Co. Roscommon Area Guide

County Roscommon is a landlocked county located in the province of Connacht.

County Roscommon’s unspoilt landscape is strewn with small interesting towns and villages, island-dotted lakes, cosy waterside pubs and excellent restaurants. Much of the county is level plain, bogland broken with low hills and many lakes. To the east of the county the River Shannon, meanders south through Lough Boderg and Lough Bofin and Lough Ree all of which make for great cruising and angling.

Roscommon, a thriving and attractive midland town is the county’s principal town and administrative centre. One of the town’s most striking architectural features is the Sacred Heart Catholic Church with its 175 foot high spire. Other well established towns in County Roscommon include, Castlerea, Boyle and Strokestown. Tulsk, Ballintubber, Elphin, Lecarrow, Frenchpark are among the long list of attractive and charming villages in the county.

Roscommon has numerous places of historical interest throughout the county such as Donamon Castle, the oldest inhabited building in Ireland and the centre of Catholic training and retreats, Ballintubber Castle, Drumanone Dolmen and Boyle Abbey. Other sights of County Roscommon include Lough Key Forest Park, Roscommon Castle and La Tene Stone at Castlestrange.

There are many main roads that run through the County; the N4 Dublin to Sligo road, N63 West to Galway and East to Longford, the N61 to Athlone and the N60 to Castlebar. County Roscommon has a number of railway stations situated on the Dublin to Ballina and Westport lines. Bus Éireann also run frequent routes to and from the majority of towns and villages in County Roscommon. The nearest airports to the county are Knock in County Mayo, Galway Airport and Sligo Airport.