Links
Fly fishing for pike on Lough Rowan
Leitrim Tourism Information Page
Sliabh an Iarainn Cycling Route Link
General Information in relation to the area
Some 12km north of Carrick, DRUMSHANBO is a lively village at the tip of Lough Allen’s southern shore. Right in its centre, the Sliabh an Iarainn Visitor Centre ( Acres Lake Amenity Area) is a good source of detailed background information on local customs and history, including the iron-and-coal mining industries centred on Arigna in County Roscommon, as well as a reconstruction of a typical sweathouse. Drumshanbo has a strong musical tradition and, in the third week of July, holds the seven-day Joe Mooney Summer School, offering traditional music classes and concerts.
At the beginning of July it also hosts the An Tostal Festival, with a variety of music and street entertainment.
From Drumshanbo roads lead north along both eastern and western shores of Lough Allen. The western route crosses into County Roscommon and skirts the Arigna Mountains, while its alternative to the east heads up through bleak flatlands below Slieve Anierin. The waymarked 48-kilometre Leitrim Way (map available from local tourist offices) follows Lough Allen’s shoreline before taking in higher ground on its way to the remote village of Dowra, the starting point for the Cavan Way. At the Allen Centre, beside the Lough Allen Hotel , they offer a variety of activities, such as windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, fishing, paddle boarding and hill-walking.
Visit the Arigna Mining Experience where you can enjoy a guided tour of a real mine and see how coal was mined in what was the last working mine in Arigna. Stroll through the exhibition area which traces 400 years of mining history in the area.
For more information go to www.arignaminingexperience.ie
Learn about Map Reading and broaden the mind by walking The Miners Way, part of the Way Marked Ways of Ireland. This is proving very popular with groups of young people from all parts of Ireland.
Check out the walks Arigna Miners Way
The Kingfisher Cycle trail passes through Drumshanbo as it winds its way criss-crossing the border for approx. 400 miles. One of the loops runs along the Canal down to nearby Leitrim Village. Bikes can be hired in Drumshanbo.
For more information see Kingfisher Trial