Photo: P L Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0Ballybunion: 20 buildings on the National Inventory
Ballybunion’s oldest recorded building dates from 1825. The Sites and Monuments Record adds 8 archaeological sites inside the town. Of its homes, 6.2% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Ballybunion from 1897 to 1901
2 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1880–1914
1901From 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.
Where Ballybunion’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).
20 historic places in Ballybunion
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 6, A to Z
14 recorded by their type and address
14 are recorded only by their type and address: 12 homes, 1 inns, shops and warehouses and 1 public buildings; most date from the 19th century.
75% of Ballybunion’s recorded buildings are homes
In second place come churches and chapels, with 3. At the top of the record: Doon Catholic Church and Ballybunnion Library. Its buildings rate regional: Ballybunion has none of national importance.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Ballybunion’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
The oldest is Doon Catholic Church, from 1825.
Archaeology in Ballybunion
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.
| Ringfort - rath5 records |
| Hut site1 record |
| Ritual site - holy well1 record |
| Burial1 record |
Just outside Ballybunion: 4
| House, Lahesheragh NorthRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| House, BarnadarrigRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| House, TullamoreRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| House, RahoonaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
Ballybunion is still building: 9.6% of its homes are from 2011 or later, against 5.8%
More of Ballybunion’s homes than usual date between the wars: 9.1%, against 3.9%. The busiest building years in Ballybunion were from 1946 to 1980, which account for 29% of today’s homes. Ballybunion reached half its present housing before 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.
Ballybunion and its neighbours
Ballybunion in brief
Old houses are part of Ballybunion’s character: 6.2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 20 places on the record. Of the whole list, 75% are homes. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 17 of 20. The oldest, Doon Catholic Church, dates from 1825.
The archaeological record adds 8 sites. The rest is about typical: Patrick Joseph James Keane (1872) was born here before 1900.
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 Ballybunion’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Ballybunion?
20 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Ballybunion?
Doon Catholic Church: the first date on its record is 1825.
Are there archaeological sites in Ballybunion?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 8 archaeological sites inside Ballybunion.
How old are the homes in Ballybunion?
6.2% 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 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).