A total of €9 million has been allocated to turn Roscommon town’s former military barracks into a community facility and economic hub.
Funding to redevelop Edenville House, which has been owned by Roscommon County Council since 1990, has been approved under the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund.
The project aims to provide meeting rooms, a café, a reception and orientation area, and spaces for public gatherings.
The historic protected structure – also known as Black’s House – will be retained while other newer external buildings will be demolished.
The project will involve several aspects, including the conservation and stabilisation of the historic boundary wall; stabilisation and interim preservation of the surviving outbuildings; landscaping and public-realm improvements; a new northern vehicular entrance; as well as car parking and bicycle parking spaces.
According to planning documents, the rooms will range from 16 square metres to 52 square metres in size. Indicative plans include a 36-square-metre café, mixed-use rooms, storage, kitchenettes, toilets and circulation areas.
The upper floors are intended to contain rentable rooms that could accommodate workshops, classes, arts activities, small organisations or community groups.
The proposed landscaping works would make the former parade ground and council depot accessible for recreation, community interaction and outdoor cultural events.
Plans also include a new external lift-and-stair structure inspired by military watchtowers, which could incorporate a viewing platform overlooking Roscommon town.
A nearby building, known as the Turf Yard, is excluded from the project due to funding constraints.
The redevelopment of Edenville House was initially estimated to cost €7 million when Roscommon Municipal District councillors approved the Part 8 planning application in August 2025.
Councillors were told that, if funding was obtained, the development would move to detailed design and tendering. It could then potentially be completed and handed over by early 2028.
The €9 million announced for the project by Minister for Housing, James Browne will fund most of the project’s costs.
Projects located in disadvantaged areas can obtain up to 90pc funding, with local authorities providing the balance.
Roscommon-Galway Fianna Fáil TD Dr Martin Daly welcomed the funding, describing it as “a significant step forward for the town”.
“By preserving an important part of our heritage while creating modern community facilities, Edenville House will once again become a place of activity, connection and opportunity for future generations,” said Dr Daly.
“I am committing a major injection of funding for towns around the country, and I want to see transformative regeneration. I know it’s badly needed, particularly in some areas,” said Minister Browne.
Located beside Roscommon Railway Station, Edenville House occupies the site of a military barracks established by 1702, although conservation research suggests much of the surviving structure may date from a later 18th-century rebuilding
The opening of Roscommon railway station in 1851 reduced the need for localised garrisons because troops could be transported more efficiently. The garrison was withdrawn in 1856 and abandoned for military purposes in 1869.
In 1907, it was purchased by William Black, who converted the former parade ground into a walled private garden.
Roscommon County Council acquired the property in 1990 and used it as a store, workshop and soil-testing facility.
The building is currently used for limited council storage.