Leitrim ( ; ) is a village in

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, on the River Shannon near the border with County Roscommon. It is at the junction of the R280 and R284 regional roads.

Location

Located on the River Shannon, Leitrim village is connected to the

River Erne The River Erne ( , ga, Abhainn na hÉirne or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border. ...

via the Shannon-Erne Waterway. The river port has a quay, several jetties and two marinas, with facilities for cruising traffic. The village is about from

Carrick-on-Shannon Carrick-on-Shannon () is the county town of County Leitrim in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county of Leitrim. A smaller part of the town lies in County Roscommon. The population of the town was 4,062 in 2016. It is ...

History

From the Early modern period,

is named after the village. Throughout at least the 19th and 20th centuries, numerous annual fairs were held at Leitrim village on- 22 January, 20 February, 25 March, 5 May, 16 June, 23 July, September 1 (or 3rd), 13 October, and 1 December. In 1925, Leitrim village comprised 30 houses with 5 being licensed to sell alcohol. Liatroim was a strategically important

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

of the River Shannon connecting

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

and

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

. The Irish Annals makes mention of Leitrim village ( ga, Liath-druim) many times. In 1270 the

Battle of Áth an Chip ''Cath Áth an Chip'', meaning the Battle of Ath an Chip, alias the "Battle of Connacht", was a battle fought in 1270 between armies of the Kingdoms of Connacht and England in County Leitrim in Ireland. The result was a decisive Irish victory. ...

between Normans and Connacht probably occurred on Drumhierney townland beside Battle-bridge. The county itself is named after the village of Leitrim near the River Shannon, which was an important stronghold during the Ó Ruairc (O'Rourke) family reign. The remains of O'Rourke's Castle can still be found in the village centre. The name 'Leitrim' itself is derived from the Irish Liath Druim, meaning 'grey ridge', and is a commonplace name throughout Ireland.

Developments

Successive Finance Acts during the 1990s encouraged the building of hotels and holiday houses in designated deprived rural areas. Leitrim village was a beneficiary of these tax incentives. The resultant growth in the period between 2002 and 2007 saw several complexes of self-catering apartment blocks being erected around the marinas, one of which was funded by the International Fund for Ireland under the auspices of the

Anglo-Irish Agreement The Anglo-Irish Agreement was a 1985 treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The treaty gave the Irish government an advisory role in Northern Irela ...

. The village has had a number of successes in the National Tidy Towns competition. Leitrim village is used as a tourist base for the surrounding attractions such as the Arigna Mining Experience,

Lough Rynn Rinn Lough (, also ), also known as Lough Rynn, is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It is located in south County Leitrim. Geography Rinn Lough measures about long and wide. It is located about south of Mohill. Lough Rynn Castl ...

Lough Key Forest Park Lough Key Forest Park is an 800-hectare park on the southern shore of Lough Key, 40 km south east of Sligo Town and 3 km east of Boyle, County Roscommon, in the Republic of Ireland. Formerly part of the Rockingham Estate laid out ...

, the Shannon-Erne Blueway and the nearby County Town of Carrick on Shannon.

Education and religion

St Joseph's National School is the local primary school. The local

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church is also dedicated to St Joseph.

Demographics

The village had 274 residents in 1834. In 2016, the population was 594.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * *

Irish annals

* * * {{Authority control Towns and villages in County Leitrim Populated places on the River Shannon Places of Conmaicne Maigh Nissi