NatCastle / fortified house · 1400–1450Bunratty CastleBunrattyPhoto: Jon Sullivan · Public domain · Commons file
Bunratty Castle · Photo: Jon Sullivan · Public domain4buildings on the National Inventory
History of Bunratty · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
History in Bunratty reaches back to 1400: 4 buildings on the National Inventory
Bunratty is a historic town on the Sites and Monuments Record, which lists 12 archaeological sites inside it. Homes from 2011 on make up 20% of Bunratty’s, against 5.8% in the typical town.
On the National Inventory
4
Of national importance
1
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
12
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1400
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
2.5%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Bunratty’s landmarks in 2 photos, with 1 old views
Bunratty Castle and Bunratty Bridge lead the set. 2 recorded places in Bunratty have a photo. The camera caught Bunratty in 1858.
Photos 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.
Through time
Bunratty in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
1858From 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.
The map
Where Bunratty’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 4, by rating
1 National and International3 Regional and other sites
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).
National and International
One place of national importance in Bunratty
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Regional and other sites
3 more historic places in Bunratty
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
RegBridge · 1800–1805Bunratty BridgeBunrattyPhoto: Niall cosgrove photography · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
House · 1800–1810Bunratty HouseBunratty
House · 1800–1820House, Bunratty CastleBunratty
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Bunratty
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
12 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.
| Church1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Town defences1 record |
| Excavation - miscellaneous1 record |
| Battlefield1 record |
| Historic town1 record |
| Castle - hall-house1 record |
| Sheela-na-gig1 record |
| Battery1 record |
| House - 16th/17th century1 record |
| Bawn1 record |
| Designed landscape - formal garden1 record |
Homes by age
Bunratty’s homes are mostly modern: 2.5% predate 1919, where most towns have 3.4%
Homes dated between the wars are scarcer in Bunratty than in most towns: 1.2%, against 3.9%. Just 8.6% of the homes in Bunratty went up from 1946 to 1980, short of the typical 24%. Building in the 2000s went further in Bunratty than in most towns: 51%, against 25%.
2.5%
Before 1919
1.2%
1919–45
8.6%
1946–80
17%
1981–2000
51%
2001–10
20%
Since 2011
BunrattyTypical town
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.
Neighbours
Bunratty and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunratty | 288 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
| Shannon | 10,256 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Sixmilebridge | 2,832 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Newmarket-On-Fergus | 1,887 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Caherdavin | 7,364 | 2 | 0 | 26 |
| Ballynanty | 3,030 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Farranshone | 7,874 | 86 | 1 | 10 |
In brief
Bunratty in brief
The official list counts 4 places on the record in Bunratty, 1 of them in the top tier, including Bunratty Castle. Its homes are mostly newer: 2.5% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. It also has 12 archaeological sites on the record. The oldest, Bunratty Castle, dates from 1400.
How to read these numbers
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 Bunratty’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Bunratty?
4 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Bunratty are of national importance?
Bunratty Castle.
What is the oldest building in Bunratty?
Bunratty Castle: the first date on its record is 1400.
Are there archaeological sites in Bunratty?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 12 archaeological sites inside Bunratty.
How old are the homes in Bunratty?
2.5% 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.
This page describes its history; it gives no grade.
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 (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).