Sligo

Sligo stands where the Garavogue River runs from Lough Gill toward the sea, commanding a crossing and a harbour on the coast of Connacht. An Anglo-Norman town grew here in the thirteenth century beside a castle and a Dominican friary. The O'Conors of Sligo later held the town, while the friary's carved tombs and altar reflected the patronage of local families.

Sligo's position made it a prize in the wars of the late sixteenth century. In 1595 Richard Bingham besieged the castle, then held by Hugh Roe O'Donnell's men, and the friary suffered damage in the fighting. During the next century's upheaval Sir Frederick Hamilton attacked the town and friary in 1642. Despite fire and war, the Dominican church and cloister remained a visible record of the town's medieval life.