Sligo Independent - Sligo Poets

1855 -1962

The Sligo Independent was a well-established conservative newspaper keen to stress its concern with the development of Sligo as a commercial centre.

It benefitted from a large volume of advertising by local firms and by printing and advertising contracts by local government bodies. It reported extensively on Protestant parish and church events.

In 1881 Alexander Gillmor, one of the newspaper's founders died and the paper passed into the hands of his daughter, Jane Gillmor. On her death forty years later, William Peebles took over.

As the Home Rule crisis developed in 1912 it gave extensive coverage to the orgainising in Sligo of Unionist opposition. It also reported on developments in Ulster and in the rest of the UK though it seldom editorialised on the subject.

Poems included in the Sligo Independent 1912

The poetry included in this newspaper is significantly different to that in the Sligo Champion and the Sligo Times of the same year. No personal poetry is included and most of what is included is political in nature. These include the short, satiric pieces by A.D. but also those on the Durbar and the Titanic tragedy.

Apparently as a balance and to assert its local commitment two poems in praise of local scenery are included. Also included is a lament for loss of life in a tragedy in Gortra, Fermanagh, reprinted from the Impartial Reporter of Enniskillen.