Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace (bishop's palace) · Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0Raphoe has 27 buildings on the National Inventory
Old homes stand out in Raphoe: 11% were built before 1919, where the typical town has 3.4%. The earliest building recorded goes back to 1690. The Sites and Monuments Record adds 14 archaeological sites inside the town.
4 photos of Raphoe’s landmarks
The set opens with Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace (bishop's palace) and Second Raphoe Presbyterian Church. Of the places on Raphoe’s record, 3 have a photo here. Pictured and oldest in Raphoe: Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace, 1690.
Second Raphoe Presbyterian ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
St Eunan's CathedralArchaeological monument (SMR)
Beltany stone circleArchaeological monument (SMR)+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 Raphoe’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).
28 historic places in Raphoe
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 19, A to Z
9 recorded by their type and address
9 are recorded only by their type and address: 7 homes, 1 memorials and tombs and 1 street furniture; most date from the 19th century.
63% of Raphoe’s recorded buildings are homes
Raphoe’s record covers 7 kinds of building in all. The second-largest group on the record is inns, shops and warehouses, with 3. Two of the highest-rated records are Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace and Church of Ireland Bishop's Palace.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Raphoe’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
11 of the 27 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace, from 1690.
Archaeology in Raphoe
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
14 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.
| Armorial plaque4 records |
| Standing stone2 records |
| Cathedral2 records |
| Architectural fragment2 records |
| Stone sculpture1 record |
| House - fortified house1 record |
| Round tower1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
Just outside Raphoe: 21
| Oakfield House (rectory / glebe / vicarage / curate's house)National rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Beltany stone circleArchaeological monument (SMR) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Oakfield House (walled garden)Regional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Oakfield House (outbuilding)Regional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Oakfield House (icehouse)Regional rating (NIAH) · 800 m outside the town |
| Drumineney HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.7 km outside the town |
| TopsRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Bridge, Aghnakeeragh, TullyvinnyRegional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| Bridge, Cooladerry (Raphoe)Regional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Kiln, Tops DemesneRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Bridge, Ballyholey Far, SlievebuckRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| House, MullafinRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.4 km outside the town |
| House, MuntertinnyRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| House, Coolaghy GlebeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.1 km outside the town |
| House, DrumbegRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.2 km outside the town |
| Kiln, DrummucklaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 3 km outside the town |
| Store, Magherahann Middle, RaphoeRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Bridge, AghnakeeraghRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| Bridge, RaphoeRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Bridge, Aghnakeeragh, TullyvinnyRegional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
Few of Raphoe’s homes are newer than 2011: 1.5%, against 5.8%
Raphoe added a lot between the wars: 5% of its homes, the typical town 3.9%. The busiest building years in Raphoe were in the 2000s, which account for 32% of today’s homes. Most of the houses in Raphoe today, over half, were up by 2001.
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.
Raphoe and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raphoe | 1,161 | 27 | 0 | 14 |
| Convoy | 1,702 | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| Lifford | 1,613 | 19 | 1 | 9 |
| Letterkenny | 22,549 | 81 | 0 | 42 |
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar | 5,406 | 27 | 0 | 8 |
| Newtowncunningham | 1,192 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramelton | 1,288 | 80 | 1 | 8 |
Raphoe in brief
Old houses are part of Raphoe’s character: 11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 28 places on the record. Of the whole list, 63% are homes.
Of the 27 with a date, 15 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace, from 1690. The archaeological record adds 14 sites.
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 Raphoe’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Raphoe?
27 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Raphoe?
Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace: the first date on its record is 1690.
Are there archaeological sites in Raphoe?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 14 archaeological sites inside Raphoe.
How old are the homes in Raphoe?
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.
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 (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).