Christ Church (Inishmacsaint) · Photo: Irishshagua · CC BY-SA 4.0Bundoran: 25 buildings on the National Inventory
History in Bundoran goes back at least to 1800, the date of its oldest recorded building. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 18 archaeological sites. Bundoran has 96 buildings on the record for every 10,000 residents, against 48 in the typical town.
typical town: 48
Historic Bundoran: 2 photos, 1 old views
There are photos of 2 of Bundoran’s recorded places so far. The old photographs show Bundoran in 1900. Two to begin with: Christ Church (Inishmacsaint) and Catholic Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea.
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.
Bundoran in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
1900From 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 Bundoran’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).
25 historic places in Bundoran
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 14, A to Z
11 recorded by their type and address
11 are recorded only by their type and address: 7 homes, 2 street furniture and 1 other buildings; most date from the 19th century.
More churches and chapels than the national record: 20% in Bundoran, 7% across Ireland
The newest record in Bundoran dates from 1920. Counted by type, homes come first, 13 of them (52%). Two of the highest-rated records are The Thatch and Marley.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Bundoran’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
The oldest is The Thatch, from 1800.
Archaeology in Bundoran
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
18 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.
| Standing stone3 records |
| Promontory fort - coastal1 record |
| Megalithic tomb - passage tomb1 record |
| Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb1 record |
| Kiln - corn-drying1 record |
| Urn burial1 record |
| Stone circle1 record |
| Castle - unclassified1 record |
| Midden1 record |
| Church1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Linear earthwork1 record |
| Burnt spread1 record |
| Pit-burial1 record |
| Road - class 3 togher1 record |
| 1 more kind1 record |
Just outside Bundoran: 8
| Lennox's BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| The Four Masters BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Mullanaleck Mill (mill (water))Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Mullanaleck Mill (mill (water))Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Mullanaleck Mill (mill race)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Four Masters BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Lennox's BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Bridge, Ardfarn, RathglassRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
39% of Bundoran’s homes were built from 1981 to 2000
From 2011 on, Bundoran built 7.4% of its homes; the typical town built 5.8%. Bundoran’s share of pre-1919 homes, 4%, is near the 3.4% of the typical town. Fewer of Bundoran’s homes than usual date from 1946 to 1980: 17%, against 24%.
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.
Bundoran and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bundoran | 2,599 | 25 | 0 | 18 |
| Kinlough | 1,196 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Ballyshannon | 2,246 | 76 | 1 | 30 |
Bundoran in brief
Old houses are part of Bundoran’s character: 4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 25 places on the record. Most entries on the list, 52%, are homes. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 23 of 25. The oldest, The Thatch, dates from 1800.
It also has 18 archaeological sites on the record. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has 25 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 20); and per resident it sits near the middle of Irish towns of 2,500 or more.
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 Bundoran’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Bundoran?
25 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Bundoran?
The Thatch: the first date on its record is 1800.
Are there archaeological sites in Bundoran?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 18 archaeological sites inside Bundoran.
How old are the homes in Bundoran?
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.
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).