Dromintee

Drumintee Chapel

Dromintee or Drumintee[1] (from Irish: Druim an Tighe, meaning "ridge of the house", or Droim an Tí in modern Irish)[1] is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 364 people. It lies within the Newry and Mourne District Council area.

People

The writer and folklorist Michael J Murphy (1913-1996) was from Dromintee. He contributed much to the BBC and RTÉ coverage of folklore and country life. He also published several books about Irish life, folklore and sayings such as At Slieve Gullion's Foot. His relatives, the Murphy family (Ballynamona Road) shared many evenings with Michael when he came to tell his stories to his family.

The priest Luke Donnellan spent many years here, and according to some reports may have been from here or at least attended the Protestant school in Aghdavoyle for a time. He would also return here regularly during his time as parish priest in Loughall to collect water from a well near the primary school. The story goes that he didn't like the water in Loughall and found the water from the Dromintee well to be of better quality.

Captain Robert Nairac was a British Army officer who was abducted and killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army and posthumously awarded the George Cross. He visited the Three Steps Inn in Dromintee on 14 May 1977 and was attacked outside the pub, abducted and killed. His body was never found.

Dromintee is the home of the Oriel Sept Clan surname O'Hare. Many O'Hares are buried in St Patrick's Church graveyard on Newline Road.

Sport

Dromintee was home to the first Gaelic Athletic Association club in the county, briefly active in 1887. Jonesboro Border Rangers GFC was active from the 1920s to 1946, and the present club, Dromintee St Patrick's GAC (Cumann Naomh Pádraig), was formed in 1952 and represents the Dromintee and Jonesborough parish. Gaelic football and camogie are played.

Dromintee was the home of a former GAA President, Pádraig MacNamee. He served as President from 1938 to 1943 as a representative of Antrim.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Placenames NI

External links

Coordinates: 54°05′N 6°26′W / 54.083°N 6.433°W