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CONCLUSIONS

The town centre has a very fine and unified architectural quality. This may be seen in the pedestrian route between the railway station and the town square. The former Infirmary building provides an entry point to the town centre. Beyond it is Abbey Street which has a formal 19th century character, with some of the best residential houses in the town. The area around the Courthouse and the Garda Station has civic character, tne Credit Union providing a very satisfactory use for the former Presbyterian Church. Church Street provides a link between this area and the Main Street, with the ancient church site, now occupied by the Church of Ireland and its attached graveyard forming a separate enclave. The Main Street provides a fine vista up towards the Market Square and Bank of Ireland, and downhill towards the Dublin Road. Market Square is a fine townscape feature with both focal point and surrounding buildings of good architectural quality.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• To maintain the vibrant mixed use commercial character of Main Street and Market Square.
• To find opportunities for the more appropriate high density development of under utilized back land areas. There is a major opportunity for higher density, both commercial and residential courtyard type developments, behind the Main Street, Market Square and other central locations.
• The Protected Structure recommendations in the Duchas Conservation Guidelines presented to Roscommon County Council, 2001 should be implemented as part of the current Draft Development Plan Review. Consideration should be given to Architectural Conservation Areas being designated for Market Square and Abbey Street, including the area around the Courthouse.
• A designed development strategy for the orderly expansion of the town centre into the undeveloped green field locations adjoining. This would provide the layout for new streets and residential enclaves, designed in accordance with 1999 DoE Guidelines. Also with the amount of undeveloped land which runs so close to the town centre, there is an opportunity for the future development of Roscommon to avoid the poor integration of traditional town centres with suburban expansion, which has characterised other Irish towns in the 2Oth century.
• It is recommended that an area of land around the Castle be acquired both as a development buffer and public recreational amenity.
• A strategy will be devised to restore and secure the future of architecturally important vacant and derelict buildings, including the former barracks and the two storey stone detailed house opposite the County Library building.
• A strategy will be drawn up for the appropriate treatment and development of the Penal Day Church site at Chapel Lane, including consideration of the appropriate treatment of features, such as the sculpted Crucifixion Plaque.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROSCOMMON TOWN

Roscommon takes its name from a 6th century monastic site of St. Commán, which was on the site of the present Church of Ireland Church.

The history of Roscommon marked the conflict between the ruling O'Connor family and the Anglo Norman invaders during the 13th century. The Dominican Friary was founded in 1253 by Phelim O'Connor, King of Connaught, who was buried there in 1265. The Castle on the west side is one of the major Anglo Norman fortifications of the late 13th century. It was an austere military structure in its original form with massive cylindrical corner towers high curtain walls and a gate house. Its appearance was substantially altered when the upper sections of the towers were reconstructed to provide more modem accommodation with large stone mullioned windows. The structure was heavily damaged after its capture by Cromwellian forces in 1652.

In common with the other Irish County Towns, Roscommon went through an extensive growth period in the early decades of the 19th century. This was marked by the construction of the Courthouse and the rebuilding of the main street area around the town square with well constructed, three storey houses with slate roofs. The town has a fine collection of institutional and ecclesiastical buildings of the 19th century which are prominently distributed throughout the main streets and form focal points. Most striking is the relationship between the former Catholic Church, now Bank of Ireland, in the centre of the main square, with the 18th century gaol building reconstructed in a castellated style in the 19th century behind it. Also forming a prominent focal point between Church Street and Abbey Street is the Courthouse.