| County Leitrim Contae Liatroma |
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| Province: | Connacht | |
| County seat: | Carrick-on-Shannon | |
| Code: | LM | |
| Area: | 1,588 km2 (613 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006) | 28,950 | |
| Website: www.leitrim.ie | ||
County Leitrim (Irish: Contae Liatroma) is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Connacht. It was named after the town of Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim).
Leitrim is the 26th largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and smallest in terms of population[1]. It is the smallest of Connacht’s 5 counties in both size and population.
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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. Five forests are traditionally said to have stood in Leitrim up till the 17th century.
Leitrim was first hit by the recession caused by the mechanisation of [linen] weaving in the 1830s and its 155,000 residents (as of the 1841 census) were ravaged by the Great 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.[2] 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.
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 where Tullaghan lies. Coastline (5 km) 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.
The area is renowned[citation needed] for traditional Irish music and regular sessions take place in pubs and venues throughout the county.[citation needed]
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Coordinates: 54°07′N 8°00′W / 54.117°N 8°W
County Leitrim is situated in the Northwest Ireland and Lakelands. It is the least densely populated county in Ireland and until recently its population was still declining. It is place of poor land, large lakes and hills. It is not without charm but it has known a lot of poverty and isolation.
The county is almost divided by Lough Allen. North of the lake the land is mostly mountain and bog; south of the lake lies the River Shannon, and human activity is more dominant. Straight out of a fairy tale.
The northern half of the county is more mountainous and offers good walking among limestone hills. Manorhamilton is a good base as is Sligo town.
Further south the Shannon is the dominant feature. Most of the river is navigable and is linked by canal to the river Erne navigation in Northern Ireland, so there is enough waterway for extensive touring.
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| County Leitrim Contae Liatroma |
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|---|---|---|
| Location | ||
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||
| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Connacht | |
| County Town: | Carrick-on-Shannon | |
| Code: | LM | |
| Area: | 1,588 km² | |
| Population (2006) | 28,837 | |
| Website: www.leitrimcoco.ie | ||
County Leitrim (Irish: Contae Liatroma ) is one of the counties of the Republic 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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Leitrim has a short length of Atlantic (Donegal Bay) coastline but is a mostly inland county. 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. The River Shannon and Lough Allen divide Leitrim into North Leitrim and South Leitrim. The Shannon is linked to the Erne via the Shannon-Erne Waterway.
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 until the exile of Irish landholders in 1620.
British Lord 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, enclosing the namesake grey mountains of the northwest and boggy glades of the southeast. Five forests are traditionally said to have stood in Leitrim up till the 17th century. Today's vast marshes likely formed soon after the county's trees were felled. Dampness quickly permeated the area's reputation: locals boasted that farmland "wasn't sold by the acre—it was sold by the gallon!". With such soil suitable solely for cows and potatoes, Leitrim's 155,000 residents (as of the 1841 census) were ravaged by the Potato Famine. After sixty years, the wounds had started to heal. William Butler Yeats spent the turn of the twentieth century fascinated with Lough Allen and the Sligo-march.
Today the county has the lowest population and the lowest population density in the Republic and is the smallest county by area in the province of Connacht. Leitrim has the second highest suicide rate by county over the past five years, and the highest in 2005. It also has the highest amount of elderly people per capita of any Irish county, with 7.6% over the age of 75.
Leitrim has the shortest coastline of any county, nine miles to the south-west of Bundoran. The county town is Carrick-on-Shannon (1,868 inhabitants). In 2003, the first sets of traffic lights in Leitrim were installed at a pedestrian crossing in Carrick-on-Shannon.
| Counties of Ireland | |
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| Connacht | |
| Munster | |
| Leinster | |
| Ulster | |
| Italics denote non-administrative counties · (Parentheses) denote eponymous cities or non-traditional counties | |
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at County Leitrim. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |
  | County Leitrim Ireland guide - Leitrim Ireland Hotels - Bed & Breakfast Accommodation - Leitrim Holiday Homes |
| | Leitrim County Council - leitrim County Council - Welcome to New Leitrim County Council website |
| | Leitrim GAA - » Leitrim GAA - CLG Liatroma |
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