NatMonastery, church / chapel · 1220–1860Holy Trinity Catholic ChurchMain Street, AdarePhoto: Peter Craine · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Adare Village Hall · Photo: 瑞丽江的河水 · CC BY-SA 4.061buildings on the National Inventory
History of Adare · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Adare, recorded since 1220: 61 buildings on the National Inventory
Old homes stand out in Adare: 8.6% were built before 1919, where the typical town has 3.4%. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 5 archaeological sites.
On the National Inventory
61
Of national importance
1
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
5
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1220
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
8.6%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
5 old views and 6 photos of Adare
Look out for Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Adare Village Hall. The photos cover 3 of Adare’s recorded places; the rest have a record card. From 1880 to 1904, old photographs record Adare.
Holy Trinity Catholic ChurchNational rating (NIAH)
Abbey PrioryRegional rating (NIAH)
Adare CastleNational monument to visit
Saint Nicholas's Church (Adare) (church / chapel)National rating (NIAH)
Adare Franciscan FriaryArchaeological monument (SMR)+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
Adare from 1880 to 1904
5 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1880
1880
c. 1897
1900s
c. 1904From 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 Adare’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
Middle Ages 500–14992
1500–1799 three centuries3
19th century 1800–189946
1900 and later to today10
5 of the 61 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Holy Trinity Catholic Church, from 1220.
The map
Where Adare’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 61, by rating
1 National and International60 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 Adare
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Regional and other sites
60 more historic places in Adare
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 32, A to Z
Abbey PrioryAdare CottageAdare CourthouseAdare Garda Síochána StationAdare Manor (demesne walls / gates / railings)Adare Manor (gate lodge)Adare Manor (gate lodge)Adare Methodist ChurchAdare Village HallBill ChawkeBlackabbey CreameryChristian Brothers' Monastery and National SchoolCois MáigheCountess Dunraven FountainDovea HouseDunraven Arms HotelIonaIvy HouseKatie's CottageLavendar CottagePark LodgeRaincínRose Cottage (house)Rose Cottage (house)RuttlesThe ElmsThe ForgeThe Gate LodgeThe Thatched HouseThornfieldTír na nÓgVokes
28 recorded by their type and address
28 are recorded only by their type and address: 25 homes, 2 street furniture and 1 walls, gates and bridges; most date from the 19th century.
14th century1
19th century26
20th century1
Historic streets
Main Street has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Main Street16 on the record · 1 of national importance
The Avenue10 on the record
Rathkeale Road9 on the record
Blackabbey Road5 on the record
Of the 61 records, 41 give a street address.
What’s recorded
More homes than anything else in Adare: 77%
Two of the highest-rated records are Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Dunraven Arms Hotel. The second-largest group on the record is public buildings, with 4. Adare has 1 records rated of national importance.
Homes47
Public buildings4
Walls, gates and bridges2
Churches and chapels2
Mills, stations and works2
Street furniture2
Memorials and tombs1
Inns, shops and warehouses1
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Adare
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
5 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.
| Enclosure2 records |
| Religious house - Trinitarians1 record |
| Dovecote1 record |
| Burial1 record |
Just outside Adare: 45
| Adare CastleNational monument to visit · 500 m outside the town |
| Saint Nicholas's Church (Adare) (church / chapel)National rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Adare BridgeNational rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Adare Manor (country house)National rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| Adare Franciscan FriaryArchaeological monument (SMR) · 700 m outside the town |
| Clonunion HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Kilgobbin HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Castleroberts BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.1 km outside the town |
| Clonshire Lodge (house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Dunnamancastle HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| The ThatchRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| Tuogh BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| Adare Manor (demesne walls / gates / railings)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Clonshire Lodge (kiln)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Saint Nicholas's Church (Adare) (abbey)Regional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| School, Saint Nicholas's Church (Adare)Regional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Adare Manor (demesne walls / gates / railings)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Adare Manor (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Adare Manor (icehouse)Regional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Adare Manor (walled garden)Regional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
Homes by age
Adare is still building: 10% of its homes are from 2011 or later, against 5.8%
More of the homes standing in Adare today were built from 1981 to 2000 than in any other period: 29%. Half of what Adare lives in today was already built by 2001. Homes built between the wars make up 3.4% of Adare’s, about the typical 3.9%.
8.6%
Before 1919
3.4%
1919–45
26%
1946–80
29%
1981–2000
23%
2001–10
10%
Since 2011
AdareTypical 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
Adare and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adare | 1,224 | 61 | 1 | 5 |
| Croom | 1,240 | 27 | 0 | 10 |
| Rathkeale | 1,231 | 33 | 0 | 10 |
| Dooradoyle | 18,593 | 9 | 0 | 48 |
| Askeaton | 1,236 | 23 | 2 | 18 |
| Ballinacurra | 3,719 | 24 | 0 | 4 |
| Dock | 6,258 | 305 | 7 | 0 |
In brief
Adare in brief
Old houses are part of Adare’s character: 8.6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 61 places on the record, 1 of them in the top tier, including Holy Trinity Catholic Church. On Main Street alone there are 16 places on the record. Of the whole list, 77% are homes.
Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 46 of 61. The oldest, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, dates from 1220. The archaeological record adds 5 sites. Beyond that, Katherine Mulquin (1842) was born here before 1900.
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 Adare’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Adare?
61 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Adare are of national importance?
Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
What is the oldest building in Adare?
Holy Trinity Catholic Church: the first date on its record is 1220.
Are there archaeological sites in Adare?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 5 archaeological sites inside Adare.
How old are the homes in Adare?
8.6% 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).