NatCastle / fortified house · 1500–1600White CastleLeinster Street, AthyPhoto: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
White Castle · Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0178buildings on the National Inventory
History of Athy · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Athy: 178 buildings on the National Inventory, 5 of them of national importance
The Sites and Monuments Record marks Athy as a historic town and lists 26 archaeological sites inside it. Its oldest building dates from 1500. For every 10,000 residents, Athy has 161 buildings on the record; the typical town has 48.
On the National Inventory
178
161 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
5
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
26
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1500
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
3.3%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Athy in 20 photos
Look out for White Castle and Athy Library. There are photos of 20 of Athy’s recorded places so far. Of Athy’s places of national importance, 2 are photographed.
Athy LibraryNational rating (NIAH)
Cardington LockRegional rating (NIAH)
Dry dock, AthyRegional rating (NIAH)
Athy Railway StationRegional rating (NIAH)
Athy CourthouseRegional rating (NIAH)+15See 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 Athy’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites400 m from White Castle
4 of 5within 400 m of White Castle, the heart of the town’s history
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 179, by rating
5 National and International174 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
5 places of national importance in Athy
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
NatChurch / chapel · 1960–1970Athy LibraryConvent Lane, AthyPhoto: Roger D Kidd · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Graveyard / cemetery · 1500–1900Saint John's CemeterySaint John's Lane, Athy
Graveyard / cemetery · 1800–1820Saint Michael's Old CemeteryBoherboy, Athy
Building misc · 1755–1770Building misc, Duke Street, Athy
Regional and other sites
174 more historic places in Athy
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 88, A to Z
Abbey HouseAnimal house, Athy District Model National SchoolArdreigh HouseAthy CourthouseAthy District Model National SchoolAthy LockAthy Lock (machinery)Athy Lodge (house)Athy Lodge (outbuilding)Athy Lodge (outbuilding)Athy Methodist ChapelAthy Methodist ChurchAthy Post OfficeAthy Presbyterian ChurchAthy Railway StationAthy Railway Station (foot bridge)Athy Railway Station (post box)Athy Railway Station (signal box)Athy Railway Station (water tower)Athy Town HallAugustus BridgeBank of IrelandBapty Maher'sBarrow LockBuilding misc, Athy District Model National SchoolBuilding misc, Athy District Model National SchoolCardington LockCasa MariaCromaboo BridgeCrown HouseDuke's Lodge (demesne walls / gates / railings)Duke's Lodge (gates / railings / walls)Duke's Lodge (house)Duke's Lodge (outbuilding)EversleyFontigaryGalileeGrand Canal HouseGraveyard, Saint Michael's ConventHibernian HouseHillview HouseHorse BridgeJaneville CottageLaundry, Saint Michael's ConventLennon's BridgeMarket HouseMurrayOffaly HouseOutbuilding, Athy District Model National SchoolOutbuilding, Athy District Model National SchoolPark HouseParkview HousePeople's ParkProspect HouseProspect House (outbuilding)Prospect House (prison / jail)Rathstewart BridgeRiverviewSaint Anne'sSaint John's HouseSaint John's ManorSaint Mary's National SchoolSaint Michael'sSaint Michael's Catholic ChurchSaint Michael's ChurchSaint Michael's Convent (church / chapel)Saint Michael's Convent (convent / nunnery)Saint Michael's Convent (convent / nunnery)Saint Michael's Convent (convent / nunnery)Saint Michael's New CemeterySaint Michael's Parochial HallSaint Vincent's Hospital (gate lodge)Saint Vincent's Hospital (gates / railings / walls)Saint Vincent's Hospital (workhouse)School, Saint Michael's ConventShamrock Lodge (demesne walls / gates / railings)Shamrock Lodge (gate lodge)Shamrock Lodge (house)Stables, Athy District Model National SchoolTeach ÍosaThe ManseThe Manse (house)The Rectory (outbuilding)The Rectory (rectory / glebe / vicarage / curate's house)W.T. DuthieWoodstock CastleWoodstock LodgeÓ Brien
86 recorded by their type and address
86 are recorded only by their type and address: 58 homes, 8 street furniture and 7 walls, gates and bridges; most date from the 19th century.
18th century16
19th century62
20th century8
Historic streets
Leinster Street has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Leinster Street23 on the record · 1 of national importance
Woodstock Street19 on the record
Emily Square16 on the record
Duke Street15 on the record · 1 of national importance
Church Road13 on the record
William Street11 on the record
Carlow Road10 on the record
Dublin Road9 on the record
Stanhope Place8 on the record
Offaly Street7 on the record
Saint John's Lane5 on the record · 1 of national importance
Geraldine Road4 on the record
Of the 179 records, 151 give a street address.
What’s recorded
Athy’s largest group: homes, 53% of the record
Two of the highest-rated records are Saint John's Cemetery and White Castle. In second place come walls, gates and bridges, with 20. Athy’s record covers 10 kinds of building in all.
Homes95
Walls, gates and bridges20
Churches and chapels14
Public buildings10
Farm and estate buildings10
Street furniture9
Mills, stations and works6
Inns, shops and warehouses2
Memorials and tombs1
Other buildings11
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Athy’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries27
19th century 1800–1899125
1900 and later to today26
27 of the 178 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Saint John's Cemetery, from 1500.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Athy
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
26 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.
| Graveslab3 records |
| Settlement deserted - medieval2 records |
| Church2 records |
| Graveyard2 records |
| Castle - hall-house1 record |
| Bawn1 record |
| Fish-pond1 record |
| House - 17th century1 record |
| Historic town1 record |
| Town defences1 record |
| Religious house - Dominican friars1 record |
| Religious house - Fratres Cruciferi1 record |
| Bridge1 record |
| Castle - tower house1 record |
| Cross-slab1 record |
| 6 more kinds6 records |
Just outside Athy: 7
| Geraldine HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Sawyerswood HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Ardmore HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Saint Mary's Burial GroundRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Russellstown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Salisbury HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 800 m outside the town |
| House, TomardRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
Homes by age
Athy grew fastest in the 2000s, when 44% of its homes were built
Athy’s share of pre-1919 homes, 3.3%, is near the 3.4% of the typical town. Homes dated between the wars are commoner in Athy than in most towns: 5.9%, against 3.9%. The last decade or so added 5.4% of Athy’s homes, much as in most towns (5.8%).
3.3%
Before 1919
5.9%
1919–45
21%
1946–80
21%
1981–2000
44%
2001–10
5.4%
Since 2011
AthyTypical 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
5 notable people born in Athy before 1900
From James Quinn (1819) to Sydney Minch (1893): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
James Quinn
Helen Evans Russel
Thomas Condon
John Vincent Holland
Sydney Minch
1800182518501875190019251950
HR
Helen Evans Russel1833–1903 · M. A. Elston, ‘Edinburgh Seven (act. 1869–1873)’, first published
James Quinn1819–1881 · First Roman Catholic Bishop of Brisbane
TC
Thomas Condon1883–1963 · Irish politician
John Vincent Holland1889–1975 · Recipient of the Victoria Cross
SM
Sydney Minch1893–1970 · Irish politician
Everyone born in Athy → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Athy has the 3rd most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 10,400 to 11,700 residents, by buildings on the record.
Athy178
#3 of 16for buildings on the record per resident (161 per 10,000). Phibsborough, Tramore and Athy lead.
Only Phibsborough and Tramore have more. The typical town its size has 72. One of the 16 has none.
Neighbours
Athy and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athy | 11,035 | 178 | 5 | 26 |
| Ballylinan | 1,167 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Stradbally | 1,404 | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| Castledermot | 1,685 | 38 | 1 | 48 |
| Carlow | 27,351 | 6 | 1 | 31 |
| Monasterevin | 5,307 | 104 | 5 | 6 |
| Curragh Camp | 1,076 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
In brief
Athy in brief
Measured per resident, Athy has more recorded buildings than 82% of Irish towns of 2,500 or more. In all there are 179 places on the record, 5 of them in the top tier, including Saint John's Cemetery. White Castle sits at the heart of it all, with 4 of the town’s places of national importance within 400 m. Only 2 of the 16 towns nearest its size have more recorded buildings.
Leinster Street alone has 23 places on the record. Of the whole list, 53% are homes. Of the 178 with a date, 125 come from the 19th century.
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 Athy’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Athy?
178 buildings on the National Inventory, 5 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Athy are of national importance?
Saint John's Cemetery, White Castle, Saint Michael's Old Cemetery, Athy Library and Building misc, Duke Street, Athy.
What is the oldest building in Athy?
Saint John's Cemetery: the first date on its record is 1500.
Are there archaeological sites in Athy?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 26 archaeological sites inside Athy.
How old are the homes in Athy?
3.3% 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).