Dromod () is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland. Dromod is a noted fishing village beside Bofin and Boderg, which are threaded by the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

. Built along the River Shannon, this is a Tidy Towns winner with a modern harbour frequented by cruiser traffic. The Bog Oak water feature in the centre of the village, entitled 'The Weeping Tree', and was made by a local craftsman from a piece of bog oak which was found nearby.

Demographics

Between 2006 and 2011, the population of Dromod increased from 210 to 356, an increase of 69.5%.

Dromod railway station

The village has a station on the Dublin-Sligo railway line connecting

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

and Dublin Connolly long the mainline. Dromod railway station opened on 3 December 1862 and remains in operation, despite closing for goods services on 3 November 1975. Dromod also had a railway station on the narrow gauge

Cavan and Leitrim Railway The Cavan & Leitrim Railway was a narrow gauge railway in the counties of Leitrim and Cavan in northwest Ireland, which ran from 1887 until 1959. Unusually for Ireland, this narrow gauge line survived on coal traffic, from the mine at Arigna, ...

. It opened on 24 October 1887 and finally closed on 1 April 1959. A short section of narrow gauge line has been reopened at the station as part of preservation efforts.

History

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...

the place was called "Dromode mac Shanley" in recognition of the dominant Mac Shanly sept of

Muintir Eolais The Muintir Eolais of Conmaicne Réin, were nobles of Gaelic Ireland. For seven hundred years from the 8th century, they lived and ruled an area roughly conterminous to present-day south County Leitrim. Their territory comprised the lands name ...

. The town is mentioned once in the

Irish Annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

- "". An Iron works was established at Dromod .

Pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...

brought to Dromod Finery forge was used to produce an malleable iron product, for transportation to Dublin and Limerick. The operation was closed down in the 1790s, due to an exhaustion of forests locally. Through at least the 19th and 20th century, an impressive seven annual

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s were held at Dromod- 1 January, 28 March (or 29th), 15 May, 26 June (or 29th), 14 August, 10 October (or 11th), and 11 December.

People

* The 19th-century poet John McDonald lived near Dromod in County Leitrim.

Notes and references

Notes

Primary sources

Secondary sources

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External links

Dromod railway station
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110201135748/http://godromod.com/ {{County Leitrim Towns and villages in County Leitrim