Drummully Polyp

Coordinates: 54°8′35″N 7°18′35″W / 54.14306°N 7.30972°W / 54.14306; -7.30972The Drummully Polyp, better known as The Connons or the Drummully Salient and also referred to as Coleman Island, is a pene-enclave and a practical enclave located along the border between Ireland and the United Kingdom, near the town of Clones.[1][2]

Drummully forms part of Co. Monaghan and is connected to the rest of the Republic of Ireland by a narrow strip of water on the river Finn approximately 110 metres wide. There is no road or pedestrian access to Drummully from the rest of the Republic of Ireland which renders it a practical enclave. Access is available only by travelling through Co. Fermanagh in Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom.

History

The area which makes up present day Drummully became part of the newly formed Co. Monaghan around 1585 when the kingdom of Airgíalla came to an end and the land was divided into counties.

Following the Irish War of Independence, in 1922 as part of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, 26 counties including Co. Monaghan seceded from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to form Saorstát Éireann (the Irish Free State).

Co. Fermanagh remained in the United Kingdom, meaning that after partition Drummully was inaccessible by road except through the United Kingdom. Drummully was not policed until May 1924 when An Garda Síochána were allowed to pass over the National Frontier through Northern Ireland.

The 1924-25 boundary commission sought to regularise the border but no changes were made to avoid creating further disputes.

In the period between 1924 and 1998 Drummully was relatively easy to access from the rest of the Republic of Ireland via the N54/A3 "concession road" where no permanent security or customs physical infrastructure existed. In the period between 1971 and 1994 other roads in and out of Drummully were physically blocked by reinforced concrete blocks, metal spikes and craters put in place by the British army. This was during the period known as "the troubles".

The peace process starting in the 1990s brought the opening of the border. As both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom share a Common Travel Area and are part of the European Single Market this means that today the border is invisible. Today Drummully's geography as a practical enclave is inconsequential to its inhabitants although Brexit threatens this.


References

  1. ↑ McNally, Frank. "Borderline Nationality Disorder". Irish Times. Irish Times. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Jennings, Ken. "Ireland's Drummully Polyp Is Not a Sea Cucumber—It's an Island". Conde Nast Traveler. Conde Nast.
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