Touring Routes
TOUR
3 ROSCOMMON - ROOSKY EASTERN DRIVE
(Distance: 65km (42 miles) add 25km(16 miles)
for longer route)
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for Map
The River Shannon divides County Roscommon from its
nearest neighbours along its eastern border. Let’s start our tour
at Roosky on the Roscommon Leitrim border.
Rooskey
Three counties meet near the town, and in pre-Christian
times three provinces met there too. The Black Pig’s Dyke, in
other words the boundary of ancient Ulster, began nearby and it
stretched across Ireland to the Irish Sea near Dundalk. The three
ancient provinces which met at Roosky were Ulster, north Leinster
(Meath) and Connacht.
Rooskey is a friendly, picturesque village and a
walk down by the Shannon to the lock is recommended. Call to The
Shannon Key West Hotel for refreshments and for information on
all local attractions.
Take the road south from Rooskey for Termonbarry.
About 4kms from Rooskey a turn to the left will take you to Kilbarry.
This was a monastic settlement, founded originally by St. Barry,
on an island of high ground with marshy land all round it making
it easier to defend from attack. There were originally seven churches
here but very little remains now. There is a local tradition that
a night spent within the walls of this ruin could bring about
a cure for mental illness. St. Barry is said to have arrived on
the east shore of the river and failing to find any boat to make
the crossing, he stepped on to a large boulder which floated him
across. St. Barry’s ‘ferry-boat’, a stone 5 feet by 4 feet and
3 feet high was later identified and removed to the nearby church
at Whitehall.
Termonbarry
Tearmann Berach
(the Church-lands of Saint Berach) - the name refers to the aforementioned
St. Barry, whose settlement lies 5km to the north. Like Rooskey,
Termonbarry is another restful little village along the River
Shannon. Take a tree-lined river walk and watch the cruisers negotiate
their way through the lock. The road to Lanesborough winds around
the foot of Slieve Ban, which rises to 800 feet. The terrain you
are now driving through is mainly of bog and marsh and turf-cutting
is an important summer time occupation of the local people. The
use of modern turf-cutting machines has taken the heavy toil out
of the job, but saving the turf is still time-consuming and labour
intensive. As you approach Lanesborough the twin high chimneys
of the power station appear on the skyline.
Lanesborough/Ballyleague
Lanesborough (Beal atha Liag - the mouth of
the Ford of the Stone) owes its name to George Lane, later Lord
Viscount Lanesborough, who received extensive grants of land in
this area in the 17th century. The town is at the head
of Lough Ree (Loch Ribh - the Looped Lake) the second largest
of the Shannon lakes. It is seventeen miles long, with twenty-seven
islands, many of them with ecclesiastical ruins. The excellent
fishing and boating attract many visitors to Lanesborough and
again as in Rooskey and Termonbarry, a relaxing riverside walk
will refresh the mind and stretch the limbs.
Continuing along the N63, we come the county town
of Roscommon, a distance of 15km.
Roscommon
 The
town is the capital of the county to which it gives its name.
Ros means a wooded or pleasant gentle height and Coman the name
of its famous Irish saint and the first bishop of the See.
It is a town rich in historical associations and
contains many impressive buildings and a pleasant day could easily
be spent just looking around the town. In the spacious main street
is the beautiful renovated Bank of Ireland which was once the
courthouse and afterwards served as the Catholic church until
1903. There is an excellent 18-hole Golf Course adjacent to Roscommon
town with a fine new club house, where visitors are welcome. Roscommon
Race Course hosts many important meetings during Summer and Autumn.
Places to visit in the town include:
- County Museum and Tourist Office;
Roscommon Jail;
Roscommon Castle;
Sacred Heart Church;
Roscommon Abbey;
Library - Old Infirmary Building.
County Museum and Tourist Office
 One cannot
walk around The Square in Roscommon without noticing the attractive
former Presbyterian Church and its Manse. It is offset by its
lawn and unique "Star of David" window. The church,
which was built in the 1863 was renovated in 1991 and now displays
items such as a ninth century inscribed slab from St. Coman’s
foundation, Church St.; a replica of the Cross of Cong which the
inscription states was ‘made at Roscommon’;a superb example of
a ‘sheela-na-Gig figure. Here also in the County Museum you will
find the friendly staff of the Roscommon Tourist Information Office,
a service provided by Ireland West Tourism. They will be happy
to give you details of what’s to see and do and book accommodation
for you as you travel this magical county.
Tel: 090
6625613
Roscommon Jail
Adjacent is the massive building of solid stone,
once the county jail. It had the distinction of having a hangwoman
in the person of "Lady Betty", a criminal who had her
sentence for murder withdrawn on condition that she carried out
the hangman’s task, without fee or reward. According to local
records, the jail was built in the early 1740s and was owned by
the Roscommon landlord, the Earl of Essex. The building served
as a jail for less than a century. It subsequently became a lunatic
asylum, then a refuge for smallpox sufferers and later a private
house. The Jail has been totally rebuilt, although the front facade
has been retained, and now houses an arcade of shops and restaurant
on the ground floor with living apartments on the upper floors.
Roscommon Castle
 Located
on a hillside just outside the town, Roscommon castle is quadrangular
in shape, it had four corner D-shaped towers, three storeys high,
and twin towers at its entrance gateway, one of which still retains
its immensely sturdy vaulted roof. The entire castle was enclosed
by a lofty curtain wall. It was built in 1269 by Robert de Ufford,
Justiciar of Ireland, on lands he had seized from the Augustinian
Priory. The castle had a most chequered history. It was besieged
by Connacht King Aodh O’Connor in 1272. Eight years later it was
again in the hands of an English garrison, and fully repaired.
By 1340 the O’Connor’s regained possession of it, and, except
for a few brief intermissions, they held it for two centuries
until 1569, when Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy seized it. It was
granted to Sir Nicholas Malbie, Elizabethan Governor of Connaught,
in 1578. Two years later the interior was remodelled and large
mullioned windows were inserted in the towers and curtain walls.
Again, in 1641 the Parliamentarian faction gained it until Confederate
Catholics under Preston captured it in 1645. It remained in Irish
hands until 1652 when it was partially blown up by Cromwellian
"Ironsides" under Commissary Reynolds, who had all the
fortifications dismantled. It was finally burned down in 1690,
and, from the closing years of the 17th century, it
gradually fell into decay. It is still quite an impressive sight,
nevertheless. A symmetrical moat some distance from the curtain
walls surrounded the entire castle and safeguarded it. It s now
a national monument.
Sacred Heart Church
The Sacred Heart Church dominates the town. The church
spire is 52 m high. Built of local cut stone and opened in 1903,
it was completed in 1925. The church is built on rising ground
and fronted by a sunken grotto. Over the main door is a fine example
of mosaic, carried out by the Italian firm of Salviate, depicting
two bishops of Elphin connected with the building of the church.
The interior is equally impressive and contains a replica of the
Cross of Cong. This wonderful example of Irish Craftsmanship was
made in Fuerty between 1120 - 1123.
Roscommon Abbey
 In
this Dominican Priory, founded in 1253, a late 13th
century effigy of its founder Felim O’Conor is placed upon a later
15th century tomb with eight mail-clad warriors representing
gallowglasses, medieval Irish professional soldiers. Famous in
early Christian days as a seat of learning under Abbot Coman,
it has close ties with St. Ciaran and Clonmacnois. The Dominican
priory, the ruins of which still stand, was founded in 1253 by
Felim O’Conor, King of Connaught and consists of a church 42m
long and 10m wide. Notwithstanding the suppressions of the 16th
and 17th centuries, the Dominicans held their community
together and its two last survivors died as parish priests of
Fuerty and of Athleague in 1830 and 1872 respectively.
Roscommon Library
One of the most modern Library Headquarters and Branch
Libraries in the country, Roscommon Co. Library is housed in the
building known as the Old Infirmary. This impressive building
was built in 1783 from an endowment from Mrs. Laetitia Walcott,
a woman of considerable substance. The original building was of
limestone, three storied over a basement, with slated roof and
plain limestone dressings around the windows. The two symmetrical
pavilions on the North and South ends of the central portion were
constructed after 1832. The South Pavilion incorporated the physician’s
residence with an entrance to the front of the building, with
carved door case and steps. Other renovations were carried out
to the building in 1902 and 1929. It continued to be used as a
hospital until 1941, when the new county hospital was built. Major
reconstruction work began in 1989 and was completed at a cost
of £1,200,000. The result is a beautiful building, well worth
a visit particularly if you are interested in researching your
Roscommon roots. The Library houses a wealth of archival material.
Opening Hours:
Sunday and Monday: Closed
Tuesday and Thursday: 1pm - 8pm
Wednesday: 1pm - 5pm
Friday and Saturday: 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 5pm
After touring the many historical sites in Roscommon,
time for a break for refreshments. Roscommon town is very well served
with restaurants, coffee-shops and pubs.
Follow directions for Boyle (N60). About 8 km along
the road you can choose the shorter route via Strokestown or a visit
to Tulsk and the Cruachain Ai Visitor Centre
Tulsk
Tulsk, the "hillock of the thorn tree",
was once a place of importance and a borough that sent a member
to parliament. In 1406 O’Conor Roe built a castle here, one of
the strongest in the province, and the area figured prominently
in the battles waged in the area. In the cemetery are the ruins
of the Dominican priory founded in 1443 by Felim O’Conor. It was
at Ogulla Well near the village that St. Patrick is believed to
have baptised the daughter of a king of Ireland and it is visited
on St. Patrick’s Day each year. In recent years the annual pilgrimage
has been revived. Mass is now said on the last Sunday in June
close by the well.
Rathcroghan and Cruachan al
The burial place of the kings of Connaught covers
an area of 518 hectares. There are more than 20 ring forts, burial
mounds and megalithic tombs, principally Relig na Ri (burial ground
of the kings), Rath na dTarbh (fort of the bulls) and Rathbeg.
Unfortunately because the earthworks are so spread out over a
huge area, apart from a 2m high standing stone said to mark the
grave of King Dathi, last pagan King of Ireland, even a trained
eye finds it difficult to make sense of the site. This area is
the setting for the opening and the bloody conclusion of the epic
Tain Bo Cuailgne. Its origins and meaning are lost in time and
survive mainly in the folk memory of the people of Tulsk and Rathcroghan,
proud custodians of this unique ritual landscape for many centuries.
Modern science is shedding new light on the significance of this
ancient landscape and the meaning of the 60 National Monuments
to be found here, which have long been of interest to antiquarians,
archaeologists and mythologists. Now the award-winning Cruachan
Ai (Plain of the Mounds) Visitor Centre combines all of these
various strands together in an imaginative and accessible way
for everybody. Visit the Centre in Tulsk village on the banks
of the Ogulla River and learn about the archaeology, history and
mythology of one of the most important Celtic Royal sites in Europe.
Explore the mysteries of Oweynagat Cave - entrance to the otherworld.
Experience some of the sites for yourself through a guided tour,
or enjoy a cappuccino and cake in the friendly café. A craft and
gift shop is also on site.
Tel:: 071 9639268
Fax: 071 9639060
Email: cruachanai@esatclear.ie
Web: www.cruachanai.com
Strokestown Park House, Gardens and Famine Museum
 The town of Strokestown consists mainly of
one very broad avenue which leads directly, as in a triumphal
march, to the gates of Strokestown Park House. The town was laid
out and the house designed for the Mahon family by Richard Castle
(or Cassells), one of the best neo-Palladian architects of the
18th century in Ireland. When the house was bought
in 1979 by its present owners, they retained all the furnishings
and family possessions. Few Irish houses open to the public are
so authentic in their presentation of a period life-style. The
books, the linen, the family photos, the children’s toys are all
there to be seen.
The gardens at Strokestown Park consist of two walled
enclosures, a 1.5 ha (4 acres) pleasure garden and a 0.5 ha (1.3
acres) kitchen garden. The restoration of the pleasure garden
is now complete and is open to the public. Features of note include
the longest herbaceous border in Ireland, an ornamental pond,
a pergola, a rose garden and a winter border. The kitchen garden
is also being restored and will be open to the public from June
2000.
Located in the stable yards, the Famine Museum provides
a sharp contrast to the house and pleasure garden through its
exploration of the Great Irish Famine of the 1840’s which is regarded
as the single greatest catastrophe of 19th century
Europe. The blight devastated the potato crop between the years
of 1845-1850 and in excess of 2 million people either died or
emigrated. During the Famine the Strokestown estate attracted
international attention when the landlord, Major Denis Mahon,
was assassinated having attempted to clear two thirds of the estate’s
tenantry through eviction and emigration. The museum uses the
extensive collection of estate papers to explain the significance
of the Famine nationally, and locally, and to incorporate parallels
between contemporary world hunger and Ireland’s past experiences.
Opening Hours
Easter - end October: Daily 9.30am - 5.30pm
Guided tours of House.
Groups can pre-book guided tours of Garden and Famine Museum.
Carvery restaurant open 7 days.
Tel: 071 96 33013; Fax: 071 96 33712;
e-mail: info@strokestownpark.ie;
website:www.strokestownpark.ie
County Genealogy Centre
 The
County Roscommon Heritage and Genealogy Centre is located in St.
John’s Church, Strokestown. This former Church of Ireland built
in 1819, is on the site of an earlier church dating back to 1754.
The Centre offers a family research service to people with Co.
Roscommon roots who are anxious to trace their ancestry. It has
built up a comprehensive database relating to the area including
church and civil records, census records and land records. The
cost of this service varies and is dependent on the dates that
records begin in each parish, the size of the family and the quality
of information provided by the client. Each enquiry is commenced
with an initial assessment which will establish the overall cost
of the research.
St Johns Church
Strokestown
Tel:: 071
9633380
Email: info@roscommonroots.com
Web: www.roscommonroots.com
The final leg of the tour from Strokestown to
Rooskey is a beautiful drive along by the Kilglass Lakes. This is
a coarse angler’s paradise and all the lakes have an abundance of
pike, perch, bream and rudd. Farmhouse, bed and breakfast and guesthouse
accommodation is widely available.
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