Drum, County Monaghan


Drum is a village in the west of County Monaghan in Ireland. It is notable for being the only Protestant-majority settlement in the Republic of Ireland.

Location and name

Drum is situated between some lakes, such as Drum Lough to the north, Quarry Lough to the west, and Long Lough to the south. It is named for the surrounding drumlin terrain. Local people arranged signage at Drum Lough, which has duck.
The village lies on a minor road off the main Monaghan town to Cootehill road, and the nearest larger settlements are Cootehill and Newbliss, site of the national writers' and artists' retreat facility, the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig.

Character

Drum has a Church of Ireland church, one of the oldest Presbyterian churches on the island of Ireland, a Free Presbyterian church and a Gospel Hall. Unusually for Ireland, Drum has no Catholic church.
The village also has a Protestant Hall, which hosts two Orange Lodges and an accordion band. A blue plaque on the wall of the Protestant Hall commemorates John Deyell, who later founded a settlement in Canada. There is also a branch of the Royal Black Preceptory, and the Drum Association, a local development association, which shares premises with the Wee Drummers childcare facility, but no GAA club. There is a Protestant primary school, while the nearest secondary school is in Cootehill, a 15-minutes drive away. Drum also participates in the Tidy Towns competition. The village shop and the last local public house closed in the 2010s, and the nearest retail facilities are now in Cootehill.

Notable people