Historic town

The National Monuments Service's description

A monastery (RO039-0430006-) was founded here by St Comán, who died in AD 747. The monastery and its abbots are mentioned occasionally into the 12th century. It was attacked by Vikings in 807 and 823, and in 1050 its round tower was destroyed. The cross of Cong, containing a fragment of the true cross, was made for this monastery in 1123 at the behest of Turlough O'Conor (O Rian and Murray 2005). The monastery was nominated as a diocesan centre at Kells in 1152, but lost this place to Elphin (RO016-127002-) in 1170, by which time the monastery at Roscommn had become an Augustinian house. The town is situated around a low hill, the abbey on its S-facing side, the castle at the foot of the N-facing slope.

Roscommon was probably the only town founded by an Irish lord, Turlough O'Conor, although not formally chartered, and the Anglo-Normans conducted raids against it in 1235 and 1260. The town appears to have been defended from the beginning which can be associated with the building of the castle from 1268. However, no walls survive and their course is unknown, but a gate (RO039-043004-) at the S end of Main St. is known from as late as the early 19th century. There are no known grants of murage, but there are references to burgages and a north gate in 1299 and a charter was confirmed in 1310-11. A Dominican friary (RO039-055----) was founded to the S of the town in 1253. The castle (RO039-043001-) was begun by the Crown in 1268 to resist O'Conor aggression, and a settlement, called the 'King's town' developed in relation to it.

The castle and town were captured by Ruarai O'Conor in 1315 and the castle was held by O'Conor Don until 1566, but the town declined rapidly from the early 14th century. The town was probably defunct in 1577, when the castle and the lands of the dissolved monasteries were leased to Sir Nicholas Malby. This was transformed into a grant in 1579. Malby converted the castle into a fortified house (RO039-043010-), but his proposal of a new town to the S of the castle was probably never built. After the burning of the town in 1596 and 1599, its focus probably moved to the Market Place and Main St. The town was incorporated in 1613, returning two MPs to the Irish Parliament until 1800, and supported the Parliament side in the 1640s but in 1659 its population was only 94.
The site of the early monastery and Augustinian priory (RO039-042006-) is around Church St. and the town probably developed to the N of this. The Castle (RO039-043001-) is c. 1km to the N, and the Dominican friary (RO039-055001-) is c. 500m to the S. A crucifixion plaque (RO039-043005-) was until lately in a garden off Chapel Lane where it is now re-erected, and some 17th century architectural fragments (RO039-043012-) are at the Roscommon County Museum. Archaeological excavations have yet to produce any evidence of settlement (Excavations 1997, 153-4; 1998, 178; 1999, 271; 2000; 2001, 355-6; 2002, 456-8; 2003, 425-9; 2004, 381-2; 2005, 327-8; 2006, 463-5; 2007, 416-7), apart from one lime-kiln (RO039-043019-) on the E side of Main St which may be post-medieval (Carey 2004c), and a 17th century pit (RO039-043020-). (Bradley and Dunne 1988a, 85-111; Thomas, 1992, vol. 2, 186-9; Doran 2005, 394)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

Bradley, J. and Dunne, N. 1988a Urban archaeological survey - county Roscommon. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Ó Riain, Prof. P. and Murray, G. 2005 The cross of Cong – some recent discoveries. Archaeology Ireland 19 (1), 18-21.

Doran, L. 2005 Aspects of Anglo-Norman secular settlement in Longford and Roscommon c. 1300. The Irish Sword 24, 361–410.

Thomas, A. 1992 The walled towns of Ireland, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

Carey, A. 2004c Ballypheasan, Roscommon: kiln. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 456, No. 1620. Dublin. Wordwell