Roscommon Abbey - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

St. Mary’s Dominican Priory is located on the outskirts of the historical medieval town of Roscommon, which at its core includes the Anglo-Norman castle and house of Augustinian canons located on the site of the earlier monastery of St Commán. The church had a long north aisle, but only part of the arcade remains. There was a nave and chancel with a central tower and cloister. Nothing remains of the tower or the cloister.

Roscommon Castle is a National Monument in the guardianship of the State, located in the townland of Cloonbrackna. One of the most important royal castles in Ireland during the late 13th and early 14th centuries, it was built to a design similar to contemporary royal castles such as Harlech Castle in Wales. Roscommon Castle was commenced by the Crown in 1269 and was originally occupied by Robert de Ufford, Lord Justice of Ireland.

Castlecoote House is an early Georgian Palladian mansion built on the grounds of a ruined 16th century castle overlooking the beautiful River Suck. This elegant family home combines 18th century architecture, fine plasterwork ceilings and marble period fireplaces with the ultimate in 21st century comfort. It was a strategic site, and may have been the base of the Chieftains of Fuerty, the MacGeraghty clan.

The Castlestrange Scribed Stone is one of the best examples of its kind in Europe and provides a fascinating look at Neolithic art. Only three other stones of this type have been found in Ireland, the Turoe Stone in County Galway, the Killycluggin Stone in County Cavan and the Derrykeighan Stone in County Antrim. All four stones lie on roughly the same line connecting them on a map of Ireland. The use of the stones is not known but it is assumed they served some religious or ritual purpose.

Donamon Castle is one of the oldest inhabited buildings in Ireland with the first recorded reference is in the Annals of the Four Masters for the year 1154. It was the seat of the Ó Fionnachta chief of Clann Chonnmhaigh, one of the two main branches of this Connacht family. In late 1932, an IRA unit, under the command of Seán McCool and Mick Price, took over Donamon Castle to set up an IRA training camp.

A beautiful island situated in Lough Ree on the River Shannon, in central Ireland. The island is home to the ruins of St. Diarmaid’s Monastery, a monastery founded by Diarmaid the Just in AD 560. These buildings constitute a National Monument. Between 800 and 1300 the island and its churches were repeatedly plundered and burned by invaders, so the buildings are in ruins today. Six of the island's churches are surrounded by an enclosure in the southeast corner of the island.