Historic county of Ireland
Leitrim
Liatroim / County of Leitrim
Province: Connacht
Shannon and lough country south, rugged hills north — with a narrow Atlantic shore.
Leitrim changes markedly from south to north. The southern county belongs to the upper Shannon and the lake country of the north Midlands, a relatively low landscape of water, pasture and wetlands.
Further north the terrain becomes increasingly broken, wooded and upland before rising into the mountain country of the north-west. Beyond it, Leitrim reaches the Atlantic through an exceptionally short stretch of coast. Few counties compress river, lake, mountain and ocean into such a narrow territory.
- Formed from earlier West Bréifne territories
- Lakes, woods and Iron Mountains
- Birthplace of John McGahern, novelist
- Area: 613 sq mi 1,588 km²
- Population: 31,798
- County Top: Truskmore Cairn (2,070ft / 631m)
County geography
The Shannon country
The Shannon gives southern Leitrim its strongest geographical line.
Lakes, wetlands and low pasture place this part of the county firmly within the watery landscapes of the north Midlands.
North Leitrim
The northern landscape is dramatically different.
Valleys become narrower, hills higher and the relationship with the neighbouring mountain country of north-west Ireland much stronger.
A small Atlantic opening
Leitrim is sometimes mistakenly imagined as landlocked.
Its Atlantic shore is very short, but geographically significant: the county reaches all the way from the Shannon system to the ocean.
County questions
Questions about Leitrim
Is Leitrim landlocked?
No. It has a short but genuine Atlantic coastline.
What is Leitrim’s connection with Breifne?
Before the county framework was established, much of the territory belonged to the older Gaelic world of Bréifne, particularly West Bréifne.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County Leitrim
- Local name
- Liatroim
- Province
- Connacht
- Alternative name
- County of Leitrim
- Foundation
- c.1565
Leitrim is one of the five geographic counties of Connacht. Its long north–south form joins two very different landscapes: Shannon lowland and north-western mountain country.