Leitrim, County, is one of the five counties that make up the province of Connacht in the northwest of the Republic of Ireland. It is a rural county, but the land is of poor quality. County Leitrim is famous for the beauty of its mountains and valleys in the north, and its hills and lakes in the south. The largest town is Carrick-on-Shannon. County Leitrim covers an area of 589 square miles (1,525 square kilometers).
Economy.
Most of County Leitrim’s workers are employed in service industries, which include education, food services and hotels, health care and social work, and retail and wholesale trade. The manufacturing sector is also an important employer. The main manufacturing centers of County Leitrim are Ballinamore, Carrick-on-Shannon, and Mohill. Chief products include electrical and metal goods, food products, and timber products.
Most of County Leitrim’s land is wet and infertile. It is not suitable for crops. Less than 1 percent of the agricultural land is cultivated. The grassland is used mainly for rearing young beef cattle, which are sold to be fattened elsewhere. There is also some dairy and sheep farming. Game fishing for such species as salmon and trout is a popular activity along the county’s lakes and rivers.
Land.
The southern portion of County Leitrim forms part of the northwestern edge of the central lowland of Ireland. It consists mainly of limestone covered with low hills of soil and other material left behind by glaciers. The low hills are called drumlins. In the hollows between the hills are many lakes and marshy areas. In the northern part of County Leitrim, there is a high plateau cut by deep valleys. Lough Allen (Lake Allen) occupies much of a broad valley in the center of the county. The River Shannon flows from Lough Allen and forms part of the county’s western boundary.
History.
County Leitrim was originally the kingdom of West Breifne, which was ruled by the O’Rourke clan. Despite the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the 1100’s, the O’Rourkes remained in control until the 1600’s. At that time, a few British settlers arrived in the area. Carrick-on-Shannon, Jamestown, and Manorhamilton were established as towns at that time. Parke’s Castle is a fine fortified dwelling on the shore of Lough Gill (Lake Gill) and near Dromahair, which had been a seat of the O’Rourkes. County Leitrim suffered badly during the Great Irish Famine of the 1840’s, when more than one-fourth of the population of Ireland died or emigrated.
