County Leitrim
| County Leitrim Contae Liatroma |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Connacht | |
| County seat: | Carrick-on-Shannon | |
| Code: | LM | |
| Area: | 1,588 km2 (613 sq mi) | |
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Population (2006) |
28,950 | |
| Website: www.leitrim.ie | ||
County Leitrim (Irish: Contae Liatroma, meaning grey ridge) is one of the counties of Ireland and is part of the province of Connacht. Its name derives from the Irish Liath Druim, meaning "grey ridge."
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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. Vast marshes likely formed soon after the county's trees were felled. Dampness quickly permeated the area's reputation: a local saying tells how farmland "wasn't sold by the acre—it was sold by the gallon!". 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 to the west in Arigna, Roscommon. The last coal mine closed in July 1990 and there is now a visitor centre.[1] 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, peaceful land 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
- Lough Melvin is internationally renowned for its unique range of plants and animals.
- Lough Allen offers amazing views, especially from the road between Leitrim Village and Drumkeeran
- Lough Gill is to the northwest of Dromahair; Parke's Castle is located on the lake shore.
- Other particularly beautiful lakes include Lough Garadice, Lough Glenade, Lough Rynn and Lough MacNean.
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. [2]
- 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.[3]
- The county town is Carrick-on-Shannon (3,505 inhabitants)[4]. 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. [5]
Transport
- Supplementing the local and regional road networks are the N15 (Sligo-Leitrim-Donegal), N16 (Sligo-Leitrim-Enniskillen) and N4 (Sligo-Leitrim-Dublin) national roads.
- Railway stations in Leitrim on the Dublin to Sligo line include Dromod and Carrick-on-Shannon
- The Cavan and Leitrim Railway opened on 17 October 1887. It consisted of two branches, meeting at Ballinamore which connected Dromod and Arigna with Belturbet. Services carried goods, passengers and coal from around Lough Allen. Although protested, the line finally closed on 31 March 1959.
- Railway stations in Leitrim on the former Sligo-Enniskillen Railway included Dromahair, Manorhamilton and Glenfarne.
- The Shannon and Shannon-Erne Waterway give access to much of Leitrim by boat.
Towns
- Ballinamore
- Carrick on Shannon
- Drumshanbo
- Manorhamilton
- Mohill
Villages
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References
- ↑ Sliabh an Iarainn Visitor Centre
- ↑ Population increase in Co. Leitrim
- ↑ HEA statistics 2005
- ↑ "Population and area of each Province, County, City, urban area, rural area and Electoral Division, 2002 and 2006" (pdf). Census 2006, Volume 1 - Population Classified by Area page 106. CSO (2007-04-26). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ↑ "Population information on Carrick-on-Shannon". IDA Carrick-on-Shannon information.
External links
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