Rathcroghan Visitor Centre

Reviving the Óenach: Imbolc – St. Brigid’s Day Festival, Roscommon 2026
2026-01-31 10:50 - 13:30 UTC
We are delighted to participate in the 2026 County Roscommon, St. Brigid’s Day Festival, that will see a number of different events take place around the county.
At Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, we will host a two lecture seminar focusing on St. Brigid and also the launch of an art exhibition. Our event, titled Reviving the Óenach: Imbolc, will take place on Saturday, January 31st.

10:50 | Welcome & Introduction
11:00 | Dr. Elizabeth Dawson, Carlow College – St Brigit: earliest evidence, veneration and status
12:00 | Dr. Sharon Greene – Seeking Brigid: the archaeology of a saint
13:00 | Exhibition Launch- Maiden*Mother*Saint with short presentation by artist Natalie Folan

Dr. Elizabeth Dawson will deliver the first talk, entitled, “St Brigit: earliest evidence, veneration and status”.
Description: “Brigit is one of the most significant Irish saints of the early Christian period. The number of surviving medieval writings concerning the saint are testament to her success. Nonetheless, the origins and development of Brigidine veneration remain a matter of debate. This paper returns to consider the earliest written expressions of the cult to consider the avenues through which it is best understood.”
Dr. Elizabeth Dawson, a co-founder of the Irish Association of Professional Historians, is a medieval historian with an expertise in the early medieval history of Ireland and has lectured at University College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast. Dr. Dawson is the recipient of numerous awards including the NUI Grant for Early Career Academics and IRC postdoctoral fellowship, and has worked with the Discovery Programme, the UCD Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute and the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
Dr Sharon Greene will deliver our second talk, entitled “Seeking Brigid: the archaeology of a saint”.
Description: Accounts of St Brigid in the Lives written in the 7 th and later centuries portray not only a remarkable, holy woman but one who seems grounded in the real world, taking part in household chores and interacting with people of all grades and with animals. But to what degree do these writings reflect the late 5 th / early 6 th centuries of Brigid’s world or that of her biographers a century or more later? Archaeological evidence can aid in answering this question, constructing a picture of the countryside she lived in and providing the opportunity to learn more about things and places she encountered and the people she met. As well as looking at some of the relics of her legacy, this talk will focus on trying to imagine the woman that became the saint.
Dr Sharon Greene is an archaeologist based in South Kildare. She is an independent researcher and an Adjunct Research Fellow at UCD School of Archaeology. She is a member of the Institute of Archaeologist of Ireland and of the Historic Monuments Advisory Committee for Kildare County Council. She was editor of Archaeology Ireland magazine from 2018 to 2023. She has been active in local heritage through Castledermot Local History Group for over ten years. Her research interests include the archaeology and history of early medieval Ireland.
Following the conclusion of our talks, Frenchpark artist, Natalie Folan will launch her art exhibition – Maiden, Mother, Saint.
This exhibition re imagines the figure of Brigid as goddess, Iron Age woman and saint, situating her as a figure of continuity and transformation. Through large-scale painted panels and a hand-carved idol referencing Iron Age ritual objects, the artist explores how one woman can represent both the divine and historic (Irish Arts Review).
Both in house and online bookings for this event can be made via Eventbright: https://tinyurl.com/282w465v
The County Roscommon St. Brigid’s Day Festival 2026 is supported by Roscommon County Council and CreativeIrl Roscommon Heritage News & Info #RoscommonCountyCouncil #roscommoncountycouncil #roscommoncountycouncilartsoffice

Seachtain na Gaeilge – Ó Ráth Cruachan go Reilig na Rí
2026-03-07 12:00 - 15:00 | Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk,, Co. Roscommon, Roscommon, F45 HH51, Ireland
Ó Ráth Cruachan go Reilig na Rí
Turas treoraithe as Gaeilge ó Ráth Cruachan chuig Reilig na Rí ar an tSlí Seandálaíochta Ráth Cruachan. Sóláistí ina dhiaidh sin.
From Rathcroghan to Relignaree.
A guided tour in Irish going from Rathcroghan to Relignaree on the Rathcroghan Archaeological Walking Trail. Refreshments to follow.
Dé Sathairn / Saturday 07/03/2026 @12pm
Ionad Cuairteoirí Ráth Cruachan / Rathcroghan Visitor Centre F45 HH51
071 9639268 info@rathcroghan.ie

Reviving the Óenach: Bealtaine
2026-05-16 10:50 - 13:00 | Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk,, Co. Roscommon, Roscommon, F45 HH51, Ireland
Our two lecture seminar to mark the ancient Irish Cross Quarter Festivals returns. Reviving the Óenach: Bealtaine this year will look at the tradition of Booleying & its associated folklore around May Day followed by a focus on Corlea Trackway, an Iron Age route way believed to link the ancient royal landscape of Rathcroghan to the Hill of Uisneach. Tickets from Eventbrite.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Booleying: An Ancient Farming Tradition in the Civil Parish of Achill, Co. Mayo Theresa McDonald, MA. Ph.D.

Booleying also known as Transhumance is a traditional, seasonal pastoral practice involving the movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures to maximize grazing efficiency. This lecture will be based on Theresa McDonald’s recent book, Booleying in Ireland and will focus on the tradition of booleying in Achill, with particular emphasis on Slievemore Deserted Village and the folklore associated with the practice around May Day. Theresa McDonald is a professional archaeologist and founder of the well-known Achill Archaeological Field School, the oldest field school in Ireland. She has carried out extensive research on the archaeology and history of the Civil Parish of Achill, with a particular emphasis on the practice of transhumance or booleying as it is called in Ireland. Theresa holds a BSc. from the Institute of Archaeology in London and an MA and PhD from the University of Galway.

12:00 PM – 01:00 PM Corlea: An Iron Age Routeway Noel Carberry
Inside an interpretive centre, an 18-metre stretch of the ancient wooden structure is on permanent display not far from the village of Kenagh, Co. Longford. The Corlea Iron Age Road, a togher, is an inspiring relic of prehistory built c.148 BC and the largest of its kind to have been uncovered in Europe. Archaeologists believe it to have been a routeway of great importance. It may have been a section of a ceremonial highway connecting the Hill of Uisneach, the ritual centre of Ireland, and the royal site of Rathcroghan. Listen to Guide Noel Carberry reveal more about Corlea and how it sank into the peat after only a short time in use where it remained perfectly preserved in the bog for the next two millennia.

Ulidia 8 - The International Conference for the Ulster Cycle of Tales
2026-06-23 09:00 - 2026-06-25 18:00 | Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk,, Co. Roscommon, Roscommon, F45 HH51, Ireland
Ulidia 8 – The Eighth International Conference for the Ulster Cycle of Tales.
Over a three day period this conference will feature talks on all aspects to do with the Ulster Cycle, including archaeology, toponymy, philology, literature and history.
Dr Daniel Curley and Mr Mike McCarthy have organised Ulidia 8 — The Eighth International Conference on the Ulster Cycle of Tales, starting with a plenary on ‘The Archaeology of the Rathcroghan’ by Mr Joseph Fenwick, University of Galway. A very special book launch and public lecture will be delivered by Prof Matthieu Boyd, editor and translator of the new book The Essential Táin Bó Cúailnge and Other Stories from the Ulster Cycle . This will be convened at the Roscommon County Library, in Roscommon Town, on the 24th June, as part of our public engagement.
Two fieldtrips will complement the proceedings, taking place on the afternoons of 23rd and 25th June.
The first fieldtrip will explore the Rathcroghan Archaeological Landscape, and will focus on the confluence between the built remains and their roles in the Ulster Cycle tales that pertain to Roscommon. Our guides for this fieldtrip will be Dr Daniel Curley and Mike McCarthy, of our own Rathcroghan Visitor Centre. The fieldtrip will be on foot across grassland from the outset.
The second fieldtrip will be led by Mr Paul Gosling, entitled: ‘The Topography of the Táin Route in Roscommon’. Within, Paul’s expertise and years of research on the route of Táin Bó Cúailnge, specifically, in this case, in the Roscommon landscape, will be brought to bear, and will serve as the most appropriate conclusion to Ulidia 8.
