Press release
Roscommon Castle’s South West Tower opens to mark Heritage Week 2023
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Published on
Last updated on
To mark Heritage Week 2023, the Office of Public Works (OPW) is delighted to welcome visitors to the South-West Tower of Roscommon Castle, which will be open to the public from 10am to 5pm this Saturday, 12 August.
You are invited to come and meet our Guides and learn about the history of this amazing site. It is an excellent opportunity to view the works undertaken on the South-West Tower by the Office of Public Works skilled stonemasons and carpenters in order to facilitate access to the top storey of the tower. The stairs was inserted into the original mural passageway and enables visitors to view from the top of the tower the surrounding historic landscape, the rectangular walled enclosure and the impressive remains of the fortified house.
Why not take in the Loughnaneane Park and Playground, a 14- acre recreational area near the Castle as part of your visit?
For further information, please contact pressoffice@opw.ie or if you have further queries or would like to request an interview with a spokesperson. Photography from the open day to be circulated to local media after the event or is available from Enda Regan Photography at endaregan1@gmail.com
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Roscommon Castle is a National Monument in State care and is managed by the Office of Public Works.
Roscommon Castle was one of the most important royal castles in Ireland during the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It was built by the Crown and completed in 1290, to a design similar to contemporary royal castles such as Harlech Castle in Wales, and was originally occupied by Robert de Ufford, Lord Justice of Ireland.
The castle is quadrangular, with rounded bastions in the corner and a double D-shaped, twin-towered gatehouse. This gatehouse is said to be one of the finest examples of its type in Ireland.
During the 15th century, possession moved between various factions of the O’Conor’s, before being granted to Sir Nicholas Malby (Governor of Connaught) in 1577, who kept a force of 50 foot soldiers stationed within it.
Malby transformed the castle into an imposing, four-storey Renaissance-style house. From 1645 to 1652 the castle was occupied by Confederate Catholics, but was dismantled after surrendering to the Cromwellians. Following a fire in 1691 it has remained in a ruined state.
In 2020, work was undertaken by the OPW skilled stonemasons and carpenters to consolidate and repair the south west tower of the castle and to install a timber stairs to facilitate access to the top storey of the tower. The stairs was inserted into the original mural passageway and visitors can view from the top of the tower the surrounding historic landscape, the rectangular walled enclosure and the impressive remains of the fortified house.
The north curtain wall of the castle was also extensively repaired during 2021-2022, thus reinstating the historic line of the rectangular bawn.