Tarmonbarry sits on the River Shannon where Roscommon and Longford meet, a small village oriented toward the water. Tarmonbarry Lock manages the Shannon here, one of a chain of locks that let boats navigate the inland waterway north and south.
The village is split by the river—Tarmonbarry on the Roscommon side, Clondra across on the Longford side. A bridge connects them. The real life of the place is the water: boats passing through, the lock gates opening and closing, the river doing what it has done for a long time.
The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.
About 35 minutes south of Roscommon town on N63. The Shannon is the landmark; the bridge crosses here.
Limited local services. Lanesborough on the Longford side has better connections.