O'Carolan Heritage Park

Visit a scenic village park featuring a bronze harp monument, walking trails, fountains, and a reconstructed historic sweat house.

Good to know

Where
Keadue, Roscommon (Outdoors)Directions
Cost
No admission price listed
Ages
Suits all ages
Official site

Opening hours

Status
ScheduleOpen at any hour, with no gate, ticket desk or closing time.

What to expect

Keadue is a village in County Roscommon, close to the Leitrim and Sligo borders. The O'Carolan Heritage Park, in the centre of Keadue village, was opened in 1993. Coming from the Irish 'ceideah', meaning 'low-lying hill', Keadue is situated at the foot of the Arigna Mountains, surrounded by lakes and mountains.

The village prides itself on being a beautiful, scenic area that showcases all that the west of Ireland has to offer. Keadue has the distinction of being the overall winner of the Irish Tidy Towns competitions two times and has also won numerous other tidy towns-style awards within the county.

The annual O'Carolan Harp Festival and Summer School is held in Keadue every August Bank Holiday weekend to commemorate the life of harpist Turlough O'Carolan, who is buried in the village. The composer grew up in the area and has over 200 songs to his name.

O'Carolan Heritage Park, meanwhile, features a bronze harp monument by sculptor Fred Conlon modelled on Turlough O'Carolan's harp, fountains, and walking trails, all under the backdrop of the Arigna Mountains. The park also features a reconstructed sweat house, the ruins of which were found on the original site when work commenced on the park. These houses were the forerunners of the modern sauna.

More information

Booking
No booking required
Time to allow
under an hour
Listed by
Fáilte Ireland Attractions

Categories

  • Activity
  • Experience
  • Walking
  • Forest Park
  • Park and Forest Walk
  • Public Park
  • Nature and Wildlife

Family practicalities

  • Pram-friendly
  • Step-free access

Reviews

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Location

Keadue, Roscommon

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