NMCastle - Anglo-Norman masonry castleAthenry CastleAthenryPhoto: Ingo Mehling · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file
Athenry Castle · Photo: Ingo Mehling · CC BY-SA 3.035buildings on the National Inventory
History of Athenry · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Athenry: 35 buildings on the National Inventory, the oldest from 1450
Athenry is a historic town on the Sites and Monuments Record, which lists 117 archaeological sites inside it. Athenry has 76 buildings on the record for every 10,000 residents, against 48 in the typical town.
On the National Inventory
35
76 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
1
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
117
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1450
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
3.4%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
4 photos of Athenry’s landmarks, and 2 old views
You can start with Athenry Castle and Athenry Priory. 4 recorded places in Athenry have a photo. The old views of Athenry run from 1869 to 1911.
Athenry PrioryArchaeological monument (SMR)
Athenry Heritage CentreRegional rating (NIAH)
Monument, The Square, AthenryRegional rating (NIAH)+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.
Through time
Athenry from 1869 to 1911
2 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1869
1911From 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.
How old
Most of Athenry’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
Middle Ages 500–14991
1500–1799 three centuries2
19th century 1800–189921
1900 and later to today11
3 of the 35 dated ones were built before 1800.
The map
Where Athenry’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 37, by rating
1 National and International36 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 Athenry
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. With one national monument the State cares for and opens to visitors. Each one opens its own page.
Regional and other sites
36 more historic places in Athenry
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 20, A to Z
Abbey Row HouseAthenry Heritage CentreAthenry HouseAthenry PrioryAthenry Railway StationAthenry Railway Station (building misc)Athenry Railway Station (foot bridge)Athenry Railway Station (outbuilding)Athenry Railway Station (signal box)Athenry Railway Station (station master's house)Athenry Railway Station (worker's house)Banba HouseCullairbaun HouseFiesoleProspect HouseRaheen HouseSaint Bernard'sThe Old RectoryThe Stone HouseUlster Bank
16 recorded by their type and address
16 are recorded only by their type and address: 10 homes, 4 walls, gates and bridges and 1 inns, shops and warehouses; most date from the 19th century.
15th century1
19th century14
20th century1
Historic streets
Station Road has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Station Road8 on the record
Cross Street7 on the record
The Square3 on the record
Raheen Road3 on the record
Of the 37 records, 27 give a street address.
What’s recorded
In Athenry, homes lead the record (63%)
The record in Athenry runs as late as 1920. That mix leans to walls, gates and bridges: 14% in Athenry, against 8% across the National Inventory. Among the highest-rated: Athenry House and Prospect House.
Homes22
Walls, gates and bridges5
Mills, stations and works2
Churches and chapels1
Farm and estate buildings1
Inns, shops and warehouses1
Memorials and tombs1
Public buildings1
Other buildings1
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Athenry
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
117 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.
| Graveslab39 records |
| Cross-slab (present location)29 records |
| Wall monument14 records |
| Graveslab (present location)3 records |
| Church2 records |
| Well2 records |
| Graveyard2 records |
| Cross2 records |
| Quarry2 records |
| Road - road/trackway2 records |
| Architectural fragment2 records |
| Historic town1 record |
| Town defences1 record |
| Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle1 record |
| Religious house - Dominican friars1 record |
| 14 more kinds14 records |
Just outside Athenry: 13
| Kilcornan, County GalwayArchaeological monument (SMR) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Castleturvin HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Graigabbey HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| RockmoreRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.1 km outside the town |
| Castle Ellen House (gates / railings / walls)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
| Castle Ellen House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
| Farranablake BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Rockfield BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| Rockfield HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Mellows CampusRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Bridge, Cloran, MulpitRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Bridge, Ballydavid Middle, Mountain NorthRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Water pump, Castleturvin CrossroadsRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Athenry’s building boom came in the 2000s: 50% of its homes
3.4% of Athenry’s homes predate 1919, close to the typical town’s 3.4%. Just 12% of the homes in Athenry went up from 1946 to 1980, short of the typical 24%. The last decade or so added 7.5% of Athenry’s homes, against 5.8% in most towns.
3.4%
Before 1919
2.8%
1919–45
12%
1946–80
25%
1981–2000
50%
2001–10
7.5%
Since 2011
AthenryTypical 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
Athenry and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athenry | 4,603 | 35 | 1 | 117 |
| Craughwell | 1,034 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Oranmore | 5,819 | 9 | 0 | 21 |
| Baile Chláir | 1,632 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Ballybane | 15,082 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
| Loughrea | 6,322 | 37 | 1 | 59 |
| Murrough | 2,909 | 4 | 0 | 17 |
In brief
Athenry in brief
Old houses are part of Athenry’s character: 3.4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 37 places on the record, 1 of them in the top tier, including Athenry Castle. On Station Road alone there are 8 places on the record. Of the whole list, 63% are homes.
Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 21 of 35. The oldest, Athenry House, dates from 1760. The archaeological record adds 117 sites. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has 35 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 35); 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 Athenry’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Athenry?
35 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Athenry are of national importance?
Athenry Castle.
What is the oldest building in Athenry?
Monument, The Square, Athenry: the first date on its record is 1450.
Are there archaeological sites in Athenry?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 117 archaeological sites inside Athenry.
How old are the homes in Athenry?
3.4% 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).