Heritage and Archaeology

St John’s House is an ideal location for those interested in Heritage and archaeology. We are situated in the historic Rinn Duin peninsula, a site of national importance, which has the best preserved deserted Norman town in Ireland; the town wall and hospital which are to be restored by January 2010, are undergoing stabilization by the Heritage Council and Roscommon County Council. There is an aerial view of the various sites in Rinn Duin on our website. The only Bee bole (18th century beehive alcoves) in County Roscommon and one of only 44 in Ireland is located behind the house.

Within a few kilometers there is a wealth of largely undisturbed archaeology including multivallate ringforts, medieval windmills, megalithic tombs, barrows and standing stones. Roscommon has an excellent Royal Norman castle and Abbey. Athlone castle is only a short trip away.

The world famous Clonmacnoise monastery is only 30 minutes away by car.