Four walks in County Roscommon that are highlighted in a popular brochure published by the county's tourism organization are intended to get both locals and visitors exploring this beautiful county in Ireland's northwest region.
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The publication contains detailed information, including maps, on these walks and 18 more that make Roscommon the perfect place to explore on foot.
The highlighted treks include the National Famine Way, the Monksland Way, the Lung Lough Gara Way, and the Loughnaneane Sculpture Trail.
Here are more details on the four walks in County Roscommon that visitors can enjoy in this part of Ireland known as its Hidden Heartlands.
The National Famine Way
Visitors to the area who are interested in recounting the steps of 1,490 tenants who were forced to emigrate from their native Roscommon to Quebec, Canada, in 1847?
The poor and hungry tenants were forced to walk the 165 km (102 miles) from the Strokestown Estate to Dublin, where they traveled onward to Liverpool and then boarded famine ships bound for North America.
The Roscommon stretch of The National Famine Way begins in Strokestown at the National Famine Museum and ends in Tarmonbarry, an 11-mile journey (18 km).
The route is waymarked by a number of bronze shoe sculptures.
The story of the tenants is told through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy, Daniel Tighe, who recounts the harrowing story of how his family was evicted from their home by the local landlord, Major Denis Mahon.
They, and neighboring families, were forced to leave with very few possessions and the hope of a better life.
The Roscommon portion of the walk takes about 2 hours.
The full walk takes about a week along a path that runs parallel to the Royal Canal in Counties Longford, Westmeath, Meath, and Kildare and finally into Dublin’s Custom Quay.
The commemorative trail, which was officially launched in 2019, ends at the Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship, a replica of the kind of famine ship used to transport the Irish to the New World.
Use the Dublin Pass to Get a Discount to the Jeanie Johnson Tallship & Famine Museum
The Monksland Way
The Monksland Way consists of three walks ranging in length from 3.7 km to 6.9 km (between 2 and 4 miles approximately).
Considered a suburb of Athlone in Co. Westmeath, Monksland is actually in Co. Roscommon and has a rich cultural heritage.
The area has experienced growth in recent times, with additional housing, retail space, and a business park.
A number of heritage boards tell the story of how monks settled in the area.
One such monastic site known as the Athlone Priory is the only Cluniac monastic site in Ireland.
Historians believe there was a very early monastery here founded by the Cluny monks, a Benedictine order from France.
It is located on the Roscommon side of the River Shannon.
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The Lung Lough Gara Way
This 57-km (35-mile) trail begins in the Clonalis Woodland in Castlerea and forms part of the Beara-Breifne Way.
That walking and cycling trail follows the path that the Irish Chieftain Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare and his 1,000 supporters took on their 14-day march across the country in 1603.
The official route begins on the Beara Peninsula and ends in the Cavan Burren.
This walk is much shorter but gives visitors an idea of the kind of terrain that O'Sullivan Beare covered in his journey through Roscommon.
Quiet country roads and rolling pastures together with bogland are just some of the scenes that visitors will encounter.
The route also links with the Miners Way & Historical Trail, a long-distance trail that follows the paths used by coal miners who worked at the local Arigna Mines, now a tourism attraction.
Things to see on The Lung Lough Gara Way include numerous Iron Age ringforts and crannogs (fortified dwellings usually found on lakes) on Lough Gara.
The remains of Moygara Castle is also on this trail.
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Loughnaneane Sculpture Trail
Five wooden carvings depicting figures from Irish history and mythology make up an interesting sculpture trail in Loughnaneane Park located in Roscommon town.
The sculptures depict the mythical hero Cuchulainn; Queen Maeve of Connaught, who is said to be buried upright on Knocknarea in Co. Sligo; Aedh, the God of the Underworld (pronounced Ee), and Felim O’Connor, who reigned as King of Connaught during the 13th century.
The 1-km trail forms a network of paths in the 14-acre park, which also includes the ruins of Roscommon Castle, which was the seat of power for the kings of Connaught for two centuries.
Other popular routes cited in the publication include the Green Heartlands Cycle Route and the Boyle to Lough Key Cycleway.
Read More: Lough Key Forest Park Named Ireland's “Best Public Park”