geography
Drumshanbo, County Leitrim
Published 9 November 2025
Overview
Drumshanbo forms the core of the McManus family heartland. It sits at the southern end of Lough Allen, within the civil parish of Kiltubbrid and the Roman Catholic parish of Drumshanbo (Murhan).
Parishes
- Civil parish: Kiltubbrid
- RC parish: Drumshanbo / Murhan (Diocese of Ardagh & Clonmacnoise)
Online Resources
- NLI Registers – Drumshanbo (Murhan):
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0163
(Baptisms 1861–1880; earlier volumes not digitized) - Adjacent parish covering earlier baptisms:
Kiltubrid RC Parish (1841–1874) - Griffith’s Valuation (1857): AskAboutIreland.ie
- Civil Records (post-1864): IrishGenealogy.ie
Historical Notes
Drumshanbo lay amid tenant farms and market-town trades. Several McManus families appear in Griffith’s Valuation as tenants under Lord Kilbracken.
By 1880, younger descendants such as Frank McManus (b. 1859) had emigrated—eventually becoming “King of the Potrero” in San Francisco.
Research Focus
- Search 1841–1874 Kiltubrid baptisms for James McManus & Catherine ( ? )
- Identify all McManus tenants in Kiltubbrid townlands (Griffith’s)
- Confirm family migration into Roscommon (Arigna/Ballyfarnon) and Cavan (Swanlinbar)