About
On the edge of Roscommon town, Roscommon Castle was built in 1269 by Robert de Ufford, Justiciar of Ireland, during the bitter wars of the 1260s with Aedh Ó Conchobair, the last king of Connacht. It was placed beside a crannóg of the O'Conor kings on Loch na nÉan, the lake of the birds, a place of legend said to be the burial place of Fergus Mac Róich of the Táin. The O'Conors captured the castle in 1340 and held it for nearly two hundred years before surrendering it to the English in 1569. Sir Nicholas Malby then remodelled it as a Tudor mansion, with large rectangular windows, a walled garden and fishponds. It was besieged by Hugh O'Donnell in the 1590s and slighted by Cromwell's forces in 1652, and all four sides still stand. The ruin is open in Loughnaneane Park, with its turlough, wildlife area and playground; tours of the south-west tower run on summer weekends.
ClosedPick a day for times and prices
Site Closed
Today, Saturday 24 October
- Roscommon CastleClosed
Closed for the winter.
Opening times may change at short notice.
The castle ruin stands open beside Loughnaneane Park, with information signs and a QR-code video at the gate, and recent visitors walk round it in winter; OPW publishes no hours for it. OPW's guided tours of the restored south-west tower run on summer weekends only: in 2026 Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00 from 30 May to 13 September (2025: 31 May to 14 September), with the 2027 dates not yet published. OPW suggests allowing an hour and a half.
Gravel and paved paths round the castle; partial accessibility for people with limited mobility, and challenging access in places. Children must be accompanied by an adult; no climbing on the walls. A playground in the park; no toilets listed.
Dogs: OPW lists dogs as allowed at the castle and Loughnaneane Park; it says nothing about dogs on the tower tour or about leads.
Photo: Roscommon Castle's round corner towers and Tudor gables seen across the lawn of Loughnaneane Park. Michael Deligan, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roscommon_Castle_in_County_Roscommon_3.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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