Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/496

Rh SLEEGILL. 484 SLIGO. 8LEEGIL, a hmlt. in the tnshp. of Hipswell, par. of Catterick, North Riding co. York, 2 miles S.E. of Richmond, near the river Swale. SLEEKBURN, EAST and WEST, tnshps. in the par. of Bedlington, co. Northumberland, 3 miles N.W. of Blyth. They are situated on the river Wansbeck, and were until recently included in the county of Durham. SLEEP AND SMALLFORD, a hmlt. in the par. of St. Peter's, co. Herts, near St. Alban's. SLEIGHTHOLME, a hmlt. in the par. of Bowes, wap. of Gilling, North Riding co. York, 9 miles N. of Reeth. It is situated in the vale of the Greta, which here flows through a natural arch called God's-hridge. SLEIGHTS, a chplry. in the par, of Whitby, Whitby Strand lib., North Riding co. York, 3 miles S.E. of Whitby. It is a station on the York and Berwick branch railway. SLEMINGFORD, a hmlt. in the par. and lib. of Ripon, West Riding co. York, 5 miles N.W. of Ripon, its post town. It is situated at a ford on the river Ure. It is in conjunction with Worm Stanley to form a township. BLEMISH, a mountain in the co. of Antrim, Ireland, about 3 miles E. of Broughshane ; it attains an elevation of 1,437 feet. SLIAB-GAVEL, or SLIOBGOIL, a mountain in the district of Kantyre, co. Argyle, Scotland, near Tarbert. It attains an elevation of 2,228 feet. SLIDDERYFORD, a hmlt. in the bar. of Locale, co. Down, Ireland, 4 miles S.E. of Castlewellan. SLIEVE, signifying a "head," or "summit," is pre- fixed to the names of many mountains, hills, and small places in all parts of Ireland. SL1EVEARDAGH, a bar. in the co. of Tipperary, prov. of Munster, Ireland. It contains the pars, of Ballingarry, Buolick, Crohane, Fennor, Grangemockler, Iserkieran, Killenaule, Kilvemnon, Lickfinn, Lismalin, Modeshil, Mowney, Templemichael, and parts of Cloneen, Gnrrangibbon, Graystown, Kilcooly, Newtownlennan, and St. John Baptist. SLIEVEMARGY, a bar. in Queen's County, prov. of Leinster, Ireland. It contains the pars, of Killeshin, Shrule, Sleaty, and parts of those of Cloydagh, Killab- ban, and Rathaspick. The Slievemargy hills and coal- fields are in this barony. SLIEVEMORE, a hmlt. in the par. of Burrishoole, co. Mayo, prov. of Connaught, Ireland, 22 miles W.N.W. of Newport. It is situated in Achill Island, and is a station of the Protestant mission. Slievemore Hill, near the hamlet, has an altitude of 2,217 feet. SLIGO, a maritime co. in the prov. of Connaught, Ireland, is bounded N. by the Atlantic Ocean and Donegal Bay, E. by the counties of Leitrim and Ros- common, S. by Roscommou and Mayo, and W. by JIayo. It lies between 53 53' and 54 26' N. lat., 8 3' and 9 1' W. long. Its greatest length from E. to W. is 41 miles, and from N. to S. 38 miles. Its area is 721 square miles, or 461,753 acres, of which 290,696 acres are arable, 151,723 uncultivated, 6,134 in plantations, 460 sites of towns and villages, and 12,740 underwater. The population in 1841 was 180,809, in 1851, 128,510, and in 1861, 124,845, or 173 to every square mile of the entire surface, being only 69 per cent, of the number in 1841, when there were 251 to every square mile. The number of persons from this county who emigrated from Irish ports, stating it was their intention not to return, from the 1st May, 1851, to the 31st December, 1864, was 17,693, or nearly 13 per cent, of the population at ,the former date. The coast line of Sligo is nearly 100 miles in extent, and is irregular in outline, forming many bays and natural harbours, of which the most important arc Ballysadaro and Sligo Bays, and termi- nating at other parts in rocky headlands, among which are Rathlee Head to the E. of Killala Bay, Aughris Head to the S. of Sligo Bay, and Rosskeeragh Point. The coast is generally rocky," but to the E. of Sligo Bay and at Killala Bay sandy and pebbly strands prevail. The principal islands are Inishmurray, about a mile in length, containing 209 acres, with a population in 1861 of 58, and Inishinulclohy, or Coney Island, which lies at the entrance of Sligo Bay, and forms a natural break- water. Sligo formerly belonged to the 0' Conor family, and the descendants of Roderick O'Conor were long engaged in many struggles in defence of their pahi- mony. Upon the invasion of Henry II. a Norman family named De Burgo established themselves here, and assisted Charles Carragh in depriving his kinsman Cathal of the Bloody Hand of the throne of Connaught. Hugh O'Nial, head of the Tyrone family, supported Cathal, and was signally defeated at Ballysadare in 1200. In 1245 Maurice Fitzgerald, then Lord Deputy, built a castle on the present site of Sligo town. In the rebellion of 1641 the county suffered severely, and was finally overrun and subdued by the Cromwellian army under General Iretou and Sir Charles Coote. It was faithful to James II., and in the disturbances of 1798 it was again the theatre of military movements, which, how- ever, were unattended with any decisive result. This county has a great diversity of surface, exhibiting rich plains, lakes, mountains, and wooded enclosures, and in other parts dreary expanses of bog and commons. En- tering from Ballyshannon, the land along the coast is flat and bleak, but is much relieved by the elevations of Benbulben, Benduff, and Benwisken ; these form part of a range of limestone mountains stretching eastward, which, with their smooth flat tops, present a strange contrast to the rough gneiss mountains which lie around. At the southern base of Knocknarea, 1,078 feet high, is a chasm, called the Glen of Knocknarea, three-quarters of a mile long, and 30 feet broad. Its sides, which rise to a height of 40 feet, are almost perpendicular, and present the appearance of ashlar masonry. From this point, along the coast to Killala Bay, stretches an ex- tensive plain backed by lofty mountains, reaching from Ballysadare to Foxford in County Mayo, a distance of 25 miles, and is for the most part 5 to 6 miles in breadth. These mountains consist of two parallel divisions, called Slieve Gamph and the Ox mountains, and vary in height from 600 to nearly 1,800 feet, their northern surface being generally abrupt and rocky. Along the borders of Roscommon are the Curlew hills, of which Carrowkeel has an elevation of 1,062 feet, and Kesh- corran of 1,183 feet. The Braughlieve mountains be- long principally to Roscommon and Leitrim, but extend also into this county, where they rise to a height of 1,183 feet. The lakes are Loughs Talt and Easky, which lie between Slieve Gamph and the Ox mountains, Loughs Arrow and Gara, both bordering on Roscommon, and Lough Gill, about 6 miles long and 2 in breadth, stretch- ing from Sligo town to county Leitrim. The last named is 20 feet above the sea-level at low-water, and is the largest, containing among other islets Innismore, called also Church Island, upon which are the remains of a mo- nastery. There is no river of importance in the county, but the principal stream is the Owengarrow, which takes its rise in the Ox mountains, and flows southward into county Mayo, where it joins the Moy, which for a part of its course forms the boundary of this county. The Arrow, coming from Lough Arrow, empties itself into Ballysadare Bay after receiving in its course the waters of the Owenmore from the Curlew mountains, and the Owenbeg from the Ox mountains. The Garroguo from Lough Gill flows through the town of Sligo into the bay. The principal roads are the mail-road from Dublin to Sligo, which is continued to Ballina, and the mail- road to Ballyshannon. A branch line of the Midland Great Western railway has been made from Mullingar to Sligo, passing through Longford. Most of the county belongs to the carboniferous limestone formation, inter- spersed with large tracts of Old Red sandstone, and in some places mica slate, trap, hornblende, and gneiss are met with, especially in the Ox mountains, which also abound in minerals, as ironstone, copper, lead, and silver, all which were formerly worked in considerable quanti- ties, but on the failure of the supply of wood the fur- naces gradually declined. Manganese occurs in the mountains bordering on Leitrim, and garnets are found