Roscommon

Roscommon: Norman castle

Roscommon, Irish Ros Comáin, market and county town (seat), County Roscommon, Ireland, lying northwest of Dublin. A monastery and school were established on the site in the 7th century by St. Coman. In the town and its environs are the remains of a Dominican abbey founded in 1253 by Felim O’Connor, king of Connacht, and a Norman castle built in 1269 by the justiciar of Ireland. The modern Roman Catholic church is noted for its mosaics and stained-glass windows. A royal charter of 1282 gave to the prior of St. Coman’s Abbey the right to hold a weekly (Saturday) market, which continues to the present day. The town’s monthly fairs also are well known in Ireland, and a cooperative livestock mart has been in operation since 1959. Industries include the manufacture of mosaics, textile-fabricating machinery, plastics, castings, and leather goods. The town is on the main rail line from Dublin to Westport. Pop. (2011) 1,703.