NatPrison / jail · 1855–1865Kilmainham Gaol (prison / jail)Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8Photo: Nol Aders · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file
Irish National War Memorial Gardens · Photo: Osioni · Public domain52buildings on the National Inventory
History of Kilmainham · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Kilmainham has 52 buildings on the National Inventory, 7 of them of national importance
Old homes stand out in Kilmainham: 10% were built before 1919, where the typical town has 3.4%. The earliest building recorded goes back to 1740. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 8 archaeological sites. For every 10,000 residents, Kilmainham has 51 buildings on the record; the typical town has 48.
On the National Inventory
52
51 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
7
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
8
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1740
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
10%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Old and new: 9 photos and 1 old views of Kilmainham
Of the buildings pictured in Kilmainham, “Church, Goldenbridge Cemetery” is the oldest, from 1825. Pictures exist for 10 of the places Kilmainham has on the record. The old views of Kilmainham date from 1898.
Kilmainham Gaol (prison / jail)National rating (NIAH)
Inchicore College of Further EducationRegional rating (NIAH)
Saint Michael’s ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
Inchicore LibraryRegional rating (NIAH)
Church, Goldenbridge CemeteryRegional rating (NIAH)+4See 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.
Through time
Kilmainham in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
1898From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
The map
Where Kilmainham’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites400 m from Kilmainham Courthouse
6 of 7within 400 m of Kilmainham Courthouse, the heart of the town’s history
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 52, by rating
7 National and International45 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
7 places of national importance in Kilmainham
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
NatGarden · 1925–1945Irish National War Memorial GardensSaint John's Road, Dublin 8Photo: Osioni · Public domain · Commons file
Prison walls · 1790–1800Kilmainham Gaol (prison walls)Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Prison / jail · 1795–1800Kilmainham Gaol (prison / jail)Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Court house · 1815–1825Kilmainham CourthouseInchicore Road, South Circular Road, Dublin 8
Hospital / infirmary · 1855–1865Kilmainham Gaol (hospital / infirmary)Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Prison / jail · 1885–1895Kilmainham Gaol (prison / jail)Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Regional and other sites
45 more historic places in Kilmainham
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 31, A to Z
A.C. BolesBellevue (building misc)Bellevue (miller's house)Bellevue (store / warehouse)Burial GroundCanal Local Employment Service Network (convent / nunnery)Canal Local Employment Service Network (convent / nunnery)Church, Goldenbridge CemeteryChurch, Inchicore College of Further EducationCleary'sDublin University Boat ClubGates, Goldenbridge CemeteryGolden BridgeGoldenbridge CemeteryInchicore College of Further EducationInchicore LibraryInchicore National SchoolInchicore Primary Care CentreInchicore Sports and Social ClubInchicore United Workmans ClubIrish National War Memorial Gardens (gates / railings / walls)Kilmainham BridgeMcDowellsRosedaleSaint Anne'sSaint Jude's ChurchSaint Michael’s ChurchSeven OaksSexton's house, Goldenbridge CemeterySpencer TerraceTom Tavey / Inchicore Motorcycles
14 recorded by their type and address
14 are recorded only by their type and address: 5 homes, 4 street furniture and 2 public buildings; most date from the 19th century.
18th century4
19th century6
20th century4
Historic streets
Inchicore Road has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Inchicore Road10 on the record · 6 of national importance
Emmet Road9 on the record
Saint Vincent Street6 on the record
Sarsfield Road4 on the record
Emmet Crescent3 on the record
South Circular Road3 on the record
Of the 52 records, 42 give a street address.
What’s recorded
More churches and chapels than the national record: 17% in Kilmainham, 7% across Ireland
Kilmainham’s most recent recorded building is from 1950. Counted by type, homes come first, 18 of them (35%). The highest-rated include Kilmainham Gaol and Kilmainham Courthouse.
Homes18
Churches and chapels9
Public buildings7
Walls, gates and bridges6
Street furniture4
Inns, shops and warehouses1
Mills, stations and works1
Other buildings6
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Kilmainham’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries9
19th century 1800–189932
1900 and later to today11
9 of the 52 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Golden Bridge, from 1740.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Kilmainham
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.
| Water mill - unclassified2 records |
| Burial1 record |
| Mill - unclassified1 record |
| Bridge1 record |
| House - 16th/17th century1 record |
| Prison1 record |
| Barracks1 record |
Homes by age
The biggest share of Kilmainham’s homes dates in the 2000s: 30%
By 2001, Kilmainham had built the greater part of the homes it has now. Building between the wars left Kilmainham with 17% of its homes, above the usual 3.9%. Homes dated from 1981 to 2000 are scarcer in Kilmainham than in most towns: 14%, against 24%.
10%
Before 1919
17%
1919–45
23%
1946–80
14%
1981–2000
30%
2001–10
5.4%
Since 2011
KilmainhamTypical 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
Kilmainham and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilmainham | 10,240 | 52 | 7 | 8 |
| Inchicore | 5,285 | 35 | 0 | 3 |
| Crumlin | 19,287 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
| Dolphins Barn | 18,799 | 188 | 7 | 65 |
| Chapelizod | 4,862 | 131 | 5 | 50 |
| Decies | 2,713 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kylemore | 2,557 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
In brief
Kilmainham in brief
More of Kilmainham’s homes are old than in most places: 10% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 52 places on the record, 7 of them in the top tier, including Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham Courthouse sits at the heart of it all, with 6 of the town’s places of national importance within 400 m. Inchicore Road alone has 10 places on the record.
Of the 52 with a date, 32 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Golden Bridge, from 1740. The archaeological record adds 8 sites. The rest is about typical: it has 52 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 20); and per resident it sits near the middle of Irish towns of 2,500 or more.
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 Kilmainham’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Kilmainham?
52 buildings on the National Inventory, 7 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Kilmainham are of national importance?
Kilmainham Gaol (prison walls), Kilmainham Gaol (prison / jail), Kilmainham Courthouse, Kilmainham Gaol (prison / jail), Kilmainham Gaol (hospital / infirmary) and Kilmainham Gaol (prison / jail), and 1 more.
What is the oldest building in Kilmainham?
Golden Bridge: the first date on its record is 1740.
Are there archaeological sites in Kilmainham?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 8 archaeological sites inside Kilmainham.
How old are the homes in Kilmainham?
10% 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).