The village takes its name from the ridge of high ground on which it is located above the Bonet 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. On the ruins of this ancient site now fourteen holiday cottages have been built. It is also the place from which Devorgilla (wife of Tiernan O'Rourke) was abducted by
Dermot McMurrough (the King of Leinster) in
1153 to
Ferns, an act which brought about a feud and McMurrough's eventual exile from Ireland.
Creevelea Abbey, located on the outskirts of the village, is a Franciscan Friary which was founded as a daughter foundation of
Donegal Abbey in 1508 and was in use until the 17th century when the Franciscans were forced to leave by the
New Model Army. The nave, choir, tower and transept are well preserved and it is now protected as a national monument. In addition, a fortified house constructed for Sir William Villiers (c. 1629) is located in the village. In 1798
General Humbert led Irish and French forces to defeat the British at battles in
Castlebar and at Carricknagat near
Collooney. Humbert's forces were then pursued through Leitrim to Longford. His army is known to have rested in Dromahair and captured British artillery was thrown into the Bonet to allow faster movement of the army. Dromahair was connected to the railway network until the late 1950s. The railway station opened on 1 September 1881 as part of the
Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway connecting Sligo and
Enniskillen. It closed on 1 October 1957 with the closure of the line.
William Butler Yeats used to visit the town regularly to meet the parish priest. He refers to that priest in his poem "The old priest Peter Gilligan" and to Dromahair in "The man who dreamed of Faeryland": He stood among a crowd at Dromahair His heart hung all upon a silken dress And he had known at last some tenderness Before earth took him to her stony care... The historic Abbey Manor hotel, refurbished and re-opened in 2004 by
Charlie McCreevy, the then finance minister, was abruptly closed in 2009 and abandoned to the elements. The owners went into hiding and attempts by various concerned groups and individuals to track them down have so far (2015) proved unsuccessful. The building has been subject to vandalism and theft since its closure, the lead has been removed from the roof, and the valuable paintings stolen. After an attempt was made to burn the building down, a Section 59 notice (notice to require works to be carried out by the owners) was put into effect on the hotel in July 2015. Through at least the 19th and 20th centuries, four annual
fairs were held at Dromahair on- 1 January, 15 June, 21 July, and 31 October (or 1 November). ==Local amenities and attractions==