Roscommon County Museum

Roscommon County Museum (Irish: Músaem Chontae Ros Comáin) is a museum dedicated to the history of County Roscommon, and is run by the County Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society. The museum is housed in a former Presbyterian church in Roscommon town.

Roscommon County Museum
Músaem Chontae Ros Comáin
LocationThe Square, Cloonbrackna, Roscommon, County Roscommon, Ireland
Coordinates53.6311°N 8.1913°W / 53.6311; -8.1913
TypeCounty museum
Public transit accessMart Road bus stop

History

The museum is situated within a former Presbyterian church, also known as Dr. John Harrison Memorial Hall. The building itself dates from 1863, and sits on The Square in the town. The most distinctive element of the building is the wheel window over the door which featured a ‘Star of David’ to commemorate its Welsh Builders.[1] The museum is run on a voluntary basis by the County Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society, and had been housed in the church since the early 1990s.[2]

Contents

The collections document the history of County Roscommon over the centuries. These most notably include a 9th-century slab from St Coman's Abbey,[3] and a Sheela na gig from Rahara church.[4][5] There is also a replica of the Cross of Cong, which was made in County Roscommon,[6] along with the Shrine of Manchan, by the master gold-craftsman named Irish: Mael Isu Bratain Ui Echach "Mailisa MacEgan". To the rear of the building, there is an outside space which houses examples of horse drawn farm machinery.[2]

The building also houses the Roscommon Tourist Information Office.[2]

References
  1. "Dr. John Harrison Memorial Hall, The Square, Roscommon, County Roscommon". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  2. "Roscommon County Museum". Ask About Ireland. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  3. "County Roscommon". Early Christian Sites in Ireland. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  4. Karkov, Catherine E. (2001). "Sheela-na-gigs and Other Unruly Women: Images of Land and Gender in Medieval Ireland". In Hourihane, Colum (ed.). From Ireland Coming: Irish Art from the Early Christian to the Late Gothic Period and Its European Context. New Jersey: Princeton University. pp. 313–331. ISBN 9780691088259.
  5. "Rahara". Ireland's Sheela na Gigs. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  6. "Focus on - The Cross of Cong". National Museum of Ireland. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
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