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Church History
Drumshanbo is another church on this circuit which owes its origin to the preaching of John Wesley in person. He visited the town several times on his travels, and a church was soon established there. The present church is the second Methodist church to be built in Drumshanbo, and a stone tablet in the present building was previously over the door of the first church.
Drumshanbo was at one time the centre of a circuit, with outlying churches in Boyle, Ballyfarnan and Drumkeeran among others, but as numbers decreased many of these were closed. The Drumshanbo circuit was amalgamated with the Sligo circuit in 1968, with two ministers, one in Sligo and the second in the Drumshanbo manse, adjacent to the church. In 1983 the number of minsters on the circuit was reduced to one, who resided in Sligo.
For a number of years Sunday services in Drumshanbo church were held only on alternate Sundays. The membership reached a low point during this time, but since then it has increased considerably. Co-operation between the Methodist and Church of Ireland congregations in Drumshanbo has resulted in the Methodist service being increased to three Sundays per month, with service on the fourth Sunday being held in the Church of Ireland, so that members of the two small congregations can join together for worship every Sunday. The future of Drumshanbo Methodist church, which was in the balance for some time, now seems assured.
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