Church / chapel · 1670–1820Ramelton LibraryBack Lane, Ramelton
Photo: Kenneth Allen · CC BY-SA 2.080buildings on the National Inventory
History of Ramelton · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Ramelton: 80 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance
Ramelton has kept more old homes than most towns: 11% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. It is a historic town on the Sites and Monuments Record, with 8 archaeological sites inside it. Its oldest building dates from 1610.
On the National Inventory
80
Of national importance
1
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
8
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1610
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
11%
typical town: 3.4%
The map
Where Ramelton’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 80, by rating
1 National and International79 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 Ramelton
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Regional and other sites
79 more historic places in Ramelton
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 40, A to Z
A. Gamble & Co. LtdArdeenBetting OfficeCharles Kelly Ltd. (store / warehouse)Charles Kelly Ltd. (store / warehouse)Conway's BarCounty Genealogy Centre\Ramelton Story (store / warehouse)County Genealogy Centre\Ramelton Story (store / warehouse)Cuba Hair DesignDrummonaghan BridgeFirst Ramelton Presbyterian ChurchFrewin HouseGannon MemorialHeadworksLennonside Butchers\Bridge Laundrette and CleanersLiam Grier: Design StudioMcCloughan Gunn and Co. SolicitorsMelbourne HouseMill HouseMirabeau Steak HouseMurray's PharmacyNewmill BridgeRamelton BridgeRamelton Garda StationRamelton Old Masonic LodgeRamelton Parochial HallRamelton Public HallRamelton Wesleyan Methodist ChapelRelton Developments Ltd.St. Mary's Catholic ChurchSt. Paul's Church of Ireland ChurchThe Corner HouseThe Green (building misc)The Green (house)The LodgeThe ManseThe Old House CaféThe TanyardTullyaughnish Church of Ireland ChurchWhoriskey's Spar Supermarket
39 recorded by their type and address
39 are recorded only by their type and address: 30 homes, 3 walls, gates and bridges and 1 public buildings; most date from the 18th century.
18th century22
19th century17
Historic streets
The Mall has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
The Mall26 on the record
Castle Street10 on the record
The Quay6 on the record
Bridge Street4 on the record
Church Street3 on the record
Back Lane3 on the record · 1 of national importance
The Green3 on the record
Of the 80 records, 65 give a street address.
What’s recorded
More homes than anything else in Ramelton: 71%
The record in Ramelton runs as late as 1910. In second place come walls, gates and bridges, with 6. At the top of the record: Ramelton Library and The Old House Café.
Homes57
Walls, gates and bridges6
Churches and chapels6
Public buildings3
Memorials and tombs1
Inns, shops and warehouses1
Street furniture1
Farm and estate buildings1
Mills, stations and works1
Other buildings3
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Ramelton’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries29
19th century 1800–189948
1900 and later to today3
29 of the 80 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is The Old House Café, from 1610.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Ramelton
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
8 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.
| Historic town1 record |
| Castle - unclassified1 record |
| Church1 record |
| Architectural feature1 record |
| Meeting-house1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Bawn1 record |
| Architectural fragment1 record |
Just outside Ramelton: 22
| Claragh HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.7 km outside the town |
| Tully BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Ballyarr HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Claragh House (farmyard complex)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.7 km outside the town |
| Ballyarr House (mill (water))Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Kelly's MillRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Kilcreen Catholic ChapelRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| AghangaddyRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.1 km outside the town |
| Milestone CottageRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Kiln, Kelly's MillRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Store, Kelly's MillRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Claragh House (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Kilcreen National SchoolRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Quay, The Quay, The Mall, RameltonRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| House, RameltonRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Weir, RameltonRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| House, FarnaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| Farmyard complex, CarniskRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| House, Black's GlenRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| House, AughnishRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Only 3.1% of Ramelton’s homes were built since 2011 (5.8% is typical)
No period built more of Ramelton than in the 2000s: 34% of its homes. Fewer of Ramelton’s homes than usual date between the wars: 2.7%, against 3.9%. Over half of the homes in Ramelton were already standing by 2001.
11%
Before 1919
2.7%
1919–45
21%
1946–80
28%
1981–2000
34%
2001–10
3.1%
Since 2011
RameltonTypical 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
8 notable people born in Ramelton before 1900
From Francis Makemie (1658) to John Tudor Gwynn (1881): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Francis Makemie
Walter Patterson
Matthew Richey
William McAdoo
Edward Gwynn
Dave Gallaher
Catherine Black
John Tudor Gwynn
1650170017501800185019001950
DG
Dave Gallaher1873–1917 · New Zealand rugby union footballer
EG
Edward Gwynn1868–1941 · Gaelic scholar
WM
William McAdoo1853–1930 · American politician
CB
Catherine Black1878–1949 · Irish nurse
FM
Francis Makemie1658–1708 · Irish-American Presbyterian evangelist
WP
Walter Patterson1701–1798 · Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island
JG
John Tudor Gwynn1881–1956 · Irish cricketer
MR
Matthew Richey1803–1883 · Methodist minister
Everyone born in Ramelton → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Neighbours
Ramelton and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramelton | 1,288 | 80 | 1 | 8 |
| Milford | 1,076 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Letterkenny | 22,549 | 81 | 0 | 42 |
| Newtowncunningham | 1,192 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Buncrana | 6,971 | 79 | 0 | 19 |
| Raphoe | 1,161 | 27 | 0 | 14 |
In brief
Ramelton in brief
Old houses are part of Ramelton’s character: 11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 80 places on the record, 1 of them in the top tier, including Ramelton Library. On The Mall alone there are 26 places on the record. Most entries on the list, 71%, are homes.
Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 48 of 80. The oldest, The Old House Café, dates from 1610. Of the 8 people born here before 1900, the best known include Dave Gallaher (1873), Edward Gwynn (1868) and William McAdoo (1853).
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 Ramelton’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Ramelton?
80 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Ramelton are of national importance?
Ramelton Library.
What is the oldest building in Ramelton?
The Old House Café: the first date on its record is 1610.
Are there archaeological sites in Ramelton?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 8 archaeological sites inside Ramelton.
How old are the homes in Ramelton?
11% 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) · 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).