County Roscommon understand · County Roscommon tourist information
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County Roscommon tourist information
County Roscommon tourist information
The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built a monastery there in the 5th century. The woods near the monastery became known as Saint Coman's Wood (Ros Comáin). This was later anglicised to Roscommon. The town is the location of a notable archaeological find in 1945 when a lunula, a gold necklace, and two discs were discovered. Both items are dated to the period 2,300 and 1,800 BC.
It was the homeland of The Connachta dynasty, and included such kingdoms as Uí Maine, Delbhna Nuadat, Síol Muirdeach, and Moylurg. In addition, it contained areas known as Trícha cét's, Túath and is the homeland of surnames such as Ó Conchobhair (O'Connor), Mac Diarmada (McDermott), Ó Ceallaigh (Kelly), Ó Birn (Beirne, Byrne, Burns), Mac Donnchadha (McDonough) and Brennan (Mac Branáin and Ó Branáin).
Roscommon is fairly short on attractions. It has no real wilderness but most of its farmland is poor. The most notable feature is the river Shannon and its lakes which stetch along the eastern border of the county.
The population is sparse and the county has had a long history of decline and emigration along with most of the west of Ireland.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about County Roscommon
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in County Roscommon - updated May 2024
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County Roscommon Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.