John Colgan Memorial Hall · Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0Carndonagh: 32 buildings on the National Inventory
History in Carndonagh goes back at least to 1755, the date of its oldest recorded building. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 17 archaeological sites. For every 10,000 residents, Carndonagh has 116 buildings on the record; the typical town has 48.
typical town: 48
Carndonagh in 4 photos
Look out for John Colgan Memorial Hall and Donagh Church of Ireland Church. There are photos of 3 of Carndonagh’s recorded places so far. Donagh Church of Ireland Church, dated 1755, is the oldest pictured in Carndonagh.
Donagh Church of Ireland ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
Church of the Sacred HeartRegional rating (NIAH)
Strawbridge BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)+1See 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.
Where Carndonagh’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).
32 historic places in Carndonagh
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 19, A to Z
13 recorded by their type and address
13 are recorded only by their type and address: 12 homes and 1 mills, stations and works; most date from the 18th century.
In Carndonagh, churches and chapels stand out: 22% of its record, 7% nationally
The record in Carndonagh comes up to 1940 at its newest. 22 records, 69%, are homes. Among the highest-rated: Donagh Church of Ireland Church and Tirnaleague House.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Carndonagh’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
7 of the 32 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Donagh Church of Ireland Church, from 1755.
Archaeology in Carndonagh
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
17 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.
| Stone sculpture2 records |
| Stone sculpture (present location)2 records |
| Souterrain2 records |
| Church1 record |
| Architectural feature1 record |
| Architectural fragment1 record |
| Cross-slab1 record |
| Cross - High cross1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Cross - High cross (present location)1 record |
| Ecclesiastical enclosure1 record |
| Cross-inscribed stone1 record |
| Ringfort - rath1 record |
| Megalithic tomb - unclassified1 record |
Just outside Carndonagh: 25
| Donagh Church of Ireland Rectory (rectory / glebe / vicarage / curate's house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 900 m outside the town |
| Brachán HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 800 m outside the town |
| Strawbridge BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Donagh Church of Ireland Rectory (outbuilding)Regional rating (NIAH) · 900 m outside the town |
| Hollymount House (outbuilding)Regional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Hollymount House (gates / railings / walls)Regional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Corvish BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| The ManseRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| Carndonagh Presbyterian ChurchRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| House, AltashaneRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
| House, BallybegRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| House, Cabadooey LittleRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| House, CarndonaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| House, CloghernyRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| House, CraigtownRegional rating (NIAH) · 900 m outside the town |
| House, FallduffRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| House, GortnacoolRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| House, Treanbane UpperRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| House, Carrickafodan BigRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| House, Cashel (Gleneely)Regional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
5.7% of Carndonagh’s homes are older than 1919, against a usual 3.4%
Carndonagh built little from 1946 to 1980: 18% of its homes, where most towns have 24%. The largest single period is in the 2000s, with 43% of Carndonagh’s homes. From 2011 on, Carndonagh built 4.7% of its homes, near the typical 5.8%.
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.
3 notable people born in Carndonagh before 1900
From John Colgan (1592) to John Wallace Crawford (1847): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Everyone born in Carndonagh → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Carndonagh and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carndonagh | 2,768 | 32 | 0 | 17 |
| Moville | 1,390 | 54 | 0 | 3 |
| Buncrana | 6,971 | 79 | 0 | 19 |
| Greencastle | 1,268 | 32 | 0 | 5 |
Carndonagh in brief
More of Carndonagh’s homes are old than in most places: 5.7% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 32 places on the record. Per resident, it has more recorded buildings than 76% of Irish towns of 2,500 or more. Of the whole list, 69% are homes.
Of the 32 with a date, 22 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Donagh Church of Ireland Church, from 1755. John Colgan (1592), John Wallace Crawford (1847) and Honoria Lawrence (1808) were all born here before 1900. Beyond that, it has 32 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 19).
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 Carndonagh’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Carndonagh?
32 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Carndonagh?
Donagh Church of Ireland Church: the first date on its record is 1755.
Are there archaeological sites in Carndonagh?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 17 archaeological sites inside Carndonagh.
How old are the homes in Carndonagh?
5.7% 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).