Virginia Church (Lurgan) · Photo: Irishshagua · CC BY-SA 4.0Virginia has 20 buildings on the National Inventory
History in Virginia goes back at least to 1790, the date of its oldest recorded building. The Sites and Monuments Record adds 3 archaeological sites inside the town. Virginia has 62 buildings on the record for every 10,000 residents, against 48 in the typical town.
typical town: 48
7 photos of Virginia’s landmarks, and 8 old views
The old views of Virginia run from 1860 to 1908. So far the camera has reached 5 of Virginia’s recorded places. Look out for Virginia Church (Lurgan) and Bank House.
Bank HouseRegional rating (NIAH)
Bridge, VirginiaRegional rating (NIAH)
Virginia CourthouseRegional rating (NIAH)
Ramor TheatreRegional rating (NIAH)
Munterconnaught ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)+2See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Virginia from 1860 to 1908
8 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1860s
c. 1862
1860–1865
1861–1865
1861–1865
c. 1897
c. 1907
1908From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
Where Virginia’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is the State’s survey of buildings from 1700 to today, county by county; each record gives a rating, dates, a type and an appraisal. Being on it is not legal protection: that is each council’s Record of Protected Structures.
Points from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
20 historic places in Virginia
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 10, A to Z
10 recorded by their type and address
10 are recorded only by their type and address: 7 homes, 1 walls, gates and bridges and 1 mills, stations and works; most date from the 19th century.
Virginia’s largest group: homes, 65% of the record
There are 7 kinds of building on Virginia’s record. The next biggest group is churches and chapels, 2 in all. At the top of the record: Cois Abhainn and Virginia Park Lodge.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Virginia’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1 of the 20 dated ones were built before 1800.
Archaeology in Virginia
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
3 archaeological sites inside the town
Sites on the Record of Monuments and Places, the statutory list drawn from this record, are protected by law: anyone planning work at or near one must give the National Monuments Service two months’ notice.
| Ringfort - unclassified3 records |
Just outside Virginia: 19
| Fort Frederick (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Virginia Park Lodge (hunting / fishing lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Fort Frederick (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Lake View HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| P. MorganRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Virginia Park Lodge (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Enagh CottageRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Fort Frederick (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Lurgan Flax MillRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| Munterconnaught ChurchRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Pollintemple HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Saint Patrick's Catholic ChurchRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Saint Bartholomew's Catholic ChurchRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| Virginia Park Lodge (stables)Regional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Farm house, Coppanagh GlebeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.2 km outside the town |
| Kiln, VirginiaRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Farm house, DunancoryRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| Rectory, VirginiaRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
| Worker's house, VirginiaRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
Virginia has more new homes than most: 11% since 2011, against 5.8%
4% of Virginia’s homes predate 1919, close to the typical town’s 3.4%. Few of Virginia’s homes date between the wars: 1.2%, the norm 3.9%. Building from 1946 to 1980 fell short in Virginia: 11%, against 24% in most towns.
Census 2022, households by the year their home was built (CSO, Small Area Population Statistics, CC BY 4.0); the typical town is the middle Irish town of 2,500 or more.
Virginia and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 3,211 | 20 | 0 | 3 |
| Ballyjamesduff | 2,917 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Oldcastle | 1,409 | 55 | 0 | 6 |
| Mullagh | 1,651 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Bailieborough | 2,974 | 32 | 0 | 10 |
| Kells | 6,608 | 80 | 0 | 43 |
Virginia in brief
More of Virginia’s homes are old than in most places: 4% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 20 places on the record. Of the whole list, 65% are homes.
Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 19 of 20. The oldest, Cois Abhainn, dates from 1810. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has 20 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 32); per resident it sits near the middle of Irish towns of 2,500 or more; and Agnes O'Farrelly (1874) and Thomas Fitzpatrick (1832) were born here before 1900.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The National Inventory. The State’s survey of post-1700 buildings, made county by county since 1990 (NIAH); a few records are older. It records; it does not protect.
- Ratings. International and National: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Regional: in its region. Local and record-only buildings get no page here.
- Archaeology. The Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service) lists known archaeological sites; the national monuments to visit and the sites with an encyclopedia article get pages here.
- Protection. Both registers are surveys, not protection: a building is protected by its council’s Record of Protected Structures, and no national open list joins the 31 councils’ records.
- The grade. Ireland’s History grade is not built yet: the page describes, and gives no grade.
Questions about Virginia’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Virginia?
20 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Virginia?
House, Main Street, Virginia: the first date on its record is 1790.
Are there archaeological sites in Virginia?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 3 archaeological sites inside Virginia.
How old are the homes in Virginia?
4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Are the buildings on this page protected?
Being on the National Inventory or the Sites and Monuments Record is a record, not protection by itself: buildings are protected by their council’s Record of Protected Structures, which each council keeps and no national open list gathers, so this page can’t say which are on it.
History is described here, not graded.
Source: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0).
Sources: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (buildingsofireland.ie) · Sites and Monuments Record and the National Monuments Service’s monuments to visit · CSO Census 2022 (homes by the year built) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, including the National Library of Ireland’s collections, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata and English Wikipedia for people born here · Wikidata (CC0) for other names and articles. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).