County Roscommon

County in Ireland

For the county in the United States, see Roscommon County, Michigan.

County in Connacht, Ireland

County Roscommon

Contae Ros Comáin

County

Coat of arms

Motto(s):

Latin: Constans Hiberniae Cor
"Steadfast Irish heart"

Country| Ireland
Province| Connacht
Region| Northern and Western
Established| c. 1569[1][2]
County town| Roscommon
Government

• Local authority| Roscommon County Council
• Dáil constituencies| Roscommon–Galway
Sligo–Leitrim
• EP constituency| Midlands–North-West
Area

[3]

• Total

| 2,548 km2 (984 sq mi)
• Rank| 11th
Highest elevation

(Seltannasaggart)

| 428 m (1,404 ft)
Population

(2022)[4]

• Total

| 70,259
• Rank| 26th
• Density| 28/km2 (71/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC±0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing keys|

F42, F45, F52 (primarily)

Telephone area codes| 071, 090 (primarily)
ISO 3166 code| IE-RN
Vehicle index
mark code| RN
Website| Official website

County Roscommon (Irish: Contae Ros Comáin) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the 11th largest Irish county by area and 26th most populous. Its county town and largest town is Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 69,995 as of the 2022 census.[4]

## Etymology

[edit]

County Roscommon is named after the county town of Roscommon. Roscommon comes from the Irish Ros meaning a wooded, gentle height and Comán, the first abbot and bishop of Roscommon who founded the first monastery there in 550 AD.[5]

## Geography

[edit]

County Roscommon has an area of 2,548 square kilometres (984 sq mi).[3] Lough Key in north Roscommon is noted for having thirty-two islands. The geographical centre of Ireland is located on the western shore of Lough Ree in the south of the county.[6]

Roscommon is the third largest of Connacht's five counties by size and the second-smallest in terms of population. It ranks 11th in size of Ireland's 32 counties, but 26th in terms of population, making it the 3rd most sparsely populated county after Leitrim and Mayo. The county borders every other Connacht county: Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and Leitrim, as well as three Leinster counties: Longford, Westmeath, and Offaly. In 2008, a news report said that statistically, people from Roscommon have the longest life expectancy of any county on the island of Ireland.[7]

Seltannasaggart, which is located along the northern border with County Leitrim, is the tallest point in County Roscommon, measuring to a height of 428 m (1,404.20 ft).[8]

### Largest towns by population

[edit]

According to the 2016 census:[3]

1. Roscommon 5,876
2. Boyle 2,568
3. Castlerea 1,992
4. Ballaghaderreen 1,808

## Baronies

[edit]

There are nine historical baronies in County Roscommon.

North Roscommon

* Boyle (north Roscommon including Boyle and Arigna).
* Frenchpark (north-west, including Ballaghaderreen and Frenchpark).
* Roscommon (mid-north-east, including Strokestown and Tulsk).
* Castlereagh (west, including Castlerea and Ballinlough).
* Ballintober North (east including Rooskey and Tarmonbarry).

South Roscommon

* Ballymoe shared with County Galway includes Ballymoe, Creggs and Glenamaddy.
* Ballintober South (south-mid-east, including Roscommon).
* Athlone (mid-south, including Knockcroghery and part of Athlone).
* Moycarn (far-south, including part of Ballinasloe).

## History

[edit]

River Suck at Athleague.

Rathcroghan (Irish: Rath Cruachán), near Tulsk, a complex of archaeological sites, the home of Queen Medb (Irish: Méadhbh, anglicised Maeve), was the seat of Kings of Connacht and then to the High Kings of Ireland. This was the starting point of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, or Cattle Raid of Cooley, an epic tale in Irish mythology. The county is home to prehistoric ringforts such as Carnagh West Ringfort and Drummin fort.

County Roscommon as an administrative division has its roots in the Middle Ages. With the conquest and division of the Kingdom of Connacht, those districts in the east retained by King John as "The King's Cantreds" covered County Roscommon, and parts of East Galway. These districts were leased to the native kings of Connacht and eventually became the county. In 1585 during the Tudor re-establishment of counties under the Composition of Connacht, Roscommon was established with the South-west boundary now alongside the River Suck.

### Medieval art

[edit]

A "well defined" and "original" fine metal workshop was active in County Roscommon in the 12th century. The Cross of Cong, the Aghadoe crosier, Shrine of the Book of Dimma and Shrine of Manchan of Mohill' are grouped together as having been created by Mael Isu Bratain Ui Echach et al., at the same Roscommon workshop.[9][10][11][12] The workshop has been linked to St. Assicus of Elphin.[13]

### Ordnance Survey

[edit]

Roscommon Castle

John O'Donovan (1806–1861), historian and scholar, visited County Roscommon in 1837, while compiling information for the Ordnance Survey. Entering St Peter's parish in Athlone in June 1837, he wrote, "I have now entered upon a region totally different from Longford, and am very much pleased with the intelligence of the people." However, he had major problems with place-names. He later wrote, "I am sick to death's door of lochawns, and it pains me to the very soul to have to make these remarks, but what can I do when I cannot make the usual progress? Here I am stuck in the mud in the middle of Loughs, Turlaghs, Lahaghs and Curraghs, the names of many of which are only known to a few old men in their immediate neighbourhood and I cannot give many of them utterance from the manner in which they are spelled."[14][15]

The River Shannon running through Athlone town. Lough Key

## Places of interest

[edit]

A greenway is planned connecting Athlone to Ballyleague.[16][17]

See also: List of National Monuments in County Roscommon

* Arigna Mining Experience
* Boyle Abbey
* Clonalis House
* Elphin Windmill
* Lough Key Forest Park
* McDermott's Castle
* Meehambee Dolmen
* National Famine Museum
* Rathcroghan
* Roscommon County Museum
* Strokestown Park

## Government and politics

[edit]

Main article: Roscommon County Council

Roscommon County Hall in 2024

Roscommon is governed locally by the 18-member Roscommon County Council, a body created under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898.

The 1898 Act also divided the county into the rural districts of Athlone No. 2, Ballinasloe No. 2, Boyle No. 1, Carrick-on-Shannon No. 2, Castlerea, Roscommon, and Strokestown.[18] The rural districts were abolished in 1925.[19] Boyle and Roscommon were administered locally by town commissioners.[20] Roscommon town commissioners were abolished in 1927. After becoming a town council in 2002,[21] in common with all other town councils in Ireland, Boyle Town Council was abolished under the Local Government Reform Act 2014.[22]

For general elections, Roscommon is completely within the three-seat Dáil constituency of Roscommon–Galway. For European elections, the county is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency.

## Rail transport

[edit]

There are railway stations located in Boyle (Dublin–Sligo line), Carrick-on-Shannon (Dublin–Sligo line), Roscommon (Dublin–Westport line), Castlerea (Dublin-Westport line), Ballinasloe (Dublin-Galway line) and Athlone (Dublin–Galway and Dublin–Westport lines).

## Sport

[edit]

Gaelic football is the dominant sport in Roscommon. Roscommon won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championships in 1943 and 1944 and the National Football League Division 1 in 1979, as well as Division 2 in 2015 and 2018. Roscommon have captured the Connacht Senior Football Championship on 23 occasions, the most recent being in 2019. In March 2025 Roscommon won back promotion to Division 1.[23]

Roscommon's main hurling title was the 2007 Nicky Rackard Cup.

Soccer and rugby are also popular sports in the county.

## Notable people

[edit]

See also: Category:People from County Roscommon

* Charles O'Conor (1710–1791), historian and antiquarian of the O'Conor Don family
* Matthew O'Conor Don (1773–1844) historian born in Ballinagare
* Arthur French, 1st Baron de Freyne (1786–1856), Member of Parliament and landlord of Frenchpark House
* Sir John Scott Lillie (1790–1868) CB, decorated Peninsular War veteran, inventor and political activist in England
* James Curley (1796–1889), Jesuit and astronomer, born in Athleague
* William Wilde (1815–1876), surgeon, innovator and father of Oscar Wilde, born in Castlerea
* Michael Dockry (born 1817), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
* Thomas Curley (1825–1904), American Civil War colonel, farmer and Wisconsin legislator, born in Tremane, near Athleague
* John Gately Downey (24 June 1827 – 1 March 1894), seventh governor of California from 14 January 1860 to 10 January 1862
* Henry Gore-Browne (1830–1912), Victoria Cross recipient, born in Newtown
* Luke O'Connor (1831–1915), first soldier to receive the Victoria Cross, born in Hillstreet, near Elphin
* John Fitzgibbon (1845–1919), Member of Parliament
* William Griffiths (1841–1879), recipient of the Victoria Cross, born in County Roscommon
* Percy French (1854–1920), born in Tulsk, was a foremost songwriter and entertainer, and water-colour painter
* Sir Owen Lloyd (1854–1941), recipient of the Victoria Cross, born in County Roscommon
* Thomas Heazle Parke (1857–1893, explorer and naturalist, born at Clogher House, Kilmore
* Charlotte O'Conor Eccles (1860–1911) writer, journalist and translator born in the county
* Roderic O'Conor (1860–1940), impressionist artist of the O'Conor Don Family
* Douglas Hyde (1860–1949), scholar of the Irish language, first President of Ireland (1938–45), founder of the Gaelic League during the Revival of the late 19th – early 20th century, born in Castlerea and buried in the Hyde Museum, Frenchpark
* Margaret Cousins (née Gillespie, 1878–1954), educationist and suffragist in India, born in Boyle
* Edward Flanagan (1886–1948), priest and founder of the orphanage Boys Town
* Maureen O'Sullivan (1911–1998), Ireland's first international movie star, born in Boyle
* Máire McDonnell-Garvey (1927–2009), Traditional Irish musician born in Tobracken near Ballaghaderreen
* Brian O'Doherty (1928-2022), artist and art critic in New York City, born in Ballaghaderreen
* Albert Reynolds (1932–2014), Taoiseach, born in Rooskey
* Nuala Quinn-Barton (born 1952), US film producer, artist and model brought up at Killerr, Ballintober
* Brian Leyden (born 1960), novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and documentarian of Arigna
* Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (born 1972), politician and MEP born in Roscommon
* Chris O'Dowd (born 1979), actor and comedian, born in Boyle
* Seamus O'Neill (born 1982 or 1983), Gaelic footballer
* Bernard J.D Irwin 1st Recipient of The Medal Of Honor

## See also

[edit]

* Counties of Ireland
* Earl of Roscommon
* High Sheriff of Roscommon
* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Roscommon)
* Lord Lieutenant of Roscommon

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Mannion, Joseph (20 June 2019). "Elizabethan County Galway: The Origin and Evolution of an Administrative Unit of Tudor Local Government". Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. 64: 64–89\. JSTOR 24612855.
2. ^ "County Galway, Ireland Genealogy Genealogy – FamilySearch Wiki". familysearch.org. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
3. ^ a b c "County Profiles – Roscommon". Western Development Commission. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
4. ^ a b "Census of Population 2022 – Preliminary Results". Central Statistics Office. 23 June 2022.
5. ^ Walsh, Jane (9 September 2016). "What do Ireland's county names mean?". IrishCentral.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
6. ^ "Ordnance Survey Ireland: FAQs". Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
7. ^ "Roscommon tops life expectancy study". RTÉ News. Dublin: RTÉ Commercial Enterprises. 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
8. ^ "Seltannasaggart 428m hill, Arigna Mountains Ireland at MountainViews.ie". mountainviews.ie. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
9. ^ Ó Floinn 1987, pp. 179–187.
10. ^ Hourihane 2012, pp. 225.
11. ^ Edwards 2013, pp. 147.
12. ^ Karkov, Ryan & Farrell 1997, pp. 269.
13. ^ Kelly 1902, pp. 291–292.
14. ^ Hunt, Roy (2010). Painful progress: the slow evolution of County Roscommon society, 1850–1914 (Thesis). National University of Ireland Galway. p. 8.
15. ^ John O' Donovan, "Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the County of Roscommon, collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey, 1837". p. 5. Special collections section, National University of Ireland, Galway, 2009, reproduced by Rev. Michael O'Flanagan, Bray 1927.
16. ^ "Plans for new Athlone to Ballyleague greenway take step forward". WestmeathIndependent.ie. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
17. ^ "Closing date approaches for public to have their say on Lough Ree Greenway". Shannonside.ie. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
18. ^ Clancy, John Joseph (1899). A handbook of local government in Ireland: containing an explanatory introduction to the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898: together with the text of the act, the orders in Council, and the rules made thereunder relating to county council, rural district council, and guardian's elections: with an index. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers and Walker. p. 424.
19. ^ Local Government Act 1925, s. 3: Abolition of rural district councils (No. 5 of 1925, s. 3). Enacted on 26 March 1925. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 22 December 2021.
20. ^ "1926 Census: Table 9: Population, Area and Valuation of urban and rural districts and of all towns with a population of 1,500 inhabitants or over, showing particulars of town and village population and of the number of persons per 100 acres" (PDF). Central Statistics Office. p. 28\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
21. ^ Local Government Act 2001, 6th Sch.: Local Government Areas (Towns) (No. 37 of 2001, 6th Sch.). Enacted on 21 July 2001. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 3 August 2022.
22. ^ Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 24: Dissolution of town councils and transfer date (No. 1 of 2014, s. 24). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 21 May 2022.
23. ^ "Mayo and Kerry to meet in final as Tyrone are relegated following dramatic day in Allianz League". 23 March 2025.

### Secondary references

[edit]

* Ó Floinn, Raghnall (1987). Michael Ryan (ed.). In Ireland and Insular Art A.D. 500–1200: Proceedings of a Conference at University College Cork, 31 October–3 November 1985 (Schools of Metalworking in Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Ireland ed.). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, International Specialized Book Service Incorporated. pp. 179–187\. ISBN 9780901714541.
* Hourihane, Colum (2012). The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture. Vol. 2\. OUP USA. p. 225\. ISBN 9780195395365. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
* Edwards, Nancy (2013). The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland. Routledge. p. 147\. ISBN 9781135951498. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
* Karkov, Catherine E.; Ryan, Michael; Farrell, Robert T. (1997). The Insular Tradition: Theory and Practice in Transpersonal Psychotherapy. SUNY Press. p. 269\. ISBN 9780791434567. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
* Kelly, J. J. (1902). "The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, A monthly journal, under Episcopal Sanction" (PDF) (Volume 11 XI ed.). Dublin: Browne & Nolan, Limited, Nassau-Street: 291–292\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2016. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)

## External links

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Roscommon.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to County Roscommon.

* Official website – Roscommon County Council
* Rathcroghan, Celtic Royal site of Connacht

Places adjacent to County Roscommon

|  | County Sligo | County Leitrim

|
|

|  |
County Mayo |

County Roscommon

| County Longford
County Westmeath
|  |
| County Galway | County Offaly

* v
* t
* e

Places in County Roscommon

County town: Roscommon

Towns|

* Athlone
* Ballaghaderreen
* Boyle
* Carrick-on-Shannon (partially)
* Castlerea
* Elphin
* Roscommon
* Strokestown

Villages and
Townlands|

* Aghnasurn
* Ardcarn
* Arigna
* Athleague
* Ballinlough
* Ballintober
* Ballyfarnon
* Ballyforan
* Ballyleague
* Bellanagare
* Brideswell
* Castlecoote
* Castleplunket
* Cloonbonniffe
* Cloonfad
* Cloontuskert
* Cootehall
* Cornafulla
* Cortober
* Croghan
* Curraghboy
* Drum
* Dysart
* Four Roads
* Frenchpark
* Fuerty
* Keadue
* Killukin
* Kilteevan
* Kiltoom
* Knockvicar
* Knockcroghery
* Lecarrow
* Lisacul
* Loughglinn
* Old Town
* Portrun
* Rahara
* Roosky
* Taghmaconnell
* Tarmonbarry
* Tulsk

* List of townlands of County Roscommon
* Category:Mountains and hills of County Roscommon
* Category:Rivers of County Roscommon
* Category:Geography of County Roscommon

* v
* t
* e

Counties of Ireland

The counties are listed per province

Connacht|

* Galway
* Leitrim
* Mayo
* Roscommon
* Sligo

Leinster|

* Carlow
* Dublin
* Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
* Fingal
* South Dublin
* Kildare
* Kilkenny
* Laois
* Longford
* Louth
* Meath
* Offaly
* Westmeath
* Wexford
* Wicklow

Munster|

* Clare
* Cork
* Kerry
* Limerick
* Tipperary
* Waterford

Ulster|

* Antrim†
* Armagh†
* Cavan
* Donegal
* Down†
* Fermanagh†
* Londonderry†
* Monaghan
* Tyrone†

* Italics denote non-administrative counties.
* Brackets denote non-traditional counties.
* †denotes non-administrative counties of Northern Ireland

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Other|

* Yale LUX

53°45′N 8°15′W﻿ / ﻿53.750°N 8.250°W﻿ / 53.750; -8.250
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