Riverstown, historically called ''Ballyederdaowen'' (), is a village in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Known for its musical tradition it is located at a bridging point of the River Unshin (Arrow), 17.2 km (10 miles) south of Sligo town and 4 km east of the N4 road.

Amenities

Amenities and notable buildings in the area include the post office, Coopershill House and the Garda barracks (built ). There are also a number of pubs and shops. The local Church of Ireland church, Tawnagh parish church, dates to . The

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in Riverstown, the Church of the Sacred Heart, was built in 1940.

Culture and community

Each year the village hosts the Riverstown Vintage Festival on the June Bank Holiday Weekend, and the James Morrison Traditional Music Festival during the August Bank Holiday Weekend. During the 1990s, Riverstown and the Brookeborough Community Development Association launched the 'Riverbrooke Cross-Border Initiative' linking the two villages in a programme of cross-community/cross-border working.

Folk park

Sligo Folk Park, situated at the east end of the town, was created as the result of a community effort in the 1990s.

People

* El Marqués de Osorno, Viceroy of Peru, was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

from 1788 to 1801. He was born Ambrose O'Higgins at Ballynary, about halfway between Riverstown and Ballinafad. * Michael Bowles (1909–1998), conductor and composer, born in Riverstown. * Johnny Kenny, association footballer * James Morrison (1893–1947), South Sligo-style fiddler was born in the townland of Drumfin close to Riverstown.

Gallery

File:Riverstown-chruch.jpg, Riverstown Catholic church File:Riverstown-john-stenson.jpg, John Stenson memorial in Riverstown File:Riverstown-morrison.jpg, The James Morrison Teach Cheoil or the Morrison Cottage File:Riverstown-church-2.jpg, Riverstown Church of Ireland File:Riverstown-garga.jpg, Riverstown Garda station

References