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Frenchpark
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Frenchpark,
historically known as Dungar (Irish: Dún Gar), is a village in
County Roscommon, Ireland on the N5 national primary road. It was
the home of Douglas Hyde, father of the Gaelic League and the first
elected President of Ireland in 1938. He is buried in the nearby
cemetery. The nearby French Park Estate was until 1952 the ancestral
seat of the French family, Barons de Freyne. The estate was sold to
the Irish Land Commission in the 1950s and was dismantled by the mid
1970s. An historic smokehouse is now one of the few remaining
legacies of this period.
Close by are the remains of the 13th century Dominican
Cloonshanville Abbey, built on the site of an ancient church
attributed to St Patrick. Near Ballanagare was the home of Charles
O'Connor of Mount Druid. A great Gaelic scholar and historian, he is
one of the best remembered of the famous O'Connor family.
Frenchpark is a small village in north Co Roscommon located
near the border with Co Sligo. It lies just south of Lough Gara.
Frenchpark is named after the French or French family, who were
given the title of 'barons de Freyne' and who occupied the French
Park Estate until 1952. The estate was sold to the Irish Land
Commission in the 1950s and was dismantled by the mid 1970s. An
historic smokehouse is now one of the few remaining legacies of this
period.
Near Frenchpark is Ratra House, the home of Douglas Hyde,
father of the Gaelic League and elected first President of Ireland
in 1938. . His father was a clergyman who was appointed as rector in
a neighbouring village in 1867 and he moved his family to Frenchpark
in 1867, when Douglas was 7 years old. The Doctor Douglas Hyde
Interpretative Centre is housed in the church where his father was
rector. Douglas Hyde is buried in the graveyard of the church.
The Old Courthouse Art Gallery was opened in Frenchpark in
1993 by the then president of Ireland Mary Robinson and was
dedicated to the late Peadar Gallagher whose creative talent and
artistic flair inspired the project. Since then it has been utilised
by a number of artists and at one stage hosted a theatre company.
Just outside Frenchpark are the remains of the 13th century
Dominican Cloonshanville Abbey, built on the site of an ancient
church attributed to St Patrick.
9km south east of Frenchpark is the Hill of Rathcroghan.
Rathcroghan is a natural hill which has been shaped to a near
circle. The mound at the top, roughly 5 metres in height, dominates
the area. A smaller mound, ditch and bank once stood atop the mound
and was thought to be the site of the coronation of the Kings of
Connaught. |
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Frenchpark Holiday Homes - County Roscommon, Ireland