placenamesDrumfree
Droim Fraoigh
Drumfree’s former station house found a new role as the North Pole Bar, connecting railway memory with Inishowen’s singing and instrumental traditions.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Droim Fraoigh · Irish · main form · validated name
- Drumfree · English · main form
- Drimfries · English · main form · local name
Place & story
From station house to public house
Francis Breslin established a public house in the former Drumfries railway house at Drumfree's crossroads in 1961. Initially known informally as the Station House, it acquired the name North Pole around the time of an extension in 1964. Later alterations included a 2016 refurbishment and a small gallery devoted to the old railway building's history, preserving its former identity within a different community use. [2]
A venue for traditional singing
The North Pole became one of the regular venues for the Inishowen Traditional Singers' Circle, founded in 1988. Its sessions bring local and visiting singers together, with the bar also featuring in the annual Singing Weekend programme. In March 2026 it hosted separate music and singing sessions. The venue links informal song-sharing with a wider programme of performances and documentation across the peninsula. [3] [4]
Dinny McLaughlin at Shandrum
Nearby Shandrum was the home of fiddler and dancer Denis, or Dinny, McLaughlin. In a 2013 interview, he recalled learning from local fiddler Pat Mulhern before becoming a performer, composer and teacher. His pupils included Ciaran Tourish and Liz Doherty. McLaughlin also performed with the group Aileach, helping carry Inishowen music to national television and stages beyond the peninsula. [5]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Donegal
- Barony
- Inishowen West
- Civil parish
- Fahan Lower
- Within
- Mintiaghs
- Within
- Shandrim
- Coordinates
- 55.19663, -7.40321 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 130360 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Drumfree. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- TheNorthPoleBar,venuehistory · Inishowen Traditional Singers’ Circle
- SingingSessionSeries,history · Inishowen Traditional Singers’ Circle
- InishowenSingingWeekend2026,programme20–23March · Inishowen Traditional Singers’ Circle
- Aremarkablelifeinmusicanddance,2013interview · Martin McGinley,Inishowen Traditional Music Project
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.