Mill name Elphin Windmill Purpose Corn and flax milling Storeys Three storey tower Province Connacht | Year built c.1730 Type Tower mill No. of sails Four sails Phone +353 83 406 2113 | |
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Address Windmill Rd, Co. Roscommon, Ireland Hours Open today · 11AM–4PMThursday11AM–4PMFriday11AM–4PMSaturday11AM–4PMSunday11AM–4PMMonday11AM–4PMTuesday11AM–4PMWednesday11AM–4PM Similar Strokestown Park and The Irish, Strokestown Park, Arigna Mining Experience, Boyle Abbey, Dr Douglas Hyde Interpreta Profiles | ||
Elphin Windmill is a fully restored 18th-century tower mill in Elphin, County Roscommon, viewed as a rare piece of Irish industrial architectural heritage, and possibly the oldest operational windmill in Ireland.
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History
Elphin windmill is a circular, three-stage windmill, dating from around 1730. It was built by Edward Synge, a local landowner and Bishop of Elphin. The mill provided corn meal for the local people, as well as milling flax.
The windmill has four timber sails and unusually the rotating roof is thatched, originally in rye. The timber tail pole is connected from the roof to a cart wheel on the ground guided with a groove, which was used to change the direction of the sails.
Current use
The windmill had fallen into ruins by 1830. It was extensively renovated over the course of three years, starting in 1996, by a FÁS scheme and Elphin Area Community Enterprise Ltd. The interior was reconstructed using wood. The windmill is now fully functional, and was officially opened to the public in 2000 by actor Gabriel Byrne.
There is a modern addition of a small building, known as Windmill Cottage, that houses a visitor's centre.