Roscam (Roscannin)used to be in the Parish of Castlegar, Galway.
Before that, it was in the Parish of Oranmore.
Overlooking Galway Bay to its south, is an ancient site.
Currently, a Church, Graveyard and Round Tower, can still be seen.
General Coordinates: 53.263868, -8.984239
See Dynamic Maps of;
- Roscam Graveyard (53.263911 , -8.984206 )
- Roscam Round Tower - ( 53.26462, -8.984763 )
- Roscam Church - (53.264195 , -8.984804 )
This Church is not the original but is still old, filled with stones presumably to clear the surrounding land.
^The Graveyard, viewing to the south towards Galway Bay. A modern-set grave of a local, stands out a little; to compose the life train, perhaps.The Roscam Graveyard, looks dis-organised, by relative height, not irreverence - adding to the concept of age and place.
^North facing side of the Church with an Office of Public Works, notice (left of centre). The door way to the right is built up with stones, presumably to stop animals from entering. On this very site, was an old Monastery which some believe, was founded by Saint Odran in the mid 500's. This olde Churche, doesn't really resemble one, no more, and faith in History and place, is needed to see it as such.
A slanting site generally, tapering to the sea; this place feels remote. No noise from cars, yet a City is close. A carpet of grass, looks trimmed by considerate sheep, yet shorn by the the now absent Bovine community (tracks). The non signalling-winds, lends no clues to either position or legend. The stone walls of the fields, look unusual enough, but can be found else where in the Parish (Anglingham), with a similar building methodology and building unit - the individual being rounded by attrition in water and tempered with time, then one being sat above two.
Along the shore nearby, the stones which ended at Roscam, will trip the foot today as yesterday.
Round, they bound, the gait and still wait.
But Monasteries, are seldom built in bogs -seeking rather, the material for the structure, and the material for the foundation. The buildings we make today, can have a life span of years - not decades or multiples of centuries . So it might not be the view from it, but rather the view of it -drawing attention from those who wandered into the depths of Galway Bay.
The Round Tower has stones left out purposely, presumably to aid its construction which was never completed.
A Cross Slab, something of historical significance, was found on this site in 1991 and the detail can be read at http://www.jstor.org/pss/25550156
See a little more about Roscam and a Castlegar connection in the Louis Darcy article at Wikipedia.
