NatMonument · 1855–1865O'Connell MonumentO'Connell Square, EnnisPhoto: Yankiv121 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
Saint Mary's Catholic Church (church / chapel) · Photo: JohnArmagh · Public domain74buildings on the National Inventory
History of Ennis · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Ennis, recorded since 820: 74 buildings on the National Inventory
The Sites and Monuments Record marks Ennis as a historic town and lists 135 archaeological sites inside it. Ennis has 74 buildings on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, 5 of them of national importance. Per 10,000 residents that makes 27; the typical town has 48.
On the National Inventory
74
27 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
5
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
135
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
820
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
2.4%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Old and new: 8 photos and 6 old views of Ennis
You can start with O'Connell Monument and Saint Mary's Catholic Church (church / chapel). The photos cover 5 of Ennis’s recorded places; the rest have a record card. Ennis before 1950 appears in old photographs from 1880 to 1910.
O'Connell MonumentNational rating (NIAH)
Pro-Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint PaulRegional rating (NIAH)
Saint Columba's Church (Drumcliff)Regional rating (NIAH)
Town, O'Connell Street, EnnisRegional rating (NIAH)
Drumcliff Church and Round TowerArchaeological monument (SMR)+3See 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.
Through time
Ennis from 1880 to 1910
6 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1880
1880
1880
1865–1914
1890
c. 1910From 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.
How old
Most of Ennis’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
Middle Ages 500–14993
1500–1799 three centuries15
19th century 1800–189953
1900 and later to today3
18 of the 74 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Bindon House, from 820.
The map
Where Ennis’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites400 m from Ennis Friary
3 of 5within 400 m of Ennis Friary, the heart of the town’s history
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 76, by rating
5 National and International71 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
5 places of national importance in Ennis
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Abbey · 1230–1250Ennis FriaryAbbey Street, Ennis
Castle / fortified house · 1400–1600O'Brien's CastleTulla Road, Ennis
Court house · 1840–1855Ennis CourthouseNew Road, Gort Road, Ennis
Prison / jail · 1650–1750Prison, O'Connell Street, Ennis
Regional and other sites
71 more historic places in Ennis
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 36, A to Z
Abbeyfield HouseAllied Irish BankBank HouseBank of Ireland (bank / financial institution)Bank of Ireland (bank / financial institution)BellevueBindon HouseCahircalla HouseCatholic Church of Saint Peter and Saint PaulClare AbbeyClarecastle BarracksClaureen BridgeConvent of the Sisters of CharityDe Valera Public LibraryDoora ChurchErasmus Smith HouseGraveyard, Convent of the Sisters of CharityJ. MaurerMcParlandMill Road ParkNew BridgeO'Connell's Medical HallOld Barracks (gates / railings / walls)Old Barracks (hospital / infirmary)Our Lady's HospitalPresbytery, Pro-Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint PaulPro-Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint PaulSaint Columba's Church (Drumcliff)Saint Flannan's CollegeSaint Mary's Catholic Church (church / chapel)Saint Mary's Catholic Church (friary)The Maid of ErinWatervilleWestbourne HouseWestbourne House (gates / railings / walls)Westerly
35 recorded by their type and address
35 are recorded only by their type and address: 23 homes, 5 walls, gates and bridges and 2 public buildings; most date from the 19th century.
16th century2
18th century6
19th century26
20th century1
Historic streets
Bindon Street has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Bindon Street15 on the record
Bank Place8 on the record
Abbey Street6 on the record · 1 of national importance
Mill Road5 on the record
O'Connell Street4 on the record · 1 of national importance
Station Road3 on the record
Cusack Road3 on the record
Harmony Row3 on the record
Of the 76 records, 70 give a street address.
What’s recorded
A record rich in public buildings: 15% in Ennis, against 6% across Ireland
35 records, 47%, are homes. Leading the record by rating: Ennis Friary and O'Brien's Castle. No fewer than 8 kinds of building are on Ennis’s record.
Homes35
Public buildings11
Walls, gates and bridges10
Churches and chapels10
Mills, stations and works3
Memorials and tombs2
Inns, shops and warehouses2
Other buildings1
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Ennis
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
135 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.
| Wall monument10 records |
| Ringfort - cashel9 records |
| House - 17th century7 records |
| Enclosure6 records |
| House - 16th/17th century6 records |
| Ringfort - rath6 records |
| Graveslab5 records |
| Earthwork5 records |
| Fulacht fia5 records |
| Architectural fragment4 records |
| Burnt mound4 records |
| Cross-slab (present location)4 records |
| Hut site3 records |
| Castle - tower house3 records |
| Bridge3 records |
| 39 more kinds55 records |
Just outside Ennis: 16
| Barntick HouseNational rating (NIAH) · 1.1 km outside the town |
| Carnelly HouseNational rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Newhall HouseNational rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Drumcliff Church and Round TowerArchaeological monument (SMR) · 900 m outside the town |
| Killone AbbeyArchaeological monument (SMR) · 1 km outside the town |
| Buncraggy HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Ballyallia HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Nutfield BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Manus HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Bushypark HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Latoon BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Ballymacquiggan BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Glenard HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Inch BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Catholic Church of the Immaculate ConceptionRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| House, ManusmoreRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.4 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Ennis’s homes are mostly modern: 2.4% predate 1919, where most towns have 3.4%
The busiest building years in Ennis were from 1981 to 2000, which account for 36% of today’s homes. Building between the wars left Ennis with 2.5% of its homes, below the usual 3.9%. New building in Ennis runs at the usual pace: 5.6% of homes date from 2011 on, the typical town 5.8%.
2.4%
Before 1919
2.5%
1919–45
27%
1946–80
36%
1981–2000
27%
2001–10
5.6%
Since 2011
EnnisTypical 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.
Born here
13 notable people born in Ennis before 1900
From James Bartholomew Blackwell (1766) to Tull Considine (1898): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
James Bartholomew Blackwell
Thomas Dermody
William Mulready
Harriet Smithson
James Patrick Mahon
Matthew O'Brien
James Graham
Richard J. Curran
Frances O'Brien
Michael O'Kane
Frank McDonnell
Brendan Considine
Tull Considine
175017751800182518501875190019251950
Harriet Smithson1800–1854 · Anglo-Irish actress
William Mulready1786–1863 · Irish genre painter
FO
Frances O'Brien1840–1883 · Irish poet and novelist
James Patrick Mahon1800–1891 · Irish nationalist journalist, barrister, parliamentarian and mercenary
Matthew O'Brien1814–1855 · Irish mathematician
JB
James Bartholomew Blackwell1766–1823 · Irish born mercenary and French Army officer
Thomas Dermody1775–1802 · Irish poet
James Graham1819–1898 · Australian merchant and politician in colonial Victoria
Everyone born in Ennis → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Neighbours
Ennis and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ennis | 27,923 | 74 | 5 | 135 |
| Newmarket-On-Fergus | 1,887 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Shannon | 10,256 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Sixmilebridge | 2,832 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
In brief
Ennis in brief
Bindon House, from 820, is the oldest monument in Ennis. In all there are 76 places on the record, 5 of them in the top tier. Ennis Friary sits at the heart of it all, with 3 of the town’s places of national importance within 400 m. Bindon Street alone has 15 places on the record.
Of the 74 with a date, 53 come from the 19th century. Of the 13 people born here before 1900, the best known include Harriet Smithson (1800), William Mulready (1786) and Frances O'Brien (1840). Its homes are mostly newer: 2.4% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. Beyond that, it has 74 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 130); and per resident it sits near the middle of Irish towns of 2,500 or more.
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 Ennis’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Ennis?
74 buildings on the National Inventory, 5 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Ennis are of national importance?
Ennis Friary, O'Brien's Castle, Ennis Courthouse, O'Connell Monument and Prison, O'Connell Street, Ennis.
What is the oldest building in Ennis?
Bindon House: the first date on its record is 820.
Are there archaeological sites in Ennis?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 135 archaeological sites inside Ennis.
How old are the homes in Ennis?
2.4% 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).