Drumkeeran

Drumkeeran Droim Caorthainn
Village
Main Street (R280 road)
Drumkeeran Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°10′13″N8°08′33″W / 54.1704°N 8.1426°W / 54.1704; -8.1426
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Leitrim
Elevation	92 m (302 ft)
Population  (2016) [1]
• Total	220
Irish Grid Reference	G902241

Drumkeeran (Irish : Droim Caorthainn), ^[2] also Drumkeerin, is a village and townland in County Leitrim, Ireland, located at the junction of the R280 and R200 roads. It is situated in drumlin hills at the foot of Corry Mountain, just north of Lough Allen.

History

Throughout at least the 19th and 20th centuries, a number of annual fairs were held at Drumkeeran on varying dates. ^{[3] [4]} In 1925, Drumkeerin village comprised 54 houses, 11 being licensed to sell alcohol. ^[5]

As with much of the rest of Ireland, the area was historically covered in woodland, ^{[6] [7]} as reflected in a 19th-century survey of Leitrim which stated that "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". ^[8] These forests in County Leitrim, on the west side of Lough Allen, were denuded for the making for charcoal for iron works around Slieve Anierin. ^[6] Large piles of cleared timber existed in this area in 1782. ^[7]

Community organisations

The Drumkeerin Development Association was formed around 1970. ^[9] In 1986, Drumkeerin Community Council was established to address the economic development of the village. In 1992, the Drumkeerin Tourist and Development Company was incorporated in order to effect some of the council's plans.^{[ citation needed ]}

Drumkeerin GAA club was founded in 1933 and represents the parish area of Inishmagrath. ^[10]

Transport

Bus Éireann route 462 serves the village on Fridays providing links to Sligo and Manorhamilton. ^[11] Route 469 serves the village on Saturdays providing a link to Drumshanbo, Carrick on Shannon and Longford. ^[12]

Churches

Churches in the area include St Brigid's Roman Catholic church (built 1869), St Joseph's Church of Ireland church (1833), and St Patricia's Presbyterian church (1844).^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable people

• John McKenna (1880–1947), flautist from the area ^[13]
• Mary McPartlan (1955–2020), traditional Irish singer ^[14]
• Vincent Woods (born 1960), poet and playwright from Tarmon near Drumkeerin ^[15]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

Notes

1. "Settlements Drumkeeran". Ireland: Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
2. "Droim Caorthainn/Drumkeeran". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
3. Longman 1819, pp. 405.
4. Watsons 1830.
5. Irish Free State 1925, pp. 31.
6. Boate 1652, pp. 120.
7. Henry 1914, pp. 243.
8. Illustrated Weekly Journal 1882, pp. 37.
9. O'Grady, Donal (6 November 2022). "Andy Redican's memories of being a local correspondent for over 50 years". Leitrim Observer . Retrieved 20 February 2023. Drumkeerin Development Association was formed in 1969/70
10. "Drumkeerin GAA Club" . Retrieved 20 February 2023.
11. "Timetable Route 462" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
12. "Timetable Route 469" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
13. Bradshaw, Harry; Small, Jackie (1987). "John McKenna: Leitrim's Master of the Concert Flute". Musical Traditions No 7. Retrieved 15 June 2014– via mustrad.org.uk.
14. "Obituaries: Mary McPartlan obituary: 'One of the greatest traditional singers of her generation'". Irish Times. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
15. O'Grady, Donal (1 February 2024). "Leitrim poet and broadcaster Vincent Woods to feature on RTÉ Lyric fm's 'Where Life Sounds Greener'". leitrimobserver.ie. Retrieved 3 December 2025.

Sources

• Longman (1819). Traveller's New Guide Through Ireland, Containing a New and Accurate Description of the Roads (digitized from original in Lyon Public Library [2011] ed.). Longman. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
• Boate, Gerard (1652). Irelands Naturall History (Digitized 2009 ed.). Samuell Hartlib, For the Common Good of Ireland, and more especially, for the benefit of the Adventurers and Planters therein; Imprinted at London for John Wright at the Kings Head, in the Old Bayley. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
• Henry (1914). "Woods and Trees of Ireland". Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society. Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society Vol. 3, No. 3 (Dec) (3). County Louth Archaeological and History Society: 237–245. doi:10.2307/27728012. JSTOR   27728012.
• Buchan, Patrick (1860). "On the Composition of the Iron Ores of the Connaught Coal-field". The Journal of the Royal Dublin Society. 2 (Original from the University of California; Digitized Oct 20, 2010 ed.): 1–27. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
• The Timber, Woollen, and Pottery Industries of Ireland, review of paper by G. P. Bevan. Vol. The Furniture Gazette, XVII-New Series (An illustrated weekly journal, January - June ed.). 74, 75, Great Queen Street, Lincoln’s-Inn fields, London, W.C. 1882. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
• Watsons (1830). The Gentleman's and citizen's almanack ... for the year (PDF). Dublin, Printed for S. Watson [etc.]
• Irish Free State (1925). Intoxicating Liquor Commission Report (Report). Vol. Reports of Committees. The Stationery Office. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2017.