Rafael Cretaro was the local hero as he made the equaliser before scoring the winner in this Showgrounds thriller to keep Sligo Rovers on course for Europe.
The win moves Sligo above Cork City into fifth place and also now looking good for a place in next year's Setanta Sports Cup.
Shamrock Rovers punished poor defending to take a 48th-minute lead.
Padraig Amond's cross was headed poorly away by David McDaid and Eoin Doyle's superb dipping volley from 25 yards flew past Richard Brush.
Sligo levelled within six minutes, though, when Doyle turned villain to pull down Cretaro after keeper Barry Murphy had saved brilliantly from Mauro Almeida. Sean Doherty confidently drove home the penalty.
Cretaro, surely Sligo's player of the season this year, then hit the winner on 73 minutes.
The impressive Seamus Coleman got forward down the right and his deflected cross fell for Tubbercurry man Cretaro who shot past Murphy.
Shamrock finished strongly as they chased an equaliser.
Mark Leech hit the base of a post from long-range while, Danny O'Connor, skipper on the night, flashed a header just wide from Joseph Ndo's corner with three minutes to play.
Sligo Rovers: Brush; Coleman, Ventre, Almeida, Ryan; Cash (McDaid, 23 mins.), O'Grady, Boco, Doherty (McTiernan, 79 mins.); Feeney (Curran, 51 mins.), Cretaro.
Shamrock Rovers: Murphy; Madden, D. O'Connor, O'Brien, Treacy (Leech, h/t); Doyle, Flynn, Rice, S. O'Connor (Creevy, 66 mins.); Ndo, Amond.
Referee: Mark Gough (Limerick).
