Drumhack, County Fermanagh

Background

Drumhack lies about two miles north-west of Lisnaskea.

In Drumhanke (1680), -n- appears to be a scribal error for –c- and the most satisfactory interpretation of the place-name is Droim Chaca “ridge of wet, muddy land”.  While none of the historical forms shows any evidence of the final –a of caca,the loss of a final unstressed vowel in the process of anglicisation is well-attested in Irish place-names (see Curraghfad above).  As in the case of Drumguiff above, the irregular lenition of the initial letter of the final element after the masculine noun droim probably suggests a dative/locative form which has come to be used as the nominative.

The Irish word cac signifies “excrement; ordure, droppings” (Ó Dónaill sv).  However, in place-names it can be used to refer to wet or muddy land.  This appears to be its significance in the name of the townland of Cacinish which lies some nine miles to the south, in the parish of Kinawley and the derivation of which is Cacinis i.e. “wet, muddy island”.   

The initial element of this place-name, i.e. droim “ridge”, is a common one in this area of the parish.  There is a 50m. hill in the townland.

References

(info. from McKay, P. (2004): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. 8 p. 92)

Additional Information

Historical name form

Old Form	Ref. Date	Reference
Drumhanke	1661	BSDc
D:ha.k (M~S~ W of Colebrooke r)	1672c	Hib. Del. Fermanagh
Drumhack al. Drumhauke	1675	ASE 231 b $39
Drumhanke	1680	BSD (Ó Maolagáin) 533
Drimhek	1723	Old Map Manor of Coole (OSNB) B104
Drumhach	1817	GJM M'stephana (OSNB) B104
Drumhach	1824	HC Sur.& Val.(OSNB) B104
Drumhack	1830c	Bnd. Sur. (OSNB) B104
Drumlack	1830c	Bnd. Sur. (OSNB) B104
~Druim Sheaca ""Ridge of the frost""	1834c	J O'D (OSNB) B104
Drumhack	1862	Griffith's Val.

Barony

Magherastephana

Parish

Aghalurcher

Parish in 1851

Aghalurcher

Townland

None

Place name ID

19435

Place name type

T