Roscommon County Museum () is a museum dedicated to the history of
County Roscommon
County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...
, and is run by the County Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society. The museum is housed in a former Presbyterian church in
Roscommon
Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...
town.
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.
The museum is run on a voluntary basis by the County Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society, and has been housed in the church since the early 1990s.
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, and a
Sheela na gig
A sheela na gig is a figurative carving of a naked woman displaying an exaggerated Human vulva, vulva. These carvings, from the Middle Ages, are Grotesque (architecture), architectural grotesques found throughout most of Europe on Architecture ...
from Rahara church. There is also a replica of the
Cross of Cong
The ''Cross of Cong'' (, "the yellow baculum") is an early 12th-century Irish Christian ornamented cusped processional cross, which was, as an inscription says, made for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (d. 1156), King of Connacht and High King of Ir ...
, which was made in County Roscommon,
along with the
Shrine of Manchan
A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daemon, or similar figure of respect, wh ...
, by the master gold-craftsman named "Mailisa MacEgan". To the rear of the building, there is an outside space which houses examples of horse drawn farm machinery.
The building also houses the Roscommon Tourist Information Office.
References
External links
Discover IrelandRoscommon Museum
{{Museums and Galleries in Ireland
Buildings and structures in County Roscommon
History of County Roscommon
Local museums in the Republic of Ireland