Dromahair
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Dromahair Droim Dhá Thiar
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| Town | |
 Dromahair
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| Coordinates: 54°14′00″N 8°18′00″W / 54.2333°N 8.3°WCoordinates: 54°14′00″N 8°18′00″W / 54.2333°N 8.3°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Leitrim |
| Elevation | 51 m (167 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Urban | 748 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | G804316 |
Dromahair (Irish: Droim Dhá Thiar) meaning "Ridge of Two Demons" is a small village in County Leitrim, Ireland. Dromahair is 10 km (6 mi) from Manorhamilton and 17 km (10 mi) from Sligo town.
Dromahair lies in the hilly north west of Leitrim amid some stunning unspoiled natural landscapes. The "Sleeping Giant" mountain formation (comprising Keelogyboy, Leean and Benbo) is visible on approaches to the village, as is Lough Gill below the Slieve Daeáne and Killerry mountain. The village itself is also idyllic, located on the banks of the River Bonet, which flows into Lough Gill. Much of Dromahair was modelled on a village in Somerset by the Earl of Leitrim, and the central streetscape still follows the pattern set down by him.
The village takes its name from the ridge of high ground on which it is located above the Bonnet river. The ridge was the site of the important early church site of Drumlease, a Patrician foundation of the fifth century AD. The name in Irish is Droim dhá Ethiar, meaning apparently the "Ridge of Two (Air) Demons".
During the medieval period Dromahair was the capital of Breifne - a Gaelic confederation that stretched from Kells in County Meath across County Cavan and north County Leitrim to County Sligo. It was the seat of the O'Rourkes - the ancient Kings of Brieifne. The ruins of the O'Rourke castle (built c. 950 AD) and banqueting hall are present in the village. It is also the place from which Devorgilla (wife of Tiernan O'Rourke) eloped with Dermot McMurrough (the King of Leinster) in 1153 to Ferns, an act which brought about a feud and McMurrough's eventual exile from Ireland.
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