Country Ireland Elevation 40 m (130 ft) Irish Grid Reference N000982 Local time Tuesday 8:15 AM | County County Leitrim Time zone WET (UTC+0) Website www.drumsna.com Province Connacht | |
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Weather 3°C, Wind SE at 11 km/h, 91% Humidity | ||
Drumsna (Irish: Droim ar Snámh which translates as the ridge of the swimming place) is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is situated 6 km east of Carrick-on-Shannon on the River Shannon and is located off the N4 National primary route which links Dublin and Sligo. The harbour dates to 1817 and was a hive of commercial waterway activity until the more northern navigation canal to Carrick-on-Shannon was opened in 1850. Today, the waterway is busy with anglers and tourist pursuits in the summer months but at a much more leisurely pace.
Contents
- Map of Drumsna Co Leitrim Ireland
- History
- Natural history
- People
- Angling
- Drumsna Roman Catholic Church
- Transport
- List of Townlands around Drumsna
- References
Map of Drumsna, Co. Leitrim, Ireland
History
In the late 19th century, Drumsna was the main trading town in Leitrim with its own jail and courthouse. It was the resting place for horse-drawn carriages and the harbour was a thriving delivery port. In 1850, the construction of the Jamestown Canal led to a change of the Shannon navigation which altered the status of Drumsna. Throughout at least the 19th and 20th centurys, a number of annual fairs were held at Drumsna on- May 20, June 22, August 25, October 7, and December 13. There used to be a Chalybeate Spa near the village in past centuries.
Ashfort House, near Drumsna, was originally the home of the Caulfield family. It was purchased by the Waldrons of Cartron in 1744. It was here in January 1848 that Hubert Kelly Waldron JP was murdered in a non-political incident when the local coroner attempted to serve him with a writ.
Until 1996 the main N4 Dublin to Sligo road passed through the village which was then bypassed.
Natural history
In the 19th century the skull of a small ancient Irish elk was was found in the Shannon, at Drumsna Bridge.
People
Angling
Drumsna is widely acknowledged as an anglers' paradise. The many unpolluted lakes and rivers in the area support a huge population of wild fish. Coarse fish species include bream, roach, rudd, hybrids, tench, pike, perch and eels. The Shannon flows through the village and there are several good fishing lakes close by. The Shannon has bream, rudd, roach, tench, perch and pike. Lough Aduff just outside the village is a very good bream and roach water with good tench present to 5 lb (2.3 kg). Headford is a small lake located about 1½ mile north east of the village of Drumsna, this lake has a good stock of bream to 3 lb (1.4 kg) and some very good tench fishing can be had here, especially during the summer months.
Drumsna Roman Catholic Church
Built in 1845 and part financed from the proceeds of a trip to Rome by the then Parish Priest, Father George Geraghty, the building boasts one of the largest church bells in the country. The church also contains a statue to the Virgin Mary which was the only surviving item from Belmount House when it was destroyed by fire. Sunday mass is celebrated in the church by Father John Wall at 9:30 am.