These clues point to the people and places that shaped the county – and sometimes Ireland itself. Every one of them is somewhere in this guide.
A powerful queen whose legendary cattle raid began right here in Connacht’s royal heart.
A president who gave Ireland back its native voice and helped make history from a small Roscommon village.
A spring whose water, people swore, would never come to the boil no matter how long you held it over the fire.
A family whose roots stretch from the High Kings of Connacht to one of the county’s finest houses today.
A blind harper who walked the roads of Ireland for forty years, and whose tunes are still played three centuries on.
A woman refused her qualification because of who she was, who did the job across the west of Ireland for twenty years before anyone would sign the paper.
An opening in a field barely wide enough to crawl through, which people once believed led straight to the Otherworld.
A letter written by starving tenant farmers in 1846, still kept in the house they sent it to.
iCastle Island in Lough Key. A family called the McDermotts had a castle on this island. It was first written about over 800 years ago. Listen 3 min
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Roscommon is a landlocked county in the west of Ireland, in the province of Connacht. It is known for its rolling pastures, winding rivers, peaceful lakes and ancient heritage.
Roscommon borders Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath and Offaly, and although it has no coastline, it boasts Ireland’s longest stretch of River Shannon shoreline – over 140 kilometres.
Ros Comáin means ‘Comán’s Wood’, named after St Comán, who founded a monastery here over 1,300 years ago. His settlement grew into the modern county town of Roscommon, and his name still echoes through the landscape today.
County Fact File▾
Population
70,259 (2022 census)
Population rank
26th
Area
2,548 km²
Area rank
11th
County town
Roscommon town (population 12,957 – 2022 census)
Principal towns
Roscommon town (6,555), Boyle (2,915), Ballaghaderreen (2,387), Castlerea (2,348)
County colours
Blue and yellow
Vehicle registration
RN
Nickname
The Rossies
Highest point
Seltannasaggart, near the Leitrim border, at 428 metres
Principal rivers
The Shannon, the Suck and the Boyle River, with Lough Key and many smaller loughs
The County Crest▾
Crest and Motto
The Roscommon coat of arms was granted in 1951 and shows what makes the county special. The Latin motto ‘Constans Hiberniae Cor’ means ‘The Steadfast Heart of Ireland’, showing Roscommon’s strong place at the centre of the country.
The green top section stands for the ‘ros’, a wooded height that gave Roscommon its name.
The cross links to Saint Comán and the county’s ancient abbeys.
The crown reminds us of Rathcroghan, home of the kings of Connacht.
The ram’s head represents sheep farming and the native Roscommon sheep.
The oak branch honours Douglas Hyde from Roscommon, Ireland’s first president.
Roscommon has more than 7,000 archaeological monuments spread across it, from court tombs built by the first farmers to the mining works of the last century. These are the forty-four places this guide will take you to.
The 44 places in this guide. Find a number on the map, then look it up in the list below.
1Knockranny Court Tomb
2Mihanboy Portal Tomb
3Knockanyconor Portal Tomb
4Rathcroghan
5Roscommon Castle
6Rindoon Castle
7Dunamon Castle
8Ballintober Castle
9Galey Castle
10Lough O’Flynn Crannóg
11Cloonfree Moated Site
12Rathra
13Boyle Abbey
14Roscommon Abbey
15Tulsk Abbey
16Cloonshanville Abbey
17King House
18Strokestown House
19Clonalis House
20Castlecoote House
21Edmondstown House
22Elphin Windmill
23Castle Island, Lough Key
24Lough Key Forest and Activity Park
25National Famine Museum
26Castlerea Railway Museum
27Clay Pipe Workshop & Visitor Centre
28Arigna Mining Experience
29Douglas Hyde Centre
30John McGahern Barracks
31Rathcroghan Visitor Centre
32Roscommon County Museum
33Bluebell Wood
34The Battle of Curlew Pass
35The Connaught Rangers
36Napoleonic Fort
37Gallowglass Warriors
38Derryglad Folk Museum
39Drum Heritage Centre
40Ogulla Holy Well
41Sraduff Holy Well
42St Diarmuid’s Holy Well
43St Lasair’s Holy Well
44Brideswell Holy Well
Scroll the list · numbers match the map
Did You Know? ▾
Roscommon borders Lough Allen and Lough Ree, two of the three great lakes on the River Shannon. The River Suck forms much of the western boundary, and the two rivers meet at the very southern tip of the county.
Get ready to explore the amazing heritage of County Roscommon – a place full of stories, secrets and surprises waiting just for you.
Roscommon is bursting with treasures from the past and wonders of nature. Have you ever seen a castle that’s hundreds of years old? Or walked through a forest where ancient kings might have hunted? From the mighty monuments of Rathcroghan to the peaceful beauty of Lough Key Forest Park, this county is packed with exciting places to discover.
But heritage isn’t just about buildings and landscapes – it’s also about people, traditions and culture! In Roscommon, you’ll find tales of brave warriors, clever queens and magical creatures.
Whether it’s exploring mysterious ringforts, spotting wildlife in the bogs or learning how our place names tell secrets from our past, there’s something for everyone. So grab your explorer’s hat and let’s dive into the heart of Roscommon – where every stone, tree and field has a tale to tell!
Nollaig
Nollaig Feeney, Heritage Officer, Roscommon County Council
iThe grey rock here is limestone. The soil on top of it is very thin, so the rock breaks up through the grass.
Geology means learning about rocks and how the land was made. Roscommon’s land is mostly limestone that formed 330 million years ago under a warm, shallow sea. Later, huge sheets of ice moved across the county. When they melted, they left ridges, hills and hollows behind.
That’s why Roscommon has some amazing landforms – shaped by ancient seas, fierce ice and flowing underground water! Here are some fun facts to help you learn about the ground beneath your feet.
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Under a coral sea
Millions of years ago this whole area sat under warm, shallow waters filled with coral. The limestone beneath our feet is made from tiny sea creatures and shells that settled on the sea floor.
Limestone dissolves slowly in water, creating cracks, caves and underground streams. This special landscape is called karst – and Roscommon has lots of it.
Eskers are long, winding ridges of sand and gravel left by rivers that once flowed under the ice. Some roads in Roscommon follow these ready-made high, dry paths.
At places like Slieve Bawn and north of Boyle, very old rocks from an ancient ocean floor rise up through the younger limestone layers. They were once part of a vanished mountain range.
Near Boyle you can find drumlins – smooth, rounded hills shaped by the ice. Seen from above they lie in long rows, all pointing the same way, because they were all shaped by ice moving in the same direction.
Roscommon has turloughs – seasonal lakes that fill in winter and dry into grassland in summer. Water rises and falls through tiny cracks in the limestone below.
When ancient lakes covered limestone after the Ice Age, water dissolved the rock around tree stumps and boulders, leaving mushroom-shaped stones behind.
iLargan Quarry, near Elphin. Each stripe in the rock face is a layer of limestone, stacked one on top of another. The yellow digger at the bottom shows you how big it is.
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Roscommon’s rocks tell a story millions of years old – from tropical seas to roaring ice sheets and underground rivers. Much of the county sits on Carboniferous Limestone formed in a shallow sea about 330 million years ago, and these seabeds are packed with fossils.
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In quarries like Keeloges and Castlemine, geologists find corals, crinoids, brachiopods and gastropods – remains of the marine life that thrived when Ireland lay close to the equator. These fossils show that Roscommon was once underwater and help explain how our bedrock formed and why the landscape looks the way it does today.
Two Look up as you go in. The stone over the doorway has ogham, the oldest kind of writing in Ireland, cut along its edge. It spells a name: Fráech, son of Medb.
Oweynagat – the ‘Cave of the Cats’ – is a real karst cave, formed when water slowly dissolved the limestone beneath Rathcroghan. The entrance is a man-made passage called a souterrain that runs for about 10.5 metres, before opening into a natural limestone tunnel around 37 metres long.
The land shaped the legends – long ago, people believed this hidden underground passage was a gateway to the Otherworld.
Over 5,000 years ago, some of Ireland’s earliest farmers lived in what is now County Roscommon. These early people didn’t just grow food and keep animals – they built massive stone tombs that have lasted thousands of years.
iThe three tombs in this section, left to right: Knockranny, Mihanboy and Knockanyconor.
The Knockranny Court Tomb, the Mihanboy Portal Tomb and Knockanyconor Portal Tomb, known locally as Nellie’s Rock, are three of these incredible monuments. Made from huge upright stones and carefully placed giant capstones, they were used for burials and may have been important places for gatherings and rituals.
These ancient tombs give us a glimpse into the lives, beliefs and burial customs of Roscommon’s first settlers. They also show how people lived, honoured their dead and worked together to shape the landscape.
Did You Know? ▾
The people who built Roscommon’s stone tombs had no metal tools – they used stone, wood and rope to shape and move the massive rocks.
Then Knockranny Court Tomb as it may have appeared during the Neolithic period, about 4000 to 3500 BC. A place like this may have been used to teach the next generation about their ancestors and the world they lived in.
High on a hillside near Keadue lies the Knockranny Court Tomb – one of Roscommon’s oldest surviving monuments. Built between 3,500 and 2,000 BC, this tomb features an open ‘court’ made of standing stones, leading into a stone burial chamber. It’s thought to have been used for ceremonies and burials.
Did You Know? ▾
Many court tombs were built facing the rising sun, which may have linked to beliefs about life, death and the afterlife.
The Mihanboy Portal Tomb, built over 5,000 years ago, is made of two large upright stones and a massive capstone forming a doorway into the tomb. It likely served as an important burial site. One portal stone is now missing, but a fallen headstone nearby may once have been part of the original structure.
Did You Know? ▾
The giant capstone of Mihanboy Portal Tomb weighs over 20 tonnes – that’s about the same weight as five adult hippos!
The Knockanyconor Portal Tomb stands as a silent marker of life over 5,000 years ago. Its two upright stones and collapsed capstone once formed a narrow entrance to a burial chamber.
Locals know it as Nellie’s Rock, after a woman who is said to have taken shelter beneath it and raised a child there some time during the nineteenth century.
Did You Know? ▾
While over 180 portal tombs have been recorded across Ireland, only a small number are found in Roscommon.
Somebody made this from gold. Thousands of years later, it turned up in a bog. How did it get there?
Tap to RevealHubert Lannon was cutting turf on his own bog when something in the black sod caught the light. A wide crescent shaped like a new moon, and two small round discs, all made of gold. They had been lying in the bog for more than four thousand years.He brought them home and, in 1947, handed them to a chemist in Strokestown, who placed them at the back of the shop safe. There they stayed for sixty years. Only the family ever saw them, and the National Museum had no idea they existed.In March 2009, the pharmacy safe was stolen. The family told Gardaí about the gold objects kept inside it. The investigation led Gardaí to the discarded safe in a Dublin skip, where the objects were recovered in near-perfect condition. National Museum specialists then established their archaeological importance.Tap to turn back
A wide crescent of gold shaped like a new moon, with two small round gold discs beside it.
Hubert Lannon was cutting turf on his own bog when something in the black sod caught the light. A wide crescent shaped like a new moon, and two small round discs, all made of gold. They had been lying in the bog for more than four thousand years.
He brought them home and, in 1947, handed them to a chemist in Strokestown, who placed them at the back of the shop safe. There they stayed for sixty years. Only the family ever saw them, and the National Museum had no idea they existed.
In March 2009, the pharmacy safe was stolen. The family told Gardaí about the gold objects kept inside it. The investigation led Gardaí to the discarded safe in a Dublin skip, where the objects were recovered in near-perfect condition. National Museum specialists then established their archaeological importance.
iHow Rathcroghan may have looked on a gathering day. The building on top is bigger than a modern sports hall, and every one of those figures is a person.Fact File▾
Date built
From c. 4000 BC, with peak use in the Iron Age (c. 500 BC–400 AD)
Location
Near Tulsk
Used for
Ceremonies, royal gatherings and burials
Material
Earthworks, wooden structures and stone features
4Show number 4 on the county map
Rathcroghan, or Cruachan Aí, is one of Ireland’s most ancient and mysterious royal sites. From early farming times right through to the Iron Age and early Christian period, this sacred landscape was used by generations of people for ritual, rule and storytelling.
The site contains over 240 archaeological features, including burial mounds, ringforts, standing stones and Oweynagat – the Cave of the Cats – which was believed to be an entrance to the Otherworld.
Rathcroghan is not one monument. Its settlement sites, burial places and ceremonial areas are spread across more than six square kilometres of farmland, and most of them are still in fields you can walk past today. The Visitor Centre in the village of Tulsk is where you start.
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According to Irish legend, Rathcroghan was the seat of Queen Medb, a powerful ruler of Connacht, and the starting point of the great cattle raid story Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley).
Did You Know? ▾
The National Monuments Service helps care for Ireland’s most ancient places – over 800 sites, from mysterious tombs to ruined castles and ancient forts!
iThe six Royal Sites of Ireland. Five of them are earthworks in fields; only one has buildings still standing.
A long time ago, Ireland was made up of smaller kingdoms, each with its own rulers. Across the country, special places were used for holding important ceremonies, meeting with other leaders and even the crowning of kings and queens. These places are known today as the Royal Sites of Ireland.
There are six of them, and each one played a big role in Irish history. Now, they are being put forward for World Heritage Site status – meaning they could be recognised as treasures for the whole world to celebrate and protect.
The six sites
Co. Roscommon
Rathcroghan
Rathcroghan in County Roscommon was the royal site of the kings of Connacht. Its mound, burial places and ceremonial enclosures are spread over six square kilometres of farmland. This is where the Táin begins, and where Queen Medb is said to have ruled.
Uisneach in County Westmeath is known as the mythological centre of Ireland. It was a sacred meeting place where festivals were held and the first fires of Bealtaine were lit. Legends say the goddess Ériu, who gave Ireland its name, is buried here.
The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary was once the stronghold of the kings of Munster. Rising above the plains, it later became a major church site with towers, stone halls and a famous round tower. Legend says Saint Patrick himself visited this mighty rock.
Navan Fort in County Armagh was the ancient royal centre of Ulster. Over 2,000 years old, it was a place of ceremonies, feasts and legends, including stories from the Táin. Its great mound and wooden structures show it was a powerful gathering place in early Ireland.
The Hill of Tara in County Meath was the seat of Ireland’s High Kings. It has ancient mounds, ringforts and a standing stone said to roar when the true king touched it. For thousands of years, Tara was the heart of power and ceremony in Ireland.
Dún Ailinne in County Kildare was the royal site of the ancient kings of Leinster. Over 2,000 years ago it was used for ceremonies and gatherings on a great circular hilltop. Archaeologists found huge wooden structures that show its importance in early Irish life.
iThis stone is granite, which is very hard to carve. Someone cut these curling patterns into it by hand about 2,300 years ago.
Just a few kilometres from Rathcroghan stands the Castlestrange La Tène Stone, carved around 300 BC. Its flowing spiral designs are among only a handful of examples of Celtic La Tène art in Ireland.
The patterns, carved into a giant granite boulder, suggest that this area wasn’t just a political centre – it was also a place of art, ceremony and connection to a wider European world.
Tap to RevealWhat do the spirals mean?The spirals on the Castlestrange Stone were carved over 2,000 years ago – and no one knows exactly what they mean! They may have symbolised nature, belief or the passage of time.Tap to turn back
A very close view of the carved surface of the Castlestrange Stone: deep curling spirals cut into rough grey granite, one inside another.
What do the spirals mean? The spirals on the Castlestrange Stone were carved over 2,000 years ago – and no one knows exactly what they mean! They may have symbolised nature, belief or the passage of time.
This is made of wood. It is about 2,400 years old. How is it still here?
Tap to RevealTwo wooden wheels were found in a bog at Doogarrymore. They date to about 400 BC, which makes them the oldest evidence of wheeled travel anywhere in Ireland.One of them was made from three thick alder planks, held together with pegs cut from yew, and it turned on a wooden axle. There is no metal in it anywhere. Somebody shaped every piece with tools of stone, bone and bronze, and then fitted them so well that the wheel still holds its shape.Wood normally rots away in a few years. These lasted because a bog is waterlogged and airless, and the things that would break wood down cannot live there. The same bog that hid them is the reason we have them.Wheels like this were used on simple carts, and very similar ones have been found across Europe – which tells us the people here were not cut off from anywhere.Tap to turn back
The wheel today, in a museum case: a solid disc of dark wood with a raised hub at the centre and cross-pieces pegged across it.
A solid wooden wheel, dark with age, made from thick planks joined by cross-pieces, with a squared hole at the centre.
Two wooden wheels were found in a bog at Doogarrymore. They date to about 400 BC, which makes them the oldest evidence of wheeled travel anywhere in Ireland.
One of them was made from three thick alder planks, held together with pegs cut from yew, and it turned on a wooden axle. There is no metal in it anywhere. Somebody shaped every piece with tools of stone, bone and bronze, and then fitted them so well that the wheel still holds its shape.
Wood normally rots away in a few years. These lasted because a bog is waterlogged and airless, and the things that would break wood down cannot live there. The same bog that hid them is the reason we have them.
Wheels like this were used on simple carts, and very similar ones have been found across Europe – which tells us the people here were not cut off from anywhere.
Roscommon has castles all over it. Some are big enough to walk around inside. Others are one wall standing in a field, or a tower you can spot from the road without ever knowing its name.
None of them was built to be pretty. They were built to be held on to. Thick walls, small windows, and a gate you could shut in a hurry.
Whoever held a castle held the land around it, and everybody knew it. That is why the same castle could change hands five or six times in a single lifetime – attacked, taken, burned, rebuilt, and taken again.
Limestone rubble, defensive towers and thick curtain walls
5Show number 5 on the county map
It was built in 1269 by the Normans, under Robert de Ufford, on land taken from a small religious community of monks. From the very start, it was a place of power – but also of conflict.
In the centuries that followed, the castle was attacked, captured, burned and rebuilt many times. Irish kings, English rulers and powerful families all fought for control of it.
In 1340, the O’Conors, the royal family of Connacht, took the castle and made it their own. Later, it was taken by Sir Henry Sidney, and in 1578 it was transformed into a grand residence by Sir Nicholas Malby, with tall windows and towers added.
The castle was finally abandoned after being burned in 1690. Today, its roofless towers and crumbling walls are open to explore, giving visitors a glimpse into a time of knights, kings and stone walls built for battle.
Did You Know? ▾
Roscommon Castle had four big corner towers and a double gatehouse to keep enemies out – but one king, Aodh O’Conor, still managed to capture it just three years after it was built!
Roscommon Castle changed a lot over time. Can you spot the differences between the castle in 1307 and how it looked in 1584? Look closely at the walls, towers and gardens – what has stayed the same, and what has completely changed?
1307 In 1307 the castle was built for fighting. Thick walls, round towers at the corners, and no big windows to break through.
Windows. In 1307 the walls are almost blank. By 1584 rows of tall windows have been cut into them. You only put big windows in a building you do not expect to be attacked.
The roofline. The later castle has chimneys. Chimneys mean fireplaces, and fireplaces mean rooms people lived in comfortably.
Outside the walls. The early drawing shows a moat and open ground. The later one shows laid-out gardens.
Look for the towers too. They are in the same four corners in both – the shape of the castle never changed, only what it was for.
iFour more castles in the county. Three of these are paintings, because no photographs of them survive from when they were whole. Listen 3 min
Roscommon Castle is the one you can walk around. These four are harder to find, and two of them you would drive past without knowing.
One was a whole walled town with a harbour. One is still in use after eight hundred years. One belonged to the family who had once been kings. And one is a single tower on the shore of a lake.
6
Rindoon Castle
Type
Norman castle within a deserted medieval town
Date built
c. 1227
Location
On the shore of Lough Ree, near Lecarrow
Used for
Defence, residence, control of trade and territory
Material
Limestone rubble, curtain walls, towers
6Show number 6 on the county map
This castle was once part of a thriving town with a harbour and church – but it was abandoned after attacks in the 1300s!
Ireland’s ancient homes, built for power and protection.
Long before there were castles, people here built their homes to be hard to reach. Some lived on islands they made themselves, out in the middle of a lake. Some dug a ditch and filled it with water and put a fence on the bank. Some raised great rings of earth, one inside another.
All three are still in the fields of Roscommon, and once you know what you are looking for, you will start seeing them from the road.
iA painting of how the crannog in Lough O’Flynn may have looked, with round houses and a fence of sharp posts. The ring of posts in the water helped keep enemies and boats away.Fact File▾
Date built
600–1200 AD
Location
Near Ballinlough
Used for
Defence, ruling and residence
Material
Timber, brushwood, stone and earth
10Show number 10 on the county map
Over 1,400 years ago, people built their homes on man-made islands like this one in Lough O’Flynn. Logs, stones and tree branches were used to raise the island above water level. Timber walkways or canoes helped people get across.
Today it looks like a small wooded island, but archaeologists know it once bustled with life. From cooking fires to farm animals, this crannóg was a secure family home, hidden away in the lake – and safe from enemies.
Skilled Builders ▾
Crannóg builders used a clever technique called post-and-wattle. First, they hammered thick wooden posts into the ground. Then they wove bendy branches, like hazel twigs, between the posts – just like weaving a giant basket! Finally, they covered everything with mud and straw to make waterproof walls.
iThis is a painting, not a photograph. An artist has drawn how it may have looked when people lived here.Fact File▾
Date built
Around 1300 AD
Location
Near Strokestown
Used for
Residential stronghold, defence and feasting
Structure
Moat with inner bank, topped by high timber fences
Inner buildings
Post-and-wattle thatched hall for feasting
11Show number 11 on the county map
Imagine approaching Cloonfree 700 years ago – you’d see high timber fences rising from behind a water-filled ditch that circled the entire stronghold. Inside, smoke would rise from the thatched roof of the great hall where Gaelic lords gathered for feasts and important meetings.
The moat wasn’t just for protection – it announced to everyone that this was a place of power and wealth. Today, you can still trace the outline of the earthworks in the landscape, though the timber buildings and water have long disappeared.
Bardic Poetry ▾
Long ago in Ireland, special poets called bards wrote and performed poems for kings and chieftains like Hugh O’Conor. These weren’t just any poems – they were full of praise, history and powerful words that could make a leader famous! Bards trained for years to learn old stories and tricky rhymes. Their poems followed strict patterns, just like music but made of words. At places like Cloonfree, a good poem could earn a bard gold, horses or sometimes even land!
iA painting of how Rathra may have looked: two big rings of earth, one inside the other, with houses in the middle.Fact File▾
Date built
Around 600–900 AD
Location
Near Castlerea
Used for
High-status family home and defence
Structure
Large rings of earth banks and ditches – a bivallate, or double-walled, ringfort
Inner buildings
Round houses made of timber, likely with thatched roofs
12Show number 12 on the county map
Over 1,200 years ago, a powerful family built not just one defensive wall at Rathra – they built several! Workers dug deep ditches and piled the earth into massive banks, creating rings of defence around their timber homes.
Walking through the gates would have been like entering a fortress within a fortress. The outer ring kept enemies at bay, while the inner ring protected the family’s round houses and livestock. Today, you can still clearly see these earthen banks rising from the landscape.
Keeping Safe ▾
The people who built crannógs, ringforts and moated sites faced many threats. Cattle raiders regularly stole livestock from rival families. Local kings and chieftains fought over land and trade routes, while Viking raiders targeted settlements for treasure and slaves from the 800s onwards. Building strong defences wasn’t just about fear – it was about showing your status. The bigger and stronger your walls, the more important everyone knew you were!
Over 800 years ago, monks in long robes walked through stone halls, their days filled with prayer, reading and hard work. Across Roscommon, powerful kings and chieftains helped build abbeys in towns, woodlands and near ancient royal sites.
Boyle Abbey stood tall with grand stone arches. Roscommon Abbey rose in the heart of the town, while smaller communities settled at Tulsk and in the peaceful setting of Cloonshanville.
Though many now lie in ruins, these holy places still whisper stories through their towers, cloisters and carved stone walls.
Boyle Abbey is one of the finest examples of a Cistercian monastery in Ireland. Built over 860 years ago, it was home to monks who followed strict rules of silence, hard work and devotion. Monks prayed several times a day, grew their own food and copied manuscripts by hand.
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The abbey is full of stunning stone carvings, and you can still see where the monks ate, slept and worked.
Did You Know? ▾
The monks at Boyle came from Mellifont Abbey – the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland. Their order began in France.
Boyle Abbey was not the only place in Roscommon where men gave their lives to God. Three more stood in the county, at Roscommon town, Tulsk and Cloonshanville.
All three were Dominican friaries. The Cistercian monks at Boyle stayed inside their abbey walls, praying and working. Friars were different – they went out among the people, preaching in towns and villages.
14
Roscommon Abbey
Built
c. 1253 AD
Order
Dominican friary
Where
The heart of Roscommon town
14Show number 14 on the county map
Once crowned with a tall spire and decorated with fine carved windows, it was a centre of learning and religious life. The abbey was founded by Felim O’Conor, King of Connacht.
Once home to Dominican friars, this abbey sat close to the ancient royal site of Rathcroghan. Today, only parts of the tower and church wall survive – quiet reminders of a once-powerful religious community.
This Dominican friary was known for healing and hospitality. It stood in a peaceful wooded area and served the surrounding rural population. You can still walk among the stone walls and feel the echo of monastic life.
From the 1600s onwards, wealthy landlords built grand houses across Roscommon. These estates weren’t just homes – they were centres of power. Families like the Kings, Mahons and O’Conors controlled thousands of acres, collected rent from tenant farmers, and shaped local life for generations.
Today, some houses remain family homes while others have opened their doors to reveal the stories – both proud and painful – of Big House Ireland.
Did You Know? ▾
Local history groups are working to preserve the stories of families like these – the smaller landlords who lived more quietly but still influenced their communities.
iKing House in Boyle. It has been a mansion, an army barracks and now a museum.Fact File▾
Date built
1730
Location
Boyle
Built for
Sir Henry King, wealthy landlord and politician
Style
Elegant Georgian mansion
17Show number 17 on the county map
King House is one of Ireland’s finest examples of 18th-century architecture. It was the grand home of the powerful King family – landlords, MPs and military officers who controlled vast estates around Boyle.
With sweeping staircases, huge fireplaces and high-ceilinged rooms, it was built to impress. When the King family moved to a bigger house at Lough Key, the house became a military barracks. Soldiers lived in rooms that once hosted elegant dinner parties, and the grand halls echoed with marching boots instead of dancing feet.
Did You Know? ▾
Today King House is a museum with interactive exhibits about the Connaught Rangers – Irish soldiers who served around the world. Long ago, the house was their official base in Ireland.
iStrokestown Park. The two long wings each hold stable yards.Fact File▾
Date built
c. 1730
Location
Strokestown
Family
The Mahons
Famous for
Famine history and a grand Palladian house
18Show number 18 on the county map
Strokestown Park was home to the Mahon family, who owned over 9,000 acres during the Great Famine.
While the family lived in luxury with crystal chandeliers and silk wallpapers, their tenants outside struggled to survive on tiny plots of land. The house has a gallery in its kitchen, where the lady of the house could keep an eye on the cooks.
But it also has a darker story. When hunger struck in 1847, Major Denis Mahon forced over 1,000 tenants off his land, sending them on so-called coffin ships to America. He was later shot dead on a country road.
Did You Know? ▾
You can visit the Famine Museum in the stable yards of Strokestown House and walk the National Famine Way trail from Strokestown to Dublin.
iClonalis House. Still lived in by the same family after more than 140 years.Fact File▾
Date built
1878
Location
Near Castlerea
Family
The O’Conor Don family
Special
Still a family home after 140+ years
19Show number 19 on the county map
The O’Conors were once High Kings of Connacht, ruling from nearby Carnfree, Ballintober and Cloonfree. When those ancient days ended, they became landlords instead.
Clonalis House, built in Victorian times, is still home to their descendants today. Inside, you’ll find medieval manuscripts, ancient harps, and letters from famous visitors – making this house a treasure trove of Irish history.
Did You Know? ▾
The O’Conor Don is still recognised as the official chief of his clan – one of the few remaining Gaelic noble titles in Ireland.
iCastlecoote. The stone in front is the old fortress; the white house behind replaced it.Fact File▾
Date built
1770s
Location
Castlecoote, near Roscommon town
Style
Georgian country house
Setting
Beside the River Suck
20Show number 20 on the county map
Castlecoote began as a 17th-century fortress, but the Georgian house that replaced it chose elegance over defence.
Built beside the flowing River Suck, it became a peaceful country retreat for landlord families. The house combines old stone walls with graceful Georgian windows and doorways. Its parkland runs down to the water.
Did You Know? ▾
Castlecoote now hosts outdoor concerts and garden festivals, bringing music back to its elegant rooms and grounds.
iEdmondstown. Smaller than King House, and built for a quieter kind of life.Fact File▾
Date built
1864
Location
Near Ballaghaderreen
Style
High Victorian Gothic
Status
Private
21Show number 21 on the county map
Edmondstown was built for country gentlemen who wanted comfort without the grand scale of places like King House.
With its neat proportions and parkland setting, it represented the quieter side of Big House life. Though less grand than its famous neighbours, it played its part in shaping local society.
Did You Know? ▾
The house was a social centre for local gentry families, hosting card parties, dances and political discussions. It even was a Bishop’s Palace.
iElphin Windmill. The whole top of the tower turns so the sails can face the wind.Fact File▾
Date built
c. 1730s
Location
Elphin
Used for
Grinding grain for the estate and its tenants
Status
A fully restored 18th-century windmill
22Show number 22 on the county map
Not every estate building was a grand house. This stone tower windmill ground wheat and oats for both the landlord’s household and tenant farmers. Its four great sails caught the wind to turn massive grinding stones inside.
When steam mills arrived, windmills like this became obsolete. Elphin’s mill was fully restored, but climate change, heavy rain and high wind in recent storms have badly damaged the sails.
Did You Know? ▾
Elphin Windmill was built to grind corn and other grains. Today the people of Elphin look after it as a not-for-profit, and every cent visitors pay goes back into caring for it. Beside it is a farm museum with a threshing machine, which knocked the grain off the stalks, and a winnower, which blew away the husks.
Long before grand Georgian houses dotted the Roscommon landscape, this county was the beating heart of an ancient kingdom. For over 800 years, the O’Conor family ruled as High Kings of Connacht from their royal seat in mid Roscommon.
Listen 4 minWhat Was a High King?▾
In Gaelic Ireland, a High King wasn’t like the kings you see in fairy tales. The Ard Rí, or High King, was a warrior-chief who ruled over other chiefs and clans. The most powerful became High King of all Ireland. Turlough and Rory O’Conor from Co. Roscommon were the last two High Kings of Ireland.
The Royal Seat▾
From their fortress at Cloonfree, the O’Conor kings held court in great timber halls. Warriors feasted at long tables, poets recited ancient stories and messengers arrived with news from across Ireland.
The O’Conors ruled here for centuries, facing Viking raids, Norman invasions and endless battles with rival clans. Their most famous king, Turlough Mór O’Conor, even became High King of all Ireland in 1119.
The Old World Ends▾
By the 1600s, the age of Gaelic kings was over. English and Scottish settlers had arrived, bringing new laws and a new way of life. The O’Conors faced a choice: fight and lose everything, or adapt and survive.
They chose survival. Instead of wooden halls and warrior-bands, they learned to build mansions and manage tenant farms. The same family who once commanded armies from Rathcroghan now collected rent and sat in parliament, while keeping their Catholic religion.
The O’Conor timeline
900s–1200s
O’Conor High Kings
1600s
The old Gaelic world ends
1700s–1800s
The O’Conors become landlords
1878
Clonalis House is built
Today
Still home to the O’Conor family
Did You Know? ▾
The O’Conor Don’s full Gaelic title is ‘The O’Conor Don, Prince of Connacht, King of Connacht, and Chief of the Name.’ That’s quite a mouthful for a country gentleman!
iLough Key from the air. The whole of this was once the McDermotts’ territory.
★24Show number 24 on the county map
Lough Key Forest Park stands on land once known as Moylurg, seat of the McDermotts from the 12th to the 17th century. Their island stronghold, Castle Island, is recorded in the Annals of Lough Cé in 1184.
When space grew tight, they built a second residence on the mainland where the Moylurg Tower now stands.
Did You Know? ▾
Lough Key has more than 30 islands, each with its own shape, history and wildlife.
iRockingham House. It burned down in 1957, so this drawing is one of the few ways to see it.
After the Cromwellian period the estate passed to the King family, who renamed it Rockingham. They hired architect John Nash in 1809–10 to redesign the estate, including Rockingham House, the ‘tiara’ gate lodge and the fairy bridge.
Landscaper John Sutherland shaped the parkland to appear natural while framing views of the lake and islands. Rockingham House was destroyed by fire in 1957 and its remains were demolished in 1971.
Did You Know? ▾
The underground tunnels were once used by servants so they could move around the estate without being seen.
iOne of the old canals in the park. The water is so still that the trees are reflected in it.
The estate today is a mixture of broadleaf forest, conifer woodland and wetland habitats. Ash, oak, beech and sycamore trees stand alongside Scots pine, Sitka spruce and western red cedar. Spring brings carpets of bluebells, wild garlic and primroses.
★
Wildlife thrives here: fallow deer, foxes and red squirrels move through the trees, while herons, swans and tufted ducks patrol the lakeshore. Kingfishers, wrens and robins are often seen along the canals.
Did You Know? ▾
Every tree that falls or is removed is replaced, and the bark is reused as mulch to support new growth.
Space, fresh air, open skies and woodland and water all around. Lough Key brings together things to do for every age and every kind of interest, in a historic forest at the centre of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.
You can do as much or as little as you like.
Rockingham Remembered Tour▾
This self-guided tour starts underground, in tunnels built beneath the estate in the 1800s. From there you climb to the top of the five-storey Moylurg Tower.
Then you step out onto the Tree Canopy Walk, the first of its kind in Ireland. It is 300 metres of timber and steel, rising gently to 9 metres above the woodland floor, and from it you look down on the treetops and out over the lake and its islands.
Boda Borg▾
Boda Borg is a two-storey building with 47 rooms, and every room is a challenge. There are puzzles to crack and tasks to finish, but nobody tells you how.
There are no instructions. The only way through is to work as a team, try things out and keep going when they go wrong.
Zipit Forest Adventures▾
Zipit is a high-wire adventure park in the treetops. You climb up into the trees, swing into cargo nets and ride a BMX across a bridge, then finish on one of the ziplines.
It is open to anyone aged seven and over, and a full visit can last up to three hours.
Cycling Trails▾
There are about 8 kilometres of cycle trails in the park, and no cars on any of them. That makes it a good place to learn to cycle, or to get more confident on a bike.
The trails suit children’s bikes, bikes with a child seat and tag-alongs.
On the Water▾
Boat trips have been running on Lough Key since 1984. The Trinity is a covered tour boat with 40 seats, and on its one-hour cruise a local guide tells the history, legends and wildlife of the lake as you pass the islands and McDermott’s Castle on Castle Island.
You can also hire a rowing boat and explore the islands yourself, or head out on a speed boat.
Did You Know? ▾
Part of the Miners Way passes through the park, following historic routes once used by coal miners travelling between Arigna and the surrounding villages.
Castle Island sits out in Lough Key, and there has been a stronghold on it for more than 800 years. It was the island home of the McDermotts, and it is named in the Annals of Lough Cé as far back as 1184.
What stands there now is not the medieval castle. The building you can see was put up in the 1800s by the Rockingham estate, on top of the older foundations.
Not all of Roscommon’s history is out in the fields. Some of it has been gathered up and kept safe indoors, where you can get close to it.
The museums in this section tell the story of the Great Famine, of coal miners working deep under a mountain, and of the royal site at Rathcroghan. There are smaller ones too – about trains, clay pipes, a president and a writer. One of them is in a pub.
iStrokestown Park. The National Famine Museum is in the old stable yards beside the house.Fact File▾
Location
Strokestown Park
Opened
1994
Theme
The story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845–1852
Housed in
The original stable yards of Strokestown Park House
25Show number 25 on the county map
Located in the old stable yards of Strokestown Park, the National Famine Museum tells the story of the Great Famine of 1845 to 1852, when the potato crop failed year after year. Around a million people in Ireland died, and about a million more left the country.
The museum uses real letters, records and objects from the Strokestown estate to show what the Famine meant for the families who lived here, and for the landlord who ruled them.
Top Tip▾
Look for Daniel Tighe’s letter. He was just 12 when he survived the journey to Canada on a coffin ship.
Did You Know? ▾
You can visit the Famine Museum in the stable yards of Strokestown House and walk the National Famine Way trail from Strokestown to Dublin.
iInside the mine. The tunnel is real, and so are the tracks the coal carts ran on.Fact File▾
Location
Arigna
Opened
2003
Theme
Coal mining, working life and community history
Housed in
A former coal mine on a mountain above Lough Allen
28Show number 28 on the county map
Imagine walking deep into the side of a mountain, with rock walls pressing in around you and only a flickering lamp on your helmet to light the way. That was everyday life for the coal miners of Arigna.
The tunnels were dark, narrow and dusty, and the air was often damp and hard to breathe. Miners worked for long hours in these tough conditions, chipping away at coal with picks and shovels, and later using noisy machines. They filled heavy carts by hand and pushed them along metal tracks in the dark.
Many miners started working as teenagers, often following their fathers or uncles into the mines. Some spent 30, 40 or even 50 years underground. Their job was difficult and sometimes dangerous – but it was also a source of pride, and it kept the community going.
Top Tip▾
Wear a hard hat and step into the dark mine tunnel – it’s chilly, damp and unforgettable.
Did You Know? ▾
The Arigna mine finally closed in 1990 – but today, some of the men who worked there guide visitors through the tunnels and share what life was really like underground.
iThe Rathcroghan Visitor Centre in Tulsk, where the tours of the royal site begin. Listen 2 min
31Show number 31 on the county map
Located in the village of Tulsk, the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre is the starting point for exploring one of Ireland’s most important ancient landscapes. This is the heart of Cruachan Aí, the royal site linked to Queen Medb and the early kings of Connacht.
From the centre, visitors can head out to see the Rathcroghan Mound and the many features that surround it. Guided tours help explain what these places were used for and why they were so important. You’ll hear stories connected to landmarks like Rathnadarve and learn how all the monuments fit together.
Whether you are interested in history, legends or impressed by the sheer size of the royal site, the Visitor Centre helps you understand why Rathcroghan is one of the most fascinating places from Ireland’s past.
Inside the Museum▾
Inside the Interpretive Centre and Museum you can explore how people at Rathcroghan lived, worked and celebrated thousands of years ago. The displays show everything from early farming and cooking to life in the Iron Age and medieval times, using objects, models and videos to help the past make sense.
One of the highlights is Óenach Cruachain, a special collection of artefacts found across Roscommon. They connect to the famous stories of Queen Medb, the Mórrígan and the heroes of the Táin.
iThe County Museum. It was built as a Presbyterian church in the 1860s. Listen 2 min
32Show number 32 on the county map
Located on the Square in Roscommon town, the County Museum is a great place to explore the county’s past. The museum is housed in a former Presbyterian church built in the 1860s, and many of the objects on display were donated or loaned by people from the local community.
Inside, visitors can see a wide range of items connected to Roscommon’s history. These include a 9th-century inscribed stone linked to St Comán’s early monastery, objects from the Old Gaol, and a well-known Sheela-na-Gig carving from Rahara.
There is also a display about William Watt, Roscommon town’s first Olympic athlete. He competed in the 1908 Olympic Games in London, finishing 18th in the long jump. The participation medal he received is now on display in the museum.
Top Tip▾
Don’t miss the Stone Age axe heads, the dugout canoe, the Sheela-na-Gig and the cannon balls.
Starving farmers wrote this letter by hand in 1846. It has been kept safe ever since.
Tap to Reveal‘Our families are really and truly suffering in our presence and we cannot much longer withstand their cries for food. We have no food for them, our potatoes are rotten and we have no grain.’– the Cloonahee Petition, 22 August 1846This heart-wrenching letter was written by tenant farmers to their landlord, Major Denis Mahon. They were starving, and they were asking for work so that they could buy food.The Cloonahee Petition is now held in the National Famine Museum, where it stands as a powerful reminder of the desperation faced by families who had no food, no income and nowhere to turn.You can see this very letter on display at the museum – the real handwriting of people who lived through the Famine, still kept safe after more than 175 years.Tap to turn back
A page of old handwriting in faded brown ink, folded and creased, filling the whole sheet.
‘Our families are really and truly suffering in our presence and we cannot much longer withstand their cries for food. We have no food for them, our potatoes are rotten and we have no grain.’
– the Cloonahee Petition, 22 August 1846
This heart-wrenching letter was written by tenant farmers to their landlord, Major Denis Mahon. They were starving, and they were asking for work so that they could buy food.
The Cloonahee Petition is now held in the National Famine Museum, where it stands as a powerful reminder of the desperation faced by families who had no food, no income and nowhere to turn.
You can see this very letter on display at the museum – the real handwriting of people who lived through the Famine, still kept safe after more than 175 years.
iThe bluebells only look like this for a few weeks each spring.
33Show number 33 on the county map
Each spring, the famous bluebell wood near Boyle bursts into colour as carpets of blue flowers spread beneath oak, ash and hazel trees.
These woods are home to small mammals, insects and birds and are part of Roscommon’s wider natural landscape of rivers, wetlands and bogs. Together, they show how many different plants and animals share this area and why it is such a special place to explore and protect.
Roscommon sits in the middle of Ireland, on the road between east and west, and armies have been crossing it for as long as there have been armies.
This section has four very different stories: an ambush in the fog, an Irish regiment that fought all over the world, a fort built for an invasion that never came, and the fierce hired warriors who fought for Irish chieftains for three hundred years.
As English troops marched through the Curlew Pass, the fog was so thick that they could not see the Irish warriors waiting for them. Led by Red Hugh O’Donnell, who was still in his twenties, the Irish launched a surprise ambush. Although outnumbered, the Irish used the steep and rugged ground to their advantage. Their commander, Sir Conyers Clifford, was killed. This was a major Irish victory in the Nine Years’ War.
A famous Irish regiment in the British Army, known as ‘The Devil’s Own’. They fought all over the world, including the Napoleonic Wars, India and the First World War. In 1920, some Rangers in India refused to fight because of what the British were doing in Ireland. That protest made headlines around the world – and cost some of them their lives.
In the early 1800s, people in Ireland were worried that Napoleon might invade. So a huge stone fort was built at Shannonbridge, just in case. The attack never came, but the fort still stands. You can walk its thick walls and see where the cannons stood.
The Gallowglass were tough, heavily armed warriors from a mix of Irish and Scottish backgrounds. They fought for Irish chieftains and were known for wearing chainmail and swinging massive battle axes. A statue along the N5 shows what one might have looked like.
Come meet some famous Rossies, past and present. Each one tells you about themselves first. See if you can work out who they are before you tap the circle.
?I was born in the late 1600s and lost my sight as a young man – but that didn’t stop me. I taught myself to play the harp and travelled all around Ireland, composing tunes for chieftains, noblewomen and anyone with a good ear. Some called me the last of the bards. My music is still played today, over 250 years later.Tap the circle to find out who I am
Turlough O’Carolan
A painted portrait of a man in a long dark coat with shoulder-length hair, holding a book.
Turlough O’Carolan composed over 200 tunes and was so famous that when he died, his wake lasted four days with harpers coming from all over Ireland to play his music!
?I helped give the Irish language a voice. In fact, I co-founded Conradh na Gaeilge – the Gaelic League – to keep our native tongue alive. I also became Ireland’s very first president in 1938. But before that, I was a professor and a writer – not to mention a proud Roscommon man.Tap the circle to find out who I am
Douglas Hyde
A black and white photograph of an older man with a large white moustache, in a tweed jacket.
Douglas Hyde was not only Ireland’s first president but also collected over 35,000 Irish folk stories during his travels around the country – many while cycling from village to village!
?They told me I couldn’t qualify – just because I was a woman. But I didn’t let that stop me. I trained in Scotland, worked with animals across the west of Ireland, and in 1922 I finally became the first female vet in the UK and Ireland. I loved horses, science and proving people wrong.Tap the circle to find out who I am
Aleen Cust
A soft-focus photograph of a woman with her hair pinned back, looking to one side.
Aleen Cust had to disguise herself as a man to attend some veterinary lectures, and when she finally qualified, newspapers called her ‘The Lady Horse Doctor’!
?Long before phones and TV, I kept audiences entertained with songs, sketches and sharp wit. I trained as an engineer but soon swapped plans and maps for music and laughter.Tap the circle to find out who I am
Percy French
A black and white photograph of a man with a large white moustache in a formal jacket and high collar.
Percy French was also a talented watercolour painter, often finishing his paintings on the spot during train delays so he could sell them to fellow passengers!
?I went from Boyle to the big screen. You might know me from Bridesmaids, The IT Crowd or my own show Moone Boy. I like to keep things funny, but I’m very proud of where I’m from.Tap the circle to find out who I am
Chris O’Dowd
A colour photograph of a man with a short beard and curly hair, smiling slightly.
Chris O’Dowd’s comedy show Moone Boy was filmed in his hometown of Boyle, and many local people appeared as extras in the episodes!
?Before there were Marvel stars or movie icons, there was me – swinging through the jungle as Jane in Tarzan. I acted in over 60 films and helped put Roscommon on the Hollywood map.Tap the circle to find out who I am
Maureen O’Sullivan
A black and white studio photograph of a young woman with dark wavy hair.
Maureen O’Sullivan was discovered by a film director while she was competing in the All-Ireland swimming championships!
Dermot Earley came from Gortaganny and became both a legendary Gaelic footballer and Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces – one of Ireland’s most respected leaders on and off the field.
John McGahern, one of Ireland’s most celebrated authors, grew up in Cootehall, Roscommon – and many of his novels and stories are inspired by the life and landscape of the county.
Former President Mary McAleese has strong family roots in County Roscommon – and has often spoken about the influence of her Roscommon heritage on her life and values.
Before mobile phones or even electricity, people in Roscommon lived very differently. Homes were smaller, colder and darker – and life was full of hard work for everyone, even the children. From butter-churning and turf-cutting to washing clothes by hand, every task took time and effort.
Tap each mystery object on the next card to find out what it was used for.
iAn old country shop at Derryglad, filled with the tins and packets people bought long ago.Fact File▾
Location
Curraghboy, near Athlone
Theme
Everyday rural life, 19th and 20th centuries
Collection
Over 6,000 objects
38Show number 38 on the county map
Over 6,000 everyday objects from Irish rural life in the 19th and 20th centuries. You’ll find butter churns, radios, washboards, school desks, shop counters, bicycles, farming tools and more. It’s like stepping into your great-grandparents’ world.
Top tip
Look out for the old classroom setup – complete with slates, inkwells and wooden desks.
iInside Drum Heritage Centre, where the displays tell the story of the area.Fact File▾
Location
Drum village
Theme
Farming life, emigration, folklore and local schools
Also holds
Family records and genealogy archives
39Show number 39 on the county map
A local heritage hub full of artefacts, old photos, maps, tools and even family records. The centre tells the story of farming life, emigration, folklore, local schools and religious traditions in the area.
It’s a brilliant starting point for learning about your local area – or even tracing your family roots.
Top tip
Ask to see the genealogy archives – you might find the name of someone from your own family tree.
Holy wells are special springs or pools of water that people believe are blessed or magical.
Listen 4 min40 Ogulla; 41 Sraduff; 42 St Diarmuid’s; 43 St Lasair’s; 44 BrideswellBack to contents
What Holy Wells Are
iA holy well with a stone surround and a white cross. The water comes up out of the ground here.
Holy wells are special springs or pools of water that people believe are blessed or magical. Many are linked to Christian saints like St Patrick or St Brigid, but many of those were once linked to beliefs in pre-Christian times.
Ireland has more than 3,000 holy wells – more than any other country in the world! County Roscommon has around 75 of them, tucked away in fields, near old churches, beside lakes or even on hilltops.
Some places in Roscommon are even named after wells, like Brideswell, Ballintober and Toberpatrick. Tobar means ‘well’ in Irish.
Why are they special?
iSraduff Holy Well. People still leave rosary beads, little statues and photographs here when they come to pray.
Long ago, people came to wells to pray, ask for healing or give thanks. Before hospitals existed, wells were believed to cure all kinds of problems – sore eyes, backaches, even sadness. Farmers even brought their sick animals.
At Ogulla Well, St Patrick is said to have baptised people. St Lasair’s Well has a special stone altar that people crawled underneath to cure back pain. And St Diarmuid’s Holy Well was famous for helping people with eye problems.
iA rag tree. Every piece of cloth was tied there by somebody making a wish. Listen 5 min
Visiting a holy well was called doing the rounds – walking around it in a circle while saying prayers. The busiest time to visit was Garland Sunday, the last Sunday in July. People would pray, drink the water and enjoy music, dancing and games.
One old belief says that water from a true holy well will never boil. And if anyone ever harmed a sacred fish, it would escape, return to its well – and sometimes show the burn marks to prove it.
★
Beside some wells you might see trees tied with colourful rags, called rag trees, where visitors leave wishes and prayers.
A Living Heritage▾
Thanks to the Roscommon Holy Wells Project, the stories and locations of these wells are being protected. When you visit one, you’re walking in the footsteps of generations of Roscommon people.
So next time you’re out exploring, look for stone wells, rag trees or place names beginning with Tobar.
Take only photos, leave only footprints – and maybe tie a little ribbon if you’d like to leave a wish.
iBrideswell today. The statue is of St Brigid, holding up a flame.
★44Show number 44 on the county map
Brideswell Holy Well was once one of Roscommon’s most important pilgrimage sites. In 1625, a chapel and bathhouse were built here, and for centuries people have visited the well seeking healing, hope and spiritual comfort.
Did You Know? ▾
Brideswell Holy Well was an important pilgrimage site in Roscommon. A chapel and bathhouse were dedicated here in 1625, and the well has long been associated with healing and faith.
iEvery road sign in Roscommon gives the name twice, in Irish and in English. The Irish name usually tells you what the place was like long ago.
Every time you see a road sign in County Roscommon, you’re reading a piece of ancient history. Our place names are like a secret code that tells us how people lived here hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Let’s crack the code.
Listen 4 min
Roscommon
Ros Comáin
‘Comán’s Wood’
St Comán is recognised as the patron saint of Roscommon after founding a monastery here over 1,300 years ago.
Rathcroghan
Ráth Cruachan
‘Fort of Cruachan’
This was the ancient capital of Connacht. Queens and kings ruled Ireland from here 2,000 years ago.
Rathbrennan
Ráth Breanáin
‘Brennan’s Fort’
Someone called Brennan may have built a circular stone fort here to protect his family and animals from raiders.
Lissaniska
Lios an Uisce
‘Fort of the Water’
This fort was built near water – smart thinking for defence and daily life.
Kilteevan
Cill Tíobháin
‘Tíobhán’s Church’
A man called Tíobhán, or Teevan, may have built an early church here.
Kilronan
Cill Rónáin
‘Rónán’s Church’
Another ancient abbey site where Saint Rónán is said to have built sometime in the 6th century.
Carrick-on-Shannon
Cora Droma Rúisc
‘Weir of the Marshy Ridge’
This town grew on a rocky outcrop beside Ireland’s longest river, the Shannon.
Athleague
Áth Liag
‘Ford of the Stones’
Likely an ancient crossing on the River Suck.
Ballintober
Baile an Tobair
‘Town of the Well or Spring’
This name comes from a local well.
Boyle
Mainistir na Búille
‘Monastery of the Pasture’
Named after the Cistercian monastery, where búille can mean a herd of cattle or pasture.
Ballinameen
Béal Átha na Mín
‘Mouth of the Smooth Ford’
Locals also say that it means ‘the ford of the gentle people’.
Frenchpark
Dún Gar
‘The Fort of Favour’
It was later renamed after the French family who settled there.
Knockcroghery
Cnoc Cruachaire
‘Hill of the Hangman’
This name may have come from the time of Cromwellian persecution.
Roosky
Rúscaigh
‘Place of Rushes’
Marshland where tall reedy plants grew.
Ballaghaderreen
Bealach an Doirín
‘The Way of the Little Oak Grove’
A route through a small wood of oak trees.
Tarmonbarry
Tearmann Bearaigh
‘Saint Barry’s Sanctuary’
Named after an abbey founded by Saint Berach in the 6th century.
Roscommon is home to a wonderful variety of plants, animals and habitats – from raised bogs and winding rivers to lakes, woodlands and limestone turloughs. Along the way, you might come across some unfamiliar wildlife words.
Habitat
The place where a plant or animal lives. It could be a bog, a woodland, a lake or even a hedgerow.
Bog
A type of peatland. Bogs are wet, acidic places made up of partly rotted plants. They’re home to dragonflies, mosses and rare birds.
Peat
Layers of dead plants that have built up in bogs over thousands of years. Peat stores carbon and supports unique wildlife.
Turlough
A disappearing lake. These flood in winter and dry out in summer. They’re found in limestone areas like Roscommon.
Callows
Wet grasslands found along river floodplains. They’re great feeding and nesting areas for birds like the corncrake and waders.
Sphagnum
A special type of moss that grows on bogs. It acts like a sponge and helps store water, making bogs wet and spongy.
Pollan
A rare Irish fish that only lives in a few lakes, including Lough Ree. It’s a glacial relict species from the Ice Age.
Native species
Plants or animals that have always lived in Ireland. Examples include the red squirrel and Irish oak.
Invasive species
Plants or animals that were brought here from other places and cause problems for native wildlife. Examples in Roscommon include Japanese knotweed and grey squirrels.
Biodiversity
A word that means all living things – from birds and bugs to trees, flowers and fungi – and the places they live.
You’ve explored tombs, castles, holy wells, wild bogs and secret islands – but how much of it stuck? It’s time to put your memory to the test with 24 questions pulled straight from the pages of this guide.
Each round has five questions, and each question has three answers to choose from. Tap the one you think is right. When the round is over, start a new one – you won’t get the same question twice until you have seen all 24.
iThe Fight of the Bulls – a detail from the Táin Wall, a mosaic mural by Desmond Kinney in Dublin city centre.
The Táin Bó Cúailnge is one of the best-known stories in early Irish literature, and it begins right here in Roscommon, at Queen Medb’s royal fort of Cruachan – the place we now call Rathcroghan.
Monks first wrote it down more than 900 years ago, but people had been telling it around the fire for centuries before that. It is the story of a proud queen, a bull she could not have, the great army she marched across Ireland to take it, and one young hero who stood against them all.
Long ago, Queen Medb of Connacht argued with her husband, King Ailill, about who owned the most valuable treasures. They compared everything they had and found they were equal – except King Ailill also owned a magnificent white bull, the finest in Ireland.
‘That’s not fair!’ cried Medb. ‘I must have a bull just as good!’
She heard of the legendary Brown Bull of Cooley in Ulster. When its owner refused to lend it, Medb grew furious. ‘If I can’t borrow it, I’ll take it!’
So she raised the greatest army Ireland had ever seen. Warriors came from all over to march north with her – and only one man stood in their way.
For months, Cú Chulainn fought single combats at the river crossing, defeating champion after champion. At last Queen Medb set his best friend and foster-brother, Ferdia, against him. They fought for three heartbreaking days before Cú Chulainn finally overcame Ferdia.
Wounded and grieving, Cú Chulainn could fight no more. While he lay recovering, Medb’s men stole the Brown Bull and brought it back to Connacht, near Cruachan – still a site you can visit in Roscommon today.
But when Medb’s prize met Ailill’s white bull, the two beasts locked in a furious battle. They thundered across Ireland until, at last, the Brown Bull triumphed – only to collapse and die from his wounds.
Queen Medb’s grand adventure ended in ruin. Both bulls were gone, and her army returned empty-handed.
The Táin teaches us that wanting something so badly that we harm others can mean losing everything. It reminds us that friendship and home are worth more than treasure.
Developed county by county, this series celebrates local heritage and history while creating a national collection for young readers across Ireland. All county editions are available on our dedicated Heritage Guides page.
This project is an action of the Roscommon Heritage Strategy 2025–2029.
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