Ballymote

Market town in County Sligo, Republic of Ireland; population (2002) 1,400. The town takes its name from a 13th-century motte (earthen castle mound) located 2 km/1 mi to the west. In 1300 Richard de Burgh built a castle in Ballymote, extensive remains of which are still standing. There are also the remains of a 13th-century Franciscan friary here.

Ballymote Castle was an important defensive structure, which changed hands frequently in conflicts between the Irish and the English during the late 16th and 17th centuries.

The Book of Ballymote (Royal Irish Academy) is a manuscript collection of prose, verse, and stories of historic events, compiled about 1391 in Gaelic; it is also a key to understanding early inscriptions in ogham characters found on many standing stones.

Animal remains and evidence of early human occupation have been found in caves on the slopes of Keshcorran Mountain (362 m/1,188 ft) 6 km/4 mi to the southeast. The caves and the surrounding district are the sites of many legends and myths found in early Irish texts.