Bus Hire in Roscommon

Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon and the principal market town of the east Connacht lowlands. The town has a well-preserved 13th-century Dominican friary (now a Church of Ireland church on the edge of the town centre) and the ruins of Roscommon Castle (a large 13th-century royal Norman castle, one of the largest in the west of Ireland) on the northern edge of town. County Roscommon is a quiet, uncommercialised county with some exceptional heritage sites and lake scenery that rewards groups taking time to travel beyond the main tourist routes.

Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC) is 45 kilometres north-west via the N60 (approximately 45 minutes). Dublin Airport (DUB) is 125 kilometres south-east via the M4 and N61 (approximately 1 hour 30 minutes). Athlone (35 kilometres south-east via the N61 and M6) is the nearest larger urban centre. Strokestown (20 kilometres north via the N5) is the location of Ireland's most important Famine heritage site.

Strokestown Park and the National Famine Museum

Strokestown Park (20 kilometres north of Roscommon via the N5, approximately 25 minutes) is a Palladian country house (built in the 1730s for the Mahon family, who were among the major landlords in Connacht) set in an 18th-century planned estate village (Strokestown itself, with its unusually wide main street, is a planned landlord village). The Strokestown Park gardens include an 18th-century walled kitchen garden and a restored pleasure garden. The National Famine Museum (in the Strokestown Park stable block, opened 1994) is one of the most significant Famine heritage sites in Ireland: it covers the Great Famine (1845-1852) using the documentary archive of the Mahon estate (which was exceptional for its completeness), including correspondence between the estate management and the tenants, eviction orders, and emigration records. Major Denis Mahon, the landlord, was assassinated in 1847 after mass evictions; the murder and its trial are covered in detail. Group tours with guide are available with advance booking.

Lough Key Forest Park

Lough Key Forest Park (15 kilometres north-east of Roscommon via the N5, adjacent to Boyle, approximately 20 minutes) is a 350-hectare lakeside park on the western shore of Lough Key, a scenic lake with several wooded islands in the Roscommon-Sligo border area. The park's features include a tree canopy walkway (a 300-metre suspension walkway through the forest canopy, 9 metres above the ground), bog gardens, an adventure playground, a fairy bridge, and the ruins of the Rockingham House (a Nash-designed country house destroyed by fire in 1957, with the walled garden and ice-house intact). Lough Key itself has boat hire and island trips; Castle Island (the lake's largest island) has the ruins of a 12th-century church. Full-size coaches park in the Lough Key Forest Park car park adjacent to the entrance.

Roscommon Castle and Dominican Friary

Roscommon Castle (at the north end of the town, accessible by walking from the town square in approximately 10 minutes, with coach parking on the nearby road) is a late 13th-century Norman rectangular enclosure castle with circular towers at each corner, built by Robert d'Ufford, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, in 1269 on the site of an earlier earthwork. The castle was taken by the O'Connors in 1340 and remained a contested stronghold throughout the late medieval period. It is freely accessible. The adjacent Dominican Friary (1253, now a Church of Ireland church) has a life-size effigy of Felim O'Connor (King of Connacht, died 1265) in a niche in the north wall of the chancel -- one of the finest medieval effigies in Connacht.

What Bus Hire Costs in Roscommon

As a rough guide, a minibus (up to 19 seats) in Roscommon runs around 370 to 700 EUR per day, a midi-coach (around 35 seats) around 510 to 980 EUR per day, and a full-size coach (49 to 55 seats) around 660 to 1,240 EUR per day. Roscommon is a smaller, quieter market. Strokestown Park drives heritage group demand in summer; Lough Key and the forest park attract family and leisure groups. The final figure depends on your route, the date, and how long you need the vehicle and driver. We confirm a fixed price with no hidden charges, so send your details for a free quote.

Services Available in Roscommon