NatObservatory / telescope · 1865–1870Dunsink Observatory (observatory / telescope)Dunsink LanePhoto: JP · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Ranelagh Bridge · Photo: Aaron Poet · CC BY-SA 4.012buildings on the National Inventory
History of Blanchardstown · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Blanchardstown has 12 buildings on the National Inventory, 2 of them of national importance
Of its homes, 0.6% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. The earliest building recorded goes back to 1500. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 15 archaeological sites. Blanchardstown has 4.9 buildings on the record for every 10,000 residents, against 48 in the typical town.
On the National Inventory
12
4.9 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
2
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
15
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1500
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
0.6%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
7 photos of Blanchardstown’s landmarks
Of the places on Blanchardstown’s record, 7 have a photo here. Among Blanchardstown’s top-rated places, 1 are pictured. The set opens with Dunsink Observatory (observatory / telescope) and Ranelagh Bridge.
Dunsink Observatory (observatory / telescope)National rating (NIAH)
Kennan BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)
Kirkpatrick BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)
Granard BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)
Saint Brigid's Catholic ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)+2See 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.
The map
Where Blanchardstown’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 12, by rating
2 National and International10 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
2 places of national importance in Blanchardstown
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Observatory / telescope · 1780–1785Dunsink Observatory (observatory / telescope)Dunsink Lane
Regional and other sites
10 more historic places in Blanchardstown
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
RegBridge · 1790–1810Kennan BridgePorterstown RoadPhoto: Royalcanalrunner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
Reg
Reg
RegBridge · 1800–1820Ranelagh BridgeCastleknock (Without Phoenix Park)Photo: Aaron Poet · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
Reg
RegChurch / chapel · 1855–1860Saint Brigid's Catholic ChurchChurch Avenue, BlanchardstownPhoto: Laurel Lodged · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
Country house · 1840–1880AbbotstownSheephill
House · 1840–1860ElmgreenDunsink Lane
Graveyard / cemetery · 1500–1700Graveyard, AbbotstownAbbotstown
Water pump · 1860–1880Water pump, Porterstown Road
What’s recorded
More walls, gates and bridges than the national record: 42% in Blanchardstown, 8% across Ireland
Blanchardstown shows 5 kinds of building on its record. 2 records make homes the second group. The highest-rated include Dunsink Observatory and Kennan Bridge.
Walls, gates and bridges5
Homes2
Churches and chapels2
Street furniture1
Other buildings2
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Blanchardstown’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries4
19th century 1800–18998
1900 and later to today0
4 of the 12 dated ones were built before 1800.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Blanchardstown
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
15 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.
| Church2 records |
| Graveyard2 records |
| Designed landscape - tree-ring1 record |
| Ritual site - holy well1 record |
| Mill - unclassified1 record |
| Fulacht fia1 record |
| Ring-ditch1 record |
| Castle - tower house1 record |
| Habitation site1 record |
| Earthwork1 record |
| Souterrain1 record |
| Burial ground1 record |
| Enclosure1 record |
Homes by age
Blanchardstown’s building boom came from 1946 to 1980: 36% of its homes
Blanchardstown added comparatively little between the wars: 0.7% of its homes, the typical town 3.9%. Homes built since 2011 are 5.1% of Blanchardstown’s, about the 5.8% of the typical town. Over half of the homes in Blanchardstown were already standing by 2001.
0.6%
Before 1919
0.7%
1919–45
36%
1946–80
29%
1981–2000
29%
2001–10
5.1%
Since 2011
BlanchardstownTypical 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
Blanchardstown and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanchardstown | 24,613 | 12 | 2 | 15 |
| Mulhuddart | 19,252 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| Carpenterstown | 20,967 | 71 | 2 | 17 |
| Castleknock | 6,355 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| Clonsilla | 22,510 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Hollystown | 12,884 | 4 | 0 | 19 |
| Ongar | 13,390 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
In brief
Blanchardstown in brief
The official list counts 12 places on the record in Blanchardstown, 2 of them in the top tier. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 8 of 12. The oldest, Dunsink Observatory, dates from 1780. Its homes are mostly newer: 0.6% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
It also has 15 archaeological sites on the record. For its size the list is short: per resident, it has more recorded buildings than only 17% of Irish towns of 2,500 or more. Beyond that, it has 12 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 81); and William Mooney (1890) 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 Blanchardstown’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Blanchardstown?
12 buildings on the National Inventory, 2 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Blanchardstown are of national importance?
Dunsink Observatory (observatory / telescope) and Dunsink Observatory (observatory / telescope).
What is the oldest building in Blanchardstown?
Graveyard, Abbotstown: the first date on its record is 1500.
Are there archaeological sites in Blanchardstown?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 15 archaeological sites inside Blanchardstown.
How old are the homes in Blanchardstown?
0.6% 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).