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Drumshanbo

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A taste of the riverine terroir

Beyond the town’s market square, the River Shannon’s gentle bends invite a quiet itinerary of “waterway walking”. Follow the towpath from Drumshanbo toward Carrick-on-Shannon, stopping at informal fishing spots where locals still cast for trout using modest gear. The river’s banks are lined with willow, providing shaded benches perfect for a picnic of home‑made soda bread and local cheese. In summer, the occasional river‑bus, a modestly sized vessel used by schoolchildren and commuters, offers a chance to observe the rhythm of daily life from the water. While the route is not advertised as a tourist circuit, it reveals the unpretentious relationship between the town and the river that shapes its tempo.

Seasonal rhythms of the surrounding hills

The hills that cradle Drumshanbo host a subtle calendar of activities that escape most guidebooks. In early spring, the lower slopes are dotted with wild garlic, and local foragers organise informal walks to harvest the leaves for a traditional broth. Late autumn sees a quiet gathering of hill walkers targeting the lower trails of Sliabh an Iarainn, where the heather turns a soft violet, and the air carries the faint scent of peat smoke from distant farms. These seasonal practices are less about sport and more about community rhythm, offering visitors a chance to join locals in modest, nature‑centred routines rather than the more conspicuous hill‑climbing challenges found elsewhere in the region.

What guidebooks miss: the town’s modest culinary exchange

While Drumshanbo’s pubs serve the expected fare, a small, family‑run café on the main street quietly experiments with a fusion of Irish staples and subtle continental touches. Their weekend menu includes a rosemary‑infused soda bread served alongside a delicate smoked trout pâté—a nod to the nearby river—paired with a locally brewed stout. The chef, who grew up on the outskirts of the town, sources herbs from their own garden and cheeses from a neighbouring farm, creating a micro‑economy that reflects the town’s self‑sufficient ethos. For travellers seeking more than the standard ‘pub‑grub’, this modest eatery illustrates how the community quietly reinterprets tradition without fanfare.

Introduction

Town in County Leitrim, Ireland Town in Connacht, IrelandDrumshanbo Droim SeanbhóTownMarket SquareDrumshanboLocation in IrelandCoordinates: 54°03′00″N 8°02′00″W / 54.05°N 8.0333°W / 54.05; -8.0333CountryIrelandProvinceConnachtCountyCounty LeitrimPopulation (2022) • Total1,240Irish Grid ReferenceG978111 Drumshanbo (Irish: Droim Seanbhó, meaning 'ridge of the old cow') is a small town situated in the heart of County Leitrim, Ireland. Drumshanbo is surrounded by a scenic area of soft rolling hills, woodlands, lakes and the Sliabh an Iarainn and Arigna mountains. It is a well preserved town with traditional pubs, shops, and restaurants.

Economy

[edit] Local industries include: metalwork fabrication, sign-makers, plant hire and refuse disposal, tele-sales, joinery works, and many small craft businesses. The Shed Distillery was established in the town in 2014 in a former jam factory. It produces whiskey, vodka and gin for the national and international markets, including Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin which won International Spirit Brand of the Year at the 2022 Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards. As of 2022 the distillery employed over 80 people.

Transport

[edit] The town is centred on the crossroads of the R207 and R208 regional roads. Rail transport[edit] Former railway station building, Drumshanbo Drumshanbo railway station opened on 2 May 1888, but finally closed on 1 April 1959. It was part of the narrow gauge Cavan and Leitrim Railway. Today the nearest rail services may be accessed at Carrick-on-Shannon railway station around 14 km (8.5 miles) away. Bus/coach transport[edit] Westlink Coaches operate a daily commuter service between Drumshanbo and Sligo via Carrick-on-Shannon. Drumshanbo is also served by Bus Éireann route 462 on Fridays and Saturdays linking it to Sligo and by Saturday-only route 469 linking it to Carrick-on-Shannon and Longford.

Tourism and facilities

[edit] In the centre of the town there is the Sliabh an Iarainn Visitor Centre, where an audio-visual display takes visitors through local scenery and highlights the history of coal and iron mining in the area. A wide variety of walks, including hill-walking, can be explored within a 5-km (3 mile) radius of Drumshanbo. Many walking routes around the lake have been signed posted by the Council. Also, for the more adventurous, Slí Liatroma is a 48-km (30 miles) walk between Drumshanbo, Dowra, and Manorhamilton. A kilometre outside the town is the heated outdoor swimming pool at Acres Lake Amenity. Also there are tennis courts, a playground, and a jetty for cruisers which have travelled from Carrick on Shannon via Leitrim Village. The Teach Ceoil or Music House is also situated here. It is used as a venue for music sessions etc. In 2003 the Lough Allen Hotel and Spa opened on the shore of Lough Allen, and offering hotel accommodation, lodges, and apartments. Nearby, the Mayflower Community Centre hosts bingo every Monday night, provides Irish handball and badminton facilities, and hosts occasional events such as Discos, Concerts, plays and the mobile cinema. Aras Padraig is another community premises which is used for various local groups to meet, and some classes are organised there by a local women's group.

Sport

[edit] Drumshanbo, Lough_Allen Lough Allen is the largest lake in the vicinity and has a reputation for coarse angling with a plentiful supply of trout, pike, perch, rudd and roach. It is possible to rent cruisers to navigate the waterways and enjoy the surrounding countryside. Lough Allen also is used for wind surfing, canoeing and other water sports.[citation needed] Moorlands Equestrian Centre has been established over ten years ago and provides a range of activities including pony trekking, mountain trails, lakeside rides or cross-country treks.[citation needed] There are four golf courses in the area, namely Carrick on Shannon (18 holes), Blacklion (9 holes), Slieve Russell (18 holes), and Ballinamore (9 holes).[citation needed] Allen Gaels are the local GAA club, and have been county champions in both Gaelic football and hurling.[citation needed]

Events

[edit] Drumshanbo has a growing population of over 1,000. In the third week of July, the town hosts the Joe Mooney Summer School for traditional Irish music. This festival has been running since 1990 and attracts Irish music enthusiasts from all over the world. The festival is named for Joseph Mooney (1916 - 1988), who served as senator and County Councillor and who was a founding member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. An Tóstal festival in June also has an emphasis on Irish music and culture. This was established nationwide in the 1950s by An Bord Fáilte as a tourist promotion to encourage emigrants home. Drumshanbo is the only location in Ireland where it has survived into the 21st century. The Sliabh An Iarainn Walking Festival takes place 11 and 12 April 2015. There are two days of graded A,B,C walks for walkers of all abilities.

Religion

[edit] St Patrick's RC Church, Drumshanbo St John's Church of Ireland, Drumshanbo Drumshanbo Methodist Church Drumshanbo has three churches and a convent. The Roman Catholic Church built in 1845 is dedicated to St Patrick and commemorates his first crossing of the Shannon nearby. The old church stood on a site in the famine graveyard in 1744 further out of town. St John's Church of Ireland dates back to 1829. It is a gothic style structure ornamented with a tower and pinnacles. The present Methodist Church on the Carrick Road was built in 1860; however, there had been an earlier chapel dating back to 1760s. The Poor Clare Convent was built in 1860. The Sisters are Franciscian Poor Clares and as such observe strict enclosure, recite the Divine Office in choir and maintain Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The nuns pray around the clock and as it is an enclosed order they never leave the convent except in the event of a medical emergency. In the last refurbishment of the convent chapel, it was possible to integrate the community of nuns with the Public to a greater degree than previously.

Education

[edit] Drumshanbo has both a large primary school and a vocational secondary school, which provide education for local children until the age of eighteen. Drumshanbo Vocational was opened in 1964, with major extensions in 1985 and 2012 and a further extension due to start in 2015. In 2014 a 50th anniversary magazine was launched with over 50 contributions from pupils and teachers from all decades, photos from same and a comprehensive list of all past pupils.

History

[edit] See also: Slieve Anierin Drumshanbo town originated from the extensive iron industry around Slieve Anierin from the 17th century. Pig iron produced at iron smelting works on the east of Slieve Anierin was brought south across Lough Allen to Drumshanbo finery forge where a malleable iron product was produced and transported to Dublin and Limerick by boat. The first ship built by the East India company in Limerick was supposedly finished with the product from Drumshanbo Iron works. According to folklore the "Iron ore was conveyed to the Drumshanbo furnaces by boat, on Lough Allen, supplied from Slieven an Iern [Anerin], Ballinaglera, Arigna mountains, all situated around Lough Allen". Long ago Ireland had been covered in Woodland, a claim echoed in a 19th-century survey of Leitrim- "A hundred years ago almost the whole country was one continued, undivided forest, so that from Drumshanbo to Drumkeeran, a distance of nine or ten miles, one could travel the whole way from tree to tree by branches". These great forests in Leitrim and on the west side of Lough Allen were denuded for the making for Charcoal for Iron works around Slieve Anierin. Immense piles of cleared timber existed at Drumshanbo in 1782. Throughout at least the 19th and 20th centuries, fairs were held at Drumshanbo on- 12 February (or 15th), 12 May (or 17th), 11 (or 16) July, 6 October, and 16 November. In 1925, Drumshanbo village comprised 77 houses, 17 being licensed to sell alcohol. Some 500 victims of the Great Famine are buried at a famine-period burial ground at Drumshanbo. Historical figures include Canice Mooney bust, Drumshanbo Father Canice Mooney (1911-1963), a respected Franciscan nuascoláirí (new scholar), was born in Drumshanbo. An academic he wrote books on the Irish Franciscans.