County Roscommon: The Centre of Ireland Quiz

Answer: Connacht

Connacht Province, which is the smallest of the four provinces, is divided into five separate counties, viz: Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. A higher percentage of Irish language speakers reside in Connacht than in the other three provinces, with Galway boasting the highest numbers.

Among notable people born in the province of Connacht are Nora Barnacle, the wife of Irish author James Joyce, born in 1884, and the novelist Liam O'Flaherty, born in 1896.

Answer: Sinn Féin

Joseph Plunkett was executed by the British in May 1916 for his participation in the 1916 Easter Rising. Following this, in February 1917, his father, the Irish Nationalist George Noble Plunkett, stood for election and won the seat of Roscommon North in a by-election centred on Boyle, thereby claiming the first ever parliamentary seat for Sinn Féin.

The town of Boyle is situated in the shadow of the Curlew Mountains. It was here, in 1599 during the Nine Years' War, that an Irish force, numbering just 800, defeated a much larger English army in the Battle of Curlew Pass.

Answer: River Shannon

The name Lough Key was derived from a mythical figure named Cé, a druid in Irish mythology. Legend has it that he was wounded in battle, and then fled until he reached Carn Corrslebe beneath the Curlew Mountains. There he died, and when his grave was dug a lake erupted flooding the area, and thus it became known as Loch Cé.

Lough Key is fed by the River Boyle which flows into the lake and then continues eastwards until it reaches the River Shannon.

Lough Key is several kilometres wide, and contains in excess of thirty small islands, mostly wooded. On Castle Island, where ruins of medieval priories remain, a folly castle built in the early 19th century can also be seen.

Answer: Lough Ree

Lough Ree is located on the border between the counties of Longford and Westmeath both in Leinster, and County Roscommon. The geographical centre of Ireland has been identified as being located on the western shore of Lough Ree towards the south of County Roscommon.

Whilst Lough Derg to the south is the largest of the lakes on the River Shannon, Lough Ree runs it a close second. At Inchcleraun Island on Lough Ree, the remains of several ancient churches are still in evidence at the site of a medieval monastery.

Answer: It's privately owned

The award winning Derryglad Folk & Heritage Museum is located towards the south of County Roscommon. It is privately owned and is run by the Finneran family. On display are more than 6,000 items dealing with the area's history, heritage and folk culture, relating to farm and folk life in Ireland from the 18th Century to the recent past. Visitors are able to view items of horse drawn machinery, which have been lovingly restored, and tradesman's tools and equipment from bygone eras.

More recently used items such as early washing machines, radios, gramophones and a large collection of 78rpm records are also on display.

Answer: 13th Century

Roscommon Castle lies just outside of the town of Roscommon, located on a hillside. It was built in 1269 under the authority of Sir Robert de Ufford, the Chief Justice of Ireland, on land impounded from the Augustinian Priory. The castle was then besieged in 1272 by Aodh Ó Conchobhair the King of Connacht, but in 1280 was seized back by the English garrison. In 1340 following further conflict it was regained by the Irish who retained possession for more than 200 years. Further conflict between Parliamentarians and Confederate Catholics saw the castle change hands on several occasions, until it was finally burned down in 1690 and fell into decay.

The ruins of Roscommon Castle are now regarded as a National Monument.

Answer: 1730

The circular shaped windmill at Elphin was originally constructed in the early years of the 18th century, by the local landowner Edward Synge, who was also the Bishop of Elphin. It provided coarse flour for the local villagers and was also used in the milling of flax. At the beginning of the 19th century the mill fell into disuse, as there was no longer such a high demand for its produce, and by 1830 it had fallen into ruins.

In 1996, An Foras Áiseanna Saothair, (a Training and Employment Authority commonly known as FÁS), worked together with the local community to reconstruct and restore the windmill. The windmill is now the only working windmill in the West of Ireland, and in the year 2000 was opened to the public.

Answer: Maureen O'Sullivan

Maureen O'Sullivan was born in the small town of Boyle in May, 1911. During The Great War, her father Charles served as an officer in the Connaught Rangers. After first attending a convent school in Dublin, she progressed to the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton, in England, where she shared classes with a certain Vivian Mary Hartley, who was to become the Academy Award-winning actress Vivien Leigh.

In 1929, at the age of eighteen, she sailed to New York with her mother, where she was to work for the Fox Film Corporation. Between 1930 and 1987 she appeared in almost 70 feature films, including six films opposite Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan as Jane Parker.

Answer: Medicine

Sir William Robert Wills Wilde MD, FRCSI, was born in 1815 at Kilkeevin, near Castlerea, in County Roscommon. In 1832 he undertook an apprenticeship at Dr Steeven's Hospital in Dublin, where he studied under the eminent surgeon Abraham Colles. In 1837 he obtained his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He received a knighthood in 1864 for his services to the Irish census in 1841 where he had been appointed medical commissioner.

In 1851 he married Irish poet Jane Francesca Elgee, with whom two sons were born, Willie in 1852 and Oscar in 1854. In 1857 a daughter, Isola Francesca, was also born, but sadly she died in childhood.

Answer: Tidy Towns Award

The village of Keadue is towards the north of County Roscommon, close to the borders of both County Sligo and County Leitrim. The village was awarded the title of the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1993 and 2003, and is rightly proud of its reputation. Keadue has won the award for being the tidiest town in County Roscommon on many occasions.

The 17th century blind Celtic harpist Turlough O'Carolan, regarded by some to be Ireland's national composer, was buried in Keadue in 1738.