Dromore West (Irish: An Droim Mór Thiar[2]) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland.
Dromore West is located along the N59 between the Ox Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. The village is situated on the banks of the Dunneil River, offering scenic river walks that lead toward the coast. Dromore West is part of the Wild Atlantic Way, a renowned coastal route that highlights the natural beauty of the region. With a population of 292 as of the 2022 census, the village serves as a small but important hub for the surrounding rural community. Historically, Dromore West played a significant role as the center of a Poor Law Union established in 1849, and remnants of its workhouse remain a key part of its heritage. The village is also notable for its proximity to Ballykilcash Hill, which features an old Napoleonic tower.
Today, Dromore West offers essential services such as a supermarket, petrol station, health center, and postal services, catering to both locals and visitors. The village is known for its quiet, rural character, with a mix of modern and historic elements, and it remains a gateway to exploring the rich landscape and history of County Sligo.
History
Nine Years War
In 1600, Red Hugh O'Donnell, a sixteenth-century Irish clan chief and Lord of Tyrconnell, visited Dromore West. He came to make peace with the Connacht clans and to seek their help for his march to Kinsale during the Nine Years' War (Ireland) (1593–1603). [3]
Dromore West Poor Law Union & Workhouse
Dromore West became a Poor Law Union in 1849. This new union, established from parts of the Sligo and Ballina Unions, covered 152 square miles and had a population of 13,034 by the 1901 census. The union comprised electoral divisions including Aughris, Castleconor, Dromard, Easky, Kilglass, Skreen, Templeboy, and Toberpatrick.
Dromore West Poor Law Union Extent
The Dromore West Union initially sought to avoid constructing a workhouse by using a facility in Sligo, but disagreements led to the erection of a new workhouse between 1850 and 1852, designed by George Wilkinson. The workhouse, built on a six-acre site, could accommodate 400 inmates and cost £4,650. Its design followed Wilkinson’s standard plans, with distinct wings for men and women, a T-shaped layout for the main buildings, and a rear hospital block. The workhouse also had a cemetery and a memorial stone dedicated to those buried there.
In the 1870s, a scandal involving a female inmate and the son of the Board of Guardians’ chairman brought attention to the lax discipline within the workhouse. By the 1920s, the workhouse fell into financial difficulty due to IRA ambushes during the War of Independence, and in 1923, it was burned by anti-treaty forces to prevent its use by British forces.
The workhouse buildings later served various purposes before being converted into residential spaces in the 1980s. The current owners continue to restore parts of the historic structure.
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People
Patrick Collins RHA, 1911–1994, one of Ireland's foremost painters of the 20th century was born in Dromore West.
Hannah Rutledge Ormsby (1901–1938), known as Ruth, was born in Belville, Dromore West. She was a qualified nurse who traveled to Spain in 1936 to care for wounded Spanish Republicans and International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War where she tragically died in May 1938. She was the only Irishwoman to die in the Spanish Civil War. [5]
