A church of the tomb
Kiltoom takes its name from the Irish Cill Tuama, ‘church of the tomb’, a reference to an ancient burial mound that marked the earliest place of worship here, near the south-western shore of Lough Ree on the Roscommon side of Athlone. Beside the mound is a holy well, Tobar Pádraig, Patrick’s Well. This is a small working parish rather than a visitor attraction, and it is honest to say you would not cross the county for it. But if you are travelling between Athlone and Roscommon, or staying near Hodson Bay, it is worth knowing about.
The church
The parish church, the Church of the Risen Christ at Ballybay, was built on its present site in the 1830s and was dedicated as the Church of the Risen Christ in 1974. A stained-glass window of the Resurrection was installed in 2014. Like most rural churches it is a place of worship first, so if you are going to Mass, check the parish schedule, and see the parish website for more. The medieval rectory here was served by Cluniac monks from Athlone in the 15th century, and the ruined St Paul’s Church of Ireland church at nearby Cornaseer, built around 1850, is another stop for anyone tracing the parish’s older stonework.
The lake and the big houses
For a lakeside stop, use the public amenity at Hodson Bay. It gives you a view across the south-west part of Lough Ree. Follow the local signs and keep to the public area along the shore.
The land around here was long divided among estates. Hodson Bay, once home to the Hodson family, is now a lakeside hotel, and the demesnes of the Grove, New Park and Rockhill belong to the same story of big houses along the lake.
A vanished railway, a full record
Kiltoom once had its own station on the Dublin to Westport line, opened in 1860 and closed in 1963. The tracks are long gone, but the parish left a fuller paper record than most small places: it is the subject of a detailed local study, Roscommon before the Famine: the parishes of Kiltoom and Cam, 1749–1845 by Willie Gacquin (Irish Academic Press, 1996), held in Roscommon County Library. The Catholic parishes of Kiltoom and Cam were united in the second half of the 18th century.
Getting there
Kiltoom is on the Roscommon side of Athlone, about five miles (8 km) northwest of the town. Athlone has the nearest railway station. Check current train and bus timetables before you travel, as services change. There are no shops, toilets or cafés that you should count on near the church, so stock up in Athlone, and follow local signs and keep to public areas when you stop.
Nearby
- Boyle Abbey – Cistercian ruins a drive to the northwest.
- Roscommon Castle – a 13th-century Norman shell in the county town.
- Lough Key Forest Park – trails, a lake and a treetop walk near Boyle.