The most successful community projects often begin with a simple question: what are the needs of the community?
For the people of Lisnamult, Roscommon, answering that question meant creating a shared space that supports people of all ages, responds to changing community needs and provides opportunities for connection, activity and wellbeing.
Today, Roscommon Community Sports Park is a thriving community hub, bringing together sport, childcare, recreation and wellbeing activities. Its journey shows the impact of a community-led vision supported by strong local partnerships.
Built From the Ground Up
Roscommon Community Sports Park grew from strong local leadership and volunteer commitment, with the Lisnamult community recognising the need for facilities that create connection and support a thriving community. Local fundraising laid the foundation for the development of a much broader community facility.
Anthony Doolin, Chairperson of Lisnamult Residents Association, recalls:
“In 1984, we started our Tenant in Residence organisation. We built our community centre over where it was the Roscommon Lisnamult Community Centre first. We started talking about building AstroTurf pitch and this building that we’re in today, our sports park pitch.”
Turning Community Needs into Action
As the project developed, the community continued to ask: what more can this space provide? The vision was to create a facility that responds to a wide range of local needs.
Today, Roscommon Community Sports Park supports a diverse range of activities, from athletics, soccer and Gaelic games to yoga, circuit training, music lessons, mother and baby groups and community wellbeing initiatives.
Jacquie McCormack, Chairperson of the Roscommon Community Sports Park Subcommittee, explains:
“On the Astro pitch and the associated green pitches, we have every activity that you can possibly have using the facilities. We have mother and baby groups, yoga sessions, circuit training and even people working from home.”
The continued expansion of the site, including the opening of a basketball court and plans for further sporting facilities, reflects the community’s commitment to meeting local demand and creating new opportunities for participation.
Responding to Changing Community Needs
The impact of Roscommon Community Sports Park extends beyond sport, creating space for additional community services, including Greenfields Childcare.
Lisa O’Neill, Manager of Greenfields Childcare, explains:
“Green Fields originally started as a homework club here in Lisnamult for the local people. As the pitch was becoming more popular, Anthony, the chairperson, decided, ‘Look, we need to try and look and see what else we can offer the community. What are the needs of the community?’”
The development of the AstroTurf pitch and community dressing rooms also created space for Greenfields to expand its services, transforming two classrooms into an after-school club for local children.
The Role of Partnership
Community ambition provided the vision, but partnership helped turn that vision into reality. WDC’s investment supported the development of Roscommon Community Sports Park, enabling the community to create a sustainable, multi-purpose facility.
Jacquie McCormack highlights the importance of collaboration:
“We wouldn’t be able to do this without, first of all, the support of our local community, the local residents’ association, the wider community and the wider business people.”
She adds:
“But without the help that we have got through the years from the Western Development Commission that gave us loans to help us build what you see here today, we wouldn’t have been able to.”
Building for the Future
The community continues to look ahead, with plans to further develop the facility and respond to future needs. Proposed developments, including an eight-lane athletic track, will build on the park’s role as a hub for sport, wellbeing and community connection.
For WDC, Roscommon Community Sports Park demonstrates the impact of supporting locally led initiatives that strengthen communities and contribute to a thriving Western Region.
