Rathcroghan Visitor Centre

Seachtain na Gaeilge – Ó Ráth Cruachan go Reilig na Rí
2026-03-07 12:00 - 15:00 UTC | 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
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
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.
