Saint Cronan's Catholic Church · Photo: Michael Deligan · CC BY-SA 4.0Balla has 11 buildings on the National Inventory
Balla’s oldest recorded building dates from 1805. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 15 archaeological sites. 6.1% of its homes date from before 1919; the typical town has 3.4%.
Balla in 2 photos
First come Saint Cronan's Catholic Church and Balla Round Tower. There are photos of 2 of Balla’s recorded places so far. Go back furthest in Balla with Saint Cronan's Catholic Church: 1905.
Photos 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.
Where Balla’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).
12 historic places in Balla
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
SMR
RegWalls, gates and bridges and churches and chapels tie for the lead in Balla’s record, 2 each
Rated by importance, Balla’s buildings are all regional. Leading the record by rating: Athavallie House and Holy Trinity Church. Across its record, Balla takes in 8 kinds of building.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Balla’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
The oldest is Athavallie House, from 1805.
Archaeology in Balla
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
15 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.
| Penitential station2 records |
| Inscribed stone2 records |
| Cross-slab2 records |
| Moated site1 record |
| Ritual site - holy well1 record |
| Building1 record |
| Round tower1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Church1 record |
| Architectural feature1 record |
| Architectural fragment1 record |
| Stone head1 record |
Just outside Balla: 7
| RockstownRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| Balla Railway StationRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Farm house, Prison NorthRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| Bridge, Ardboley NorthRegional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Bridge, Rathduff [Clan. By. Balla Ph.]Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.7 km outside the town |
| Handball alley, Rathduff [Clan. By. Balla Ph.]Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Water pump, KnockadorraghyRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
More of Balla’s homes date in the 2000s than from any other period: 50%
Since 2011 Balla has added 4.7% of its homes, close to the typical town’s 5.8%. In most towns 24% of homes were built from 1946 to 1980; in Balla only 11%. About as many of Balla’s homes as usual date between the wars: 4.1%, against 3.9%.
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.
Balla and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balla | 860 | 11 | 0 | 15 |
| Kiltimagh | 1,232 | 14 | 0 | 4 |
| Claremorris | 3,857 | 19 | 0 | 7 |
| Castlebar | 13,054 | 79 | 0 | 22 |
| Knock | 1,029 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Balla in brief
Old houses are part of Balla’s character: 6.1% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 12 places on the record. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 8 of 11. The oldest, Athavallie House, dates from 1805. The archaeological record adds 15 sites.
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 Balla’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Balla?
11 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Balla?
Athavallie House: the first date on its record is 1805.
Are there archaeological sites in Balla?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 15 archaeological sites inside Balla.
How old are the homes in Balla?
6.1% 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).