kiltyclogher,
Killargue,
Largydonnell,
Leitrim village,
Lurganboy,
Newtowngore,
Rossinver,
Tullaghan,
External links
|
| |
|
|
