DRUMSHAMBO

DRUMSHAMBO, a village, in the parish of KILTOGHART, barony and county of LEITRIM, and province of CONNAUGHT; 6 ¾ miles (N. by E.) from Carrick-on-Shannon; containing 479 inhabitants. It is situated near the southern extremity of Lough Allen, not far from the point where the Shannon emerges from it, and close to that where the new line of navigation from Battle-bridge enters it. Works for smelting and manufacturing the iron ore found in the neighbourhood were formerly carried on here, and were continued in operation till 1765. The iron-stone was chiefly collected from the eastern shore of Lough Allen, and in the beds of the streams that descend from the Slieve-an-erin mountains to the lake, where small workings are also visible; vast woods, which formerly clothed the neighbouring valleys, supplied charcoal, and limestone as a flux was quarried close to the works, which appear to have consisted only of one small square blast furnace, from which the iron was carried to the neighbouring village, where it was forged into bars.

The village is a constabulary police station, and has a penny post to Carrick-on-Shannon. Fairs are held on Feb. 15th, April 1st, May 16th, June 13th, July 18th, Aug. 16th, Oct. 6th, and Nov. 16th. The second church for the parish is in this village, and was erected by a loan of £1107. 13. from the late Board of First Fruits in 1829. It is a gothic structure ornamented with a tower and pinnacles: there are also a R. C. and a Wesleyan Methodist chapel. A loan fund has recently been established here.—See KlLTOGHART.