Development of Sligo

This page is a detailed time line of the development of the Irish town and county of Sligo, in the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries.

Pre 1980s

Whytes Tobaccionists, John Street opened 1888 - 2005

Gaiety Cinema opened on Wine Street

1968

Best's supermarket opened on Adelaide Street, in the building now occupied by Dunnes Stores

1980s

1981

August: Gaiety cinema expanded, adding 2 new screens, to bring it up to a 3 screen cinema

1984

Snia plant at Hazelwood closed

1987

Sligo School Project opened on The Mall in the town, in the building now occupied by The Model Arts Centre and Niland Gallery

1988

January: Construction began on new building of Sligo General Hospital

January: Construction of government office complex on College Road began

Queens Stores demolished

December 9: Hughes Bridge opened

1989

March: Construction of Saehan factory at Hazelwood started

1990s

1990

January: Redevelopment of The Market Yard completed (excluding the apartments)

1991

January 14: New building of Sligo General Hospital opened to patients and staff

1993

Sligo Leisure and Bowl Centre (bowling alley etc.) on Ballast Quay opened

Construction began on the regeneration of Rockwood Parade

The Factory performance space opened

New Tourist Office on Temple Street completed and opened

Lake Isle Road approved for construction

Fisherman's wharf apartment complex opened

April 30: New building of Sligo General Hospital officially opened

1995

Lake Isle Road opened

September: New footbridge and railings on Rockwood Parade completed

September: RTÉ transmitter station on Truskmore completed

1996

March: Work began on Collooney-Ballisodare bypass

June: Old Gaiety Cinema demolished for construction of new building

1997

Full redevelopment of Rockwood Parade officially opened

1998

January 26: Collooney-Ballisodare bypass opened

January: Redevelopment of The Buttermarket (Named Quayside eventually) approved for construction

January 28: Sligo Regional Technical College changed officially to Sligo Institute Of Technology

April: Waterpoint swimming pool and leisure centre in Enniscrone opened

August: New Gaiety Cinema 7 screen multiplex opened

Sligo School Project moved from The Mall to the new site near Cranmore, previously occupied by St. Annes school

November: The Galaxy centre on The Riverside opened

1999

March: Millennium House on Stephen Street completed (Call Of The Wild, Lock and Safe, Deirdre Cook's, etc.)

April 12: Curlews bypass officially opened in south county Sligo

New building, now occupied mainly by The Sligo Weekender offices opened

December 17: New Footbridge opened on The Riverside, beside the new Riverside Hotel

2000s

2000

Kennedy Parade redevelopment completed with new paving

April: War memorial on Kennedy Parade unveiled

2002

June: Work began on 5 new screens in The Gaiety cinema

December: Work (above) completed in The Gaiety cinema, bringing it to be a 12 screen multiplex

2005

September 2: Inner Relief Road opened to traffic

2006

August 15: O'Connell Street Pedestrianized

2007

October: Johnston Court Shopping Centre opened to the public

Glasshouse Hotel opened on Hyde Bridge

2009

December 9: O'Connell Street de-pedestrianized

2010s

2010

March: First section of the Western Distributor Road opened, linking Strandhill Road with Ballydoogan road

2012

August: Completion of new Summerhill College

Sources

All information sourced from hard copies of The Sligo Champion and The Sligo Weekender