Drumshanbo: Distillery, Music and Waterways

Drumshanbo appeals to travellers looking to combine their stay with a distillery tour, a cultural programme or an outdoor activity. In the town, you’ll find tastings, traditional music, exhibitions and guided outdoor experiences. The wider destination of County Leitrim also offers waterside paths and longer walking routes. When planning, check event dates and seasonal visitor opportunities separately.

Distillery and guided activities

The Shed Distillery offers a tour of a fully operational distillery in Drumshanbo. It includes two guided tastings, and this is also where Irish Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Whiskey is made. In County Leitrim, the Jackalope Café at The Shed Distillery serves homemade food and drinks. The tour and café have different focuses: a guided distillery experience on the one hand, and food and drinks on the other.

Lough Allen Adventure offers kayaking and SUP tours through Drumshamazon. Separately, guided outdoor experiences are available at Sliabh an Iarainn. This gives you two different types of activities to plan for: tours on the water and guided experiences at Sliabh an Iarainn.

Music and local history

The week-long Joe Mooney Summer School takes place in Drumshanbo every July. The programme features traditional Irish music, singing and dancing. Check the exact dates before planning your trip around the festival.

The Sliabh an Iarainn Visitor Centre is located at Acres Lake in Drumshanbo. Its audiovisual exhibitions focus on the Arigna and Sliabh an Iarainn mountain region and cover the railway, canal, lakes, iron and coal mining, and musical heritage. A short audiovisual presentation offers impressions and views of nearby lakes, mountains and places. As it operates seasonally, check visitor opportunities in advance.

The exhibition Glimpses of the Past features photographs, documents and memorabilia about Drumshanbo’s past. It is located above the Credit Union offices at The Square in Drumshanbo. Check whether an appointment is required before visiting.

Routes and destinations in County Leitrim

The first section of the Shannon Blueway comprises 16.5 kilometres of waterways, along with circular walking and cycling routes between Drumshanbo and Carrick-on-Shannon. Another specific route detail concerns the Acres Lake Boardwalk: this 600-metre section is part of a 6.5-kilometre linear walking and cycling route from Acres Lake in Drumshanbo to Battlebridge Lock near Leitrim Village. The figures refer to different parts of the route: the boardwalk figure is the length of a section, while the linear route figure is its total length. Check route conditions before setting out.

For longer walks, the 56-kilometre Leitrim Way runs from Manorhamilton to Leitrim Village; it usually takes two to three days. This involves a different time commitment from the routes around Acres Lake. Hag’s Leap in the north of County Leitrim is a 330-metre-high, free-standing natural rock pinnacle in the Dartry Mountains and the highest free-standing natural rock pinnacle on the island of Ireland. It is exclusively a viewpoint; there is no access for walking or hiking there. Treat it as a viewpoint, not a walking route.

Discover more destinations: Manorhamilton, Fenagh, Ballinamore, Drumgorman, Leitrim, Cloone, Keshcarrigan, Drumreagh.

For the wider travel overview: County Leitrim.