County Leitrim ( LEE-trəm; Irish: Contae Liatroma) is a county in the Republic of Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county, which had a population of 32,044 according to the 2016 census.

The county encompasses the historic Gaelic territory of West Breffny (Bréifne) corresponding to the northern part of the county, and Muintir Eolais or Conmaicne Réin, corresponding to the southern part.

Geography and political subdivisions
History
Demographics
Transport
People
Images for kids
See also

Geography and political subdivisions

Leitrim is the 26th largest of the 32 counties by area and the smallest by population on the island. It is the smallest of Connacht’s 5 counties in both size and population. Leitrim is bordered by the counties of Donegal to the north, Fermanagh to the north-east, Cavan to the east, Longford to the south, Roscommon to the south-west and Sligo to the west. Fermanagh is in Northern Ireland while all the other neighbouring counties are within the Republic.

Baronies

There are five historic baronies in the county. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, where official Irish names of baronies are listed under "Administrative units". They are Carrigallen, Drumahaire, Leitrim, Mohill and Rosclogher.

Largest Towns in County Leitrim

As of the 2011 census:

Carrick-on-Shannon, 3,314
Manorhamilton, 1,336
Kinlough, 1,018
Mohill, 928
Ballinamore, 889
Drumshanbo, 857
Dromahair, 748

Towns and villages in north Leitrim

A tour boat on Lough Gill. One of the many lakes in County Leitrim.

The ruins of Creevelea Friary, near Dromahair.

A typical country lane near Carrigallen.

Allentown, County Leitrim
Askill
Ballinaglera
Buckode
Cloonsheerevagh
Drumkeeran
Dromahair
Dowra
Friarstown
Glenfarne
Glenade
Kiltyclogher
Kinlough
Killarga
Largydonnell
Lurganboy
Manorhamilton
Rossinver
Tullaghan

Towns and villages in south Leitrim

Aghamore
Ballinamore
Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrigallen
Cloone
Drumcong
Dromod
Drumshanbo
Drumsna
Fenagh
Eslinbridge
Jamestown
Keshcarrigan
Leitrim
Mohill
Newtowngore
Roosky

Geography

Glencar Waterfall at Glencar Lough

Leitrim has a hilly and mountainous landscape in its north-west and is relatively flat in the south-east, each separated from the other by Lough Allen in the middle of the county. Leitrim has the shortest length of coastline of any Irish county that touches the sea. At Tullaghan, the coastline is only 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) long. The Shannon is linked to the Erne via the Shannon-Erne Waterway. Notable lakes include:

Lough Melvin
Lough Allen
Lough Gill is to the northwest of Dromahair; Parke's Castle is located on the lake shore.
Belhavel Lough is also located in Dromahair, within the parish of Killargue.
Lough Scur, and Saint John's Lough, on the Shannon–Erne Waterway.
Other lakes include Upper Lough MacNean, Glencar Lough, Glenade Lough, Garadice Lough, Rinn Lough, Lough Scannal, Lough Erril and Lough Machugh.

History

Leitrim countryside.

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 shield to this day. Close ties initially existed with the O'Reilly clan in the eastern half of the kingdom, however a split occurred in the 13th century and the kingdom was divided into East Breifne, now County Cavan, and West Breifne, now County Leitrim. 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. English Deputy Sir John Perrot had ordered the legal establishment of "Leitrim County" a half-century prior, in 1565. Perrott also demarcated the current county borders around 1583.

Long ago Ireland was covered in Woodland, and five great forests are traditionally said to have stood in Leitrim, with a 19th century county survey stating- “a hundred years ago almost the whole country was one continued, undivided forest, so that from Drumshanbo to Drumkeeran, a distance of nine or ten miles, one could travel the whole way from tree to tree by branches". Many of these great forests were denuded for the making for Charcoal for Iron works around Slieve Anierin. Writing in 1791, the geographer Beaufort suggested the county housing population encompassed 10,026 homes with "upwards of 50,000 inhabitants", the primary agriculture being cattle production, and the growth of flax sustaining the linen industry.

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 at Slieve Anierin 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. Glencar Waterfall, 11 kilometres (7 mi) from Manorhamilton, inspired Yeats and is mentioned in his poem The Stolen Child.

Demographics

Leitrim is Ireland's most sparsely populated county

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1500	2,511	—
1510	2,520	+0.4%
1550	2,544	+1.0%
1580	2,588	+1.7%
1585	2,603	+0.6%
1600	2,645	+1.6%
1610	2,663	+0.7%
1611	2,701	+1.4%
1613	2,744	+1.6%
1616	2,788	+1.6%
1621	2,819	+1.1%
1631	2,877	+2.1%
1641	2,901	+0.8%
1651	2,923	+0.8%
1653	2,970	+1.6%
1659	4,275	+43.9%
1668	4,550	+6.4%
1672	4,707	+3.5%
1680	4,999	+6.2%
1681	5,244	+4.9%
1686	5,779	+10.2%
1689	6,444	+11.5%
1690	6,999	+8.6%
1691	7,515	+7.4%
1693	7,999	+6.4%
1695	8,333	+4.2%
1696	8,970	+7.6%
1697	9,554	+6.5%
1699	10,224	+7.0%
1700	10,475	+2.5%
1703	10,976	+4.8%
1705	11,960	+9.0%
1708	12,880	+7.7%
1710	13,110	+1.8%
1715	13,575	+3.5%
1718	14,020	+3.3%
1720	14,445	+3.0%
1721	14,975	+3.7%
1725	16,100	+7.5%
1727	16,330	+1.4%
1730	17,055	+4.4%
1735	17,775	+4.2%
1736	19,550	+10.0%
1739	21,224	+8.6%
1737	23,920	+12.7%
1745	25,799	+7.9%
1755	28,950	+12.2%
1765	38,992	+34.7%
1771	37,801	−3.1%
1775	68,707	+81.8%
1781	94,201	+37.1%
1788	108,402	+15.1%
1790	116,804	+7.8%
1801	115,801	−0.9%
1811	120,783	+4.3%
1813	101,211	−16.2%
1821	124,783	+23.3%
1831	141,524	+13.4%
1841	155,297	+9.7%
1851	111,897	−27.9%
1861	104,744	−6.4%
1871	95,562	−8.8%
1881	90,372	−5.4%
1891	78,618	−13.0%
1901	69,343	−11.8%
1911	63,582	−8.3%
1926	55,907	−12.1%
1936	50,908	−8.9%
1946	44,591	−12.4%
1951	41,209	−7.6%
1956	37,056	−10.1%
1961	33,470	−9.7%
1966	30,572	−8.7%
1971	28,360	−7.2%
1979	27,844	−1.8%
1981	27,609	−0.8%
1986	27,035	−2.1%
1991	25,301	−6.4%
1996	25,057	−1.0%
2002	25,799	+3.0%
2006	28,950	+12.2%
2011	31,798	+9.8%
2016	32,044	+0.8%

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 Ireland with 75% of 17- to 19-year-olds being admitted to a higher course.
The county town is Carrick-on-Shannon (population 3,314). 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, which is a 63 km 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

A typical country lane near Carrigallen.

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. A revived heritage railway centre and transport museum, with a running line has been based at Dromod since the 1990s.
Railway stations in Leitrim on the former Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway (which ran between Sligo and Enniskillen) included Dromahair, Manorhamilton and Glenfarne.
The Shannon and Shannon–Erne Waterway give access to much of Leitrim by boat.

People

See also (related category): People from County Leitrim

Margaret Haughery - Philanthropist, Margaret of New Orleans, Angel of the Delta
Katherine Lynch - comedian.
John McGahern - author.
Pat Quinn - founder of Quinnsworth.
Patrick McGoohan - actor.
Paul Williams - journalist.
Seán Mac Diarmada - Irish republican.
Thomas Heazle Parke -explorer, naturalist.
Patrick Rogan - US Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient.
James Gralton - Communist activist and only Irish person ever deported from independent Ireland.
John McDonald (of Dromod) - 19th century Irish nationalist poet.