Roscommon
town in County Roscommon, Ireland
Roscommon (; Irish: Ros Comáin, meaning 'Saint Coman's wood'; pronounced [ɾˠɔsˠ ˈkɔmˠaːnʲ]) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The town is in a civil parish of the same name.
The name Roscommon is derived from Commán mac Faelchon who built a monastery there in the 5th century. The woods near the monastery became known as Ros Comáin (St. Coman's Wood). This was later anglicised to Roscommon. Its population at the 2022 census was 6,555.
History
Roscommon was the homeland of the Connachta dynasty, and included such kingdoms as Uí Maine, Delbhna Nuadat, Síol Muirdeach, and Moylurg. In addition, it contained areas known as Trícha cét's, Túath and is the homeland of surnames such as Ó Conchobhair (O'Conor, O'Connor), Mac Diarmada (McDermott), Ó Ceallaigh (Kelly), Ó Birn (Beirne, Byrne, Burns), Ó Duibh (Duff, Duffy, and Dufficy), Mac Donnchadha (McDonough) and Brennan (Mac Branáin and Ó Branáin).
“Roscommon” enters the record as town in County Roscommon, Ireland. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Roscommon, town and County can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Roscommon” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Roscommon, town and County provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q677631. VIAF identifies the subject as 150237684. The Library of Congress control number is n92014282. Authority coordinates are 53.633, -8.183. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2022.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Roscommon”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Roscommon primary sources, Roscommon archive and Roscommon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Roscommon”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Roscommon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.