Court house · 1740–1750The Old CourthouseThe Diamond, Lifford
Photo: Kenneth Allen · CC BY-SA 2.019buildings on the National Inventory
History of Lifford · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Lifford: 19 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance
Old homes stand out in Lifford: 7.5% were built before 1919, where the typical town has 3.4%. The Sites and Monuments Record marks it as a historic town and lists 9 archaeological sites inside it. The oldest record dates from 1610.
On the National Inventory
19
Of national importance
1
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
9
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1610
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
7.5%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Places to see in Lifford
Saint Lugadius's Church (Clonleigh) is the one recorded place in Lifford with a photo so far.
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.
The map
Where Lifford’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 19, by rating
1 National and International18 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 Lifford
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Regional and other sites
18 more historic places in Lifford
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: 4 homes and 1 street furniture; most date from the 18th century.
18th century2
19th century2
20th century1
What’s recorded
Lifford’s largest group: homes, 68% of the record
The variety is wide in Lifford: 5 kinds of building on the record. 2 records make churches and chapels the second group. Among the highest-rated: The Old Courthouse and Saint Lugadius's Church (Clonleigh).
Homes13
Churches and chapels2
Public buildings2
Farm and estate buildings1
Street furniture1
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Lifford’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries4
19th century 1800–189911
1900 and later to today4
4 of the 19 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Saint Lugadius's Church (Clonleigh), from 1610.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Lifford
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
9 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 stone1 record |
| Historic town1 record |
| Church1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| House - 16th/17th century1 record |
| Town defences1 record |
| Fortification1 record |
| Wall monument - effigial1 record |
| Bullaun stone (present location)1 record |
Just outside Lifford: 15
| Hall Green FarmRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Ballybogan (farm house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Ballybogan (farm house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Clonleigh House (walled garden, outbuilding)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.1 km outside the town |
| Ballindrait Presbyterian ManseRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (church / chapel)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Croghan HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Clonleigh House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Inchenagh HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Island More BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| InchenaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (church / chapel)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Mill (wind), Braade (Clonleigh South)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Demesne walls, GortgranaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| House, BlackrockRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Most of Lifford’s homes went up from 1946 to 1980: 30%
From 2011 on, Lifford built only 4% of its homes; the typical town built 5.8%. The homes built in Lifford since 2001 are fewer than those built before it. Building between the wars gave Lifford 3.8% of its homes, near the usual 3.9%.
7.5%
Before 1919
3.8%
1919–45
30%
1946–80
25%
1981–2000
30%
2001–10
4%
Since 2011
LiffordTypical 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
Lifford and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifford | 1,613 | 19 | 1 | 9 |
| Raphoe | 1,161 | 27 | 0 | 14 |
| Convoy | 1,702 | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| Newtowncunningham | 1,192 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar | 5,406 | 27 | 0 | 8 |
In brief
Lifford in brief
More of Lifford’s homes are old than in most places: 7.5% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 19 places on the record, 1 of them in the top tier, including The Old Courthouse. Of the whole list, 68% are homes. Of the 19 with a date, 11 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Saint Lugadius's Church (Clonleigh), from 1610.
The archaeological record adds 9 sites. Beyond that, Charlie McEleny (1873) was born here before 1900.
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 Lifford’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Lifford?
19 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Lifford are of national importance?
The Old Courthouse.
What is the oldest building in Lifford?
Saint Lugadius's Church (Clonleigh): the first date on its record is 1610.
Are there archaeological sites in Lifford?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 9 archaeological sites inside Lifford.
How old are the homes in Lifford?
7.5% 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.
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).