Views and Scenery inCounty Roscommon
Roscommonis a watery place – the county is famous for its turloughs, mini lakes on alimestone base that flood in the winter but dry out in the summer leavingbeautiful wildflower meadows. County Roscommon hasdozens of turloughs that are rich in wildlife – whooper swans, geese and ducksof all kinds live on the water during the wet months. When the waters shrink,smaller birds like the willow warbler and meadow pipit arrive, along withflowers like parnassus, lady’s smock, brooklime and ragged robin.
LoughKey is a more permanent stretch of water and the beautiful lakebordered by the atmospheric forest park peppered with mediaeval ruins.
Around Boyle,visitors will also find the foothills of the Curlew Mountains, which are greatfor cycling and walking.
Heritage and History inCounty Roscommon
Rathcrogan Royal Centreoffers a fantastic insight into ancient Ireland, deciphering the enigmaticsites for visitors. The centre is home to about 200 of the 1,500 prehistoricsites in Roscommon and is a great place to visit.The site was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland and is steeped in Irishmythology. The Drumanone dolmen near Boyle is also a superb example of amegalithic structure.
The county is litteredwith more recent history as well. RoscommonCastle, built in 1269, retains most of its walls, and there are fineabbeys at Roscommontown and the village of Boyle.
The ArignaMine in Roscommon town is one of thecounty’s must-sees – the former coal mine has been converted to give visitors a45-minute tour of the daily life of the Irish miners.
Sport andLeisure
The waters of Lough Keyare great for pleasure boating and fishing – anglers will love the calm watersof the lake with its abundance of pike, bream and tench. The Boyle river,Finlough, Oakport Lake and Lough Gara are also pleasant fishingspots.
Golfers can find coursesin attractive surroundings at Roscommon town, Athlone,Boyle and Castlerea,while ramblers have a host of trails to pick from – there are several pathsnear Boyle for all standards, while Kilronan Castle is good for longerwalks.
Shopping and Events inCounty Roscommon
The Boyle Arts Festivalin July covers all the main disciplines: music, art and theatre. Roscommontown is the place to go for high street shops, and the farmers take over thetown each spring for the Roscommon Lamb Festival.The Tain March in early June is a celebration of Roscommon’shistory, the costumed warriors parading at Rathcroghan.
Enjoy CountyRoscommon
CountyRoscommon is a great place for history buffs to visit, but don’tforget its natural charms – the changing of the seasons brings a new look for Roscommoneach month.
