Photo: Alistair Cunningham · CC BY 3.0Fahan: 18 buildings on the National Inventory
History in Fahan goes back at least to 1550, the date of its oldest recorded building. The Sites and Monuments Record adds 12 archaeological sites inside the town. 6.4% of its homes date from before 1919; the typical town has 3.4%.
Old buildings of Fahan
So far only St. Mura’s Church of Ireland Church is photographed among Fahan’s recorded places.
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.
Where Fahan’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).
18 historic places in Fahan
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 13, A to Z
5 recorded by their type and address
5 are recorded only by their type and address: 2 homes, 1 walls, gates and bridges and 1 churches and chapels; most date from the 19th century.
In Fahan, homes lead the record (50%)
The record in Fahan runs as late as 1940. In second place come walls, gates and bridges, with 4. At the top of the record: Fahan House and Glengollan.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Fahan’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
2 of the 18 dated ones were built before 1800.
Archaeology in Fahan
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.
| Flat cemetery2 records |
| Graveslab2 records |
| Megalithic tomb - unclassified1 record |
| Ritual site - holy well1 record |
| Church1 record |
| Cross1 record |
| Cross-slab1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Font1 record |
| Holed stone1 record |
Just outside Fahan: 10
| Inch HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Church of Ireland ChurchRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Glengollan (mausoleum)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Moress HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| WoodlandsRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Mill (water), Inch IslandRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Farm house, BallynahoneRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Farmyard complex, BallynahoneRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Gates, BallynahoneRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| House, Strahack, Inch IslandRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
8.8% of Fahan’s homes are newer than 2011 (5.8% is typical)
Building from 1981 to 2000 left Fahan with 17% of its homes, below the usual 24%. The period that gave Fahan the most homes is in the 2000s: 45%. Homes built between the wars make up 3.4% of Fahan’s, about the typical 3.9%.
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.
Fahan and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fahan | 589 | 18 | 0 | 12 |
| Buncrana | 6,971 | 79 | 0 | 19 |
| Newtowncunningham | 1,192 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Muff | 1,418 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramelton | 1,288 | 80 | 1 | 8 |
| Milford | 1,076 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
Fahan in brief
Old houses are part of Fahan’s character: 6.4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 18 places on the record. Most entries on the list, 50%, are homes. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 14 of 18. The oldest, Fahan House, dates from 1730.
It also has 12 archaeological sites on the record. Beyond that, Andrew Barnard (1773) and St Clair Thomson (1853) 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 Fahan’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Fahan?
18 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Fahan?
Graveyard, Fahan: the first date on its record is 1550.
Are there archaeological sites in Fahan?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 12 archaeological sites inside Fahan.
How old are the homes in Fahan?
6.4% 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 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).