Roscam is a medieval ecclesiastical site and

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

located in

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Location

Roscam is located east of

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

city, immediately north of Oranmore Bay.

History

Roscam stands on the site of a very early (5th century) monastery, with legend linking it to

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

. It was also associated with Odran, a brother of

Ciarán of Clonmacnoise Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (c. 516 – c. 549), supposedly born Ciarán mac an tSaeir ("son of the carpenter"), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and the first abbot of Clonmacnoise. He is sometimes called Ciarán the Young ...

(6th century). The 6th-century Saint Aedus (Aidus) transferred the bones of

Brión mac Echach Muigmedóin Brión (or Brían), son of Eochaid Mugmedón, was a legendary and possibly historical Irish king, fl. 4th/5th century. Biography The older half-brother of Niall Noígíallach ( Niall of the Nine Hostages) and one of the three brothers whose des ...

to Roscam. It was attacked by

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

s in AD 807. The

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...

is dated to the 11th century and appears to have never been completed. The ruined tower once marked the limit of

O'Halloran O'Halloran is the surname of the ultimate and at least two distinct Gaelic-Irish families, one in County Galway and another in south-east County Clare linked to the Dál gCais. On occasions it is translated as ''"stranger" or "from across the sea ...

(Ó hAllmhuráin, Clann Fhearghaile) territory. The church was built in the 15th century. Roscam is said to have been used as a

duelling A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and lat ...

site in the medieval era; it is well outside

city and is easily accessible by boat.

Ruins and monuments

Roscam Irish Round Tower, County Galway Ireland

There is a limestone

( tall),

bullaun A bullaun ( ga, bullán; from a word cognate with "bowl" and French ''bol'') is the term used for the depression in a stone which is often water filled. Natural rounded boulders or pebbles may sit in the bullaun. The size of the bullaun is high ...

s and a church in length. The whole site is surrounded by a large

enclosure Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

References

{{Reflist Religion in County Galway Archaeological sites in County Galway National Monuments in County Galway Round towers