The Trip to Sligo 3

And then just after the Gaelic Chieftain sculpture you reach County Sligo as you cross the Curlew Mountains.

I like this sign. Sometimes it's difficult to know when you have passed into a different county. It's as if the county was shy about putting itself forward. This seems not to be the case with Sligo. This sign proclaims the county without reticence.

I'm not sure to what extent the symbols are nationally agreed. Is there a committee somewhere which decides if you can put the quill symbol on your county sign? Which counties have this sign and which not? Does County Meath use it because of Francis Ledwidge? Do bardic poets count? Do chick-lit authors count? What happens if you have a number of famous writers? Can you include two or more quills?

Anyway it's a good feeling to see this sign and I'm reminded of a song written by Thom Moore who lived in Sligo for a period and was a member of band called Pumpkinhead. I met Thom last year at the Goldsmith Festival in Longford where I won second prize and he won third prize. He had a great poem/song about the famine. Thom writes about the song here.

The Scholar

The train from Sligo moves too slow as it brings her from the school below
She wants to be home faster than the train from Sligo ever can and
Wonders where the passing time goes creeping by the window my, oh my
It’s getting longer than it ever has before.

I actually got it wrong, I thought it was The train to Sligo moves too slow and the singer was in a hurry to get there.. Anyway it's a good song.

And speaking of Sligo the winners of the iYeats competition have been announced.