NatCathedral · 1840–1860Saint Mary's Catholic CathedralCathedral Place, Port Road, KillarneyPhoto: Romeparis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file
Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral · Photo: Romeparis · CC BY-SA 3.0100buildings on the National Inventory
History of Killarney · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Killarney has 100 buildings on the National Inventory, 4 of them of national importance
Killarney’s oldest recorded building dates from 1750. The Sites and Monuments Record adds 59 archaeological sites inside the town. Killarney has 69 buildings on the record for every 10,000 residents, against 48 in the typical town.
On the National Inventory
100
69 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
4
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
59
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1750
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
2.9%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
16 pictures of Killarney today and 5 from before 1950
The oldest building pictured in Killarney is Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral, from 1840. So far the camera has reached 8 of Killarney’s recorded places. Killarney before 1950 appears in old photographs from 1889 to 1914.
Killarney Railway StationRegional rating (NIAH)
Killarney Methodist ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
Killarney Town HallRegional rating (NIAH)
Town, 38 Main Street, KillarneyRegional rating (NIAH)
Muckross House (country house)National rating (NIAH)+11See 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
Killarney from 1889 to 1914
5 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1865–1914
1890
1900
1910
1914From 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 Killarney’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 100, by rating
4 National and International96 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
4 places of national importance in Killarney
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Hospital / infirmary · 1845–1850Saint Finan's HospitalRock Road, Upper Lewis Road, Killarney
Hotel · 1850–1855Killarney Great Southern HotelEast Avenue Road, Killarney
Monastery · 1865–1870Franciscan FriaryFair Hill, Killarney
Regional and other sites
96 more historic places in Killarney
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 34, A to Z
Allied Irish BankBower HouseCahernane HouseCatholic Church of the ResurrectionConvent of MercyCoolclogher House (country house)Coolclogher House (gate lodge)CourtneyJ. O'LearyJ.H. O'SullivanJohn M. Reidy (house)John M. Reidy (house)Killarney House (dovecote / pigeon house / aviary)Killarney House (gate lodge)Killarney House (stables)Killarney Methodist ChurchKillarney Post OfficeKillarney Railway StationKillarney Town HallManganMilk MarketO'ConnorPark View HousePresentation ConventSaint Brendan's CollegeSaint Brigid's Presentation Secondary SchoolSaint Columbanus's Community HospitalSaint Mary's Church (Killarney)Saint Mary's WellSchool, Convent of MercyThe Blackthorn HouseThe Old MonasteryThe PalaceWest End House
62 recorded by their type and address
62 are recorded only by their type and address: 52 homes, 4 inns, shops and warehouses and 2 other buildings; most date from the 19th century.
18th century9
19th century51
20th century2
Historic streets
New Street has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
New Street24 on the record
High Street15 on the record
Main Street7 on the record
Kenmare Place7 on the record
Saint Mary's Terrace5 on the record
Rock Road3 on the record · 1 of national importance
Plunkett Street3 on the record
Flesk Road3 on the record
Cathedral Place3 on the record · 1 of national importance
Of the 100 records, 91 give a street address.
What’s recorded
The record in Killarney starts with homes, at 68%
Across its record, Killarney takes in 8 kinds of building. That mix leans to public buildings: 10% in Killarney, against 6% across the National Inventory. At the top of the record: Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral and Saint Finan's Hospital.
Homes68
Public buildings10
Churches and chapels8
Inns, shops and warehouses6
Street furniture2
Farm and estate buildings1
Mills, stations and works1
Other buildings4
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Killarney’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries7
19th century 1800–189985
1900 and later to today8
7 of the 100 dated ones were built before 1800.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Killarney
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
59 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.
| Fulacht fia13 records |
| Excavation - miscellaneous7 records |
| Ringfort - rath5 records |
| Enclosure4 records |
| Ritual site - holy well4 records |
| Burnt spread3 records |
| Bridge3 records |
| Burial ground2 records |
| Standing stone2 records |
| Architectural fragment2 records |
| Country house2 records |
| Road - road/trackway1 record |
| Brickworks1 record |
| Barrow - unclassified1 record |
| Ogham stone (present location)1 record |
| 8 more kinds8 records |
Just outside Killarney: 19
| Ross CastleNational monument to visit · 1.1 km outside the town |
| Muckross House (country house)National rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Aghadoe ChurchArchaeological monument (SMR) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Muckross AbbeyArchaeological monument (SMR) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Parkavonear CastleArchaeological monument (SMR) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Flesk Castle (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Flesk Castle (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| WoodfordRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Killarney House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Aghadoe Church (church / chapel)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.4 km outside the town |
| Reen CottageRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Killarney House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| Aghadoe House (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Aghadoe House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| Muckross House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| Muckross House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Aghadoe GardensRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| Knockreer HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Church, CloghereenRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
Homes by age
New homes stand out in Killarney: 8.9% built since 2011, where most towns have 5.8%
Before 1919: 2.9% of the homes in Killarney, roughly the usual 3.4%. Killarney’s largest group of homes, 33%, went up from 1981 to 2000. Of the homes in Killarney now, the larger half dates from before 2001.
2.9%
Before 1919
4.6%
1919–45
29%
1946–80
33%
1981–2000
22%
2001–10
8.9%
Since 2011
KillarneyTypical 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.
Born here
11 notable people born in Killarney before 1900
From Hugh Kelly (1739) to John O'Connor (1894): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Hugh Kelly
Edward Eagar
William Bradshaw Egan
Edward O'Neill
Michael Sullivan
Frederick Field
James McDonogh
John M. O'Sullivan
Dick Fitzgerald
Janie McCarthy
John O'Connor
170017501800185019001950
HK
Hugh Kelly1739–1777 · Irish writer, editor
John M. O'Sullivan1881–1948 · Irish politician and academic
Frederick Field1871–1945 · British Royal Navy officer
William Bradshaw Egan1808–1860 · American politician
EE
Edward Eagar1787–1866 · Lawyer, convict and merchant from Ireland and New South Wales, Austra…
Edward O'Neill1820–1890 · American merchant, banker and politician from Wisconsin
Michael Sullivan1838–1915 · Canadian politician
JM
James McDonogh1871–1912 · Irish cricketer
Everyone born in Killarney → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Neighbours
Killarney and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killarney | 14,412 | 100 | 4 | 59 |
| Milltown | 1,118 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
In brief
Killarney in brief
Killarney has 100 places on the record, 4 of them in the top tier, including Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral. On New Street alone there are 24 places on the record. Most entries on the list, 68%, are homes. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 85 of 100. The oldest, West End House, dates from 1770.
Of the 11 people born here before 1900, the best known include Hugh Kelly (1739), John M. O'Sullivan (1881) and Frederick Field (1871). Its homes are mostly newer: 2.9% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. The rest is about typical: it has 100 recorded buildings, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 25); 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 Killarney’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Killarney?
100 buildings on the National Inventory, 4 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Killarney are of national importance?
Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Saint Finan's Hospital, Killarney Great Southern Hotel and Franciscan Friary.
What is the oldest building in Killarney?
House, 80 New Street, Killarney: the first date on its record is 1750.
Are there archaeological sites in Killarney?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 59 archaeological sites inside Killarney.
How old are the homes in Killarney?
2.9% 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).