RegChurch / chapel · 1730–1735Saint Mary's Church (Kilmessan)KilmessanPhoto: C O'Flanagan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Photo: C O'Flanagan · CC BY-SA 2.010buildings on the National Inventory
History of Kilmessan · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Kilmessan has 10 buildings on the National Inventory
Kilmessan’s oldest recorded building dates from 1730. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 4 archaeological sites.
On the National Inventory
10
Of national importance
0
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
4
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1730
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
3.4%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
1 old views and 2 photos of Kilmessan
Kilmessan as it was in 1900, in old photographs. 2 recorded places in Kilmessan have a photo. The set opens with Catholic Church of the Nativity of Our Lady and Saint Mary's Church (Kilmessan).
Catholic Church of the Nativity of Our LadyRegional rating (NIAH)
Saint Mary's Church (Kilmessan)Regional rating (NIAH)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.
Through time
Kilmessan in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
1900From 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 Kilmessan’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
Regional and other sites
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 10, by rating
10 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).
Regional and other sites
10 historic places in Kilmessan
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
RegChurch / chapel · 1890–1910Catholic Church of the Nativity of Our LadyKilmessanPhoto: C O'Flanagan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Rectory / glebe / vicarage / curate's house · 1780–1820The Old RectoryKilmessan
House · 1860–1880H.A. ThornesKilmessan
House · 1880–1900Kilmessan HouseKilmessan
School · 1925–1930Saint Joseph's National SchoolKilmessan
Water pump · 1850–1890Water pump, Kilmessan
Railway station · 1860–1865Railway station, Kilmessan
Signal box · 1860–1865Signal box, Kilmessan
Store / warehouse · 1860–1865Store, Kilmessan
What’s recorded
The record in Kilmessan starts with homes, at 40%
2 records make churches and chapels the second group. The highest-rated include Saint Mary's Church and The Old Rectory. Every building on Kilmessan’s record is rated regional, none national.
Homes4
Churches and chapels2
Mills, stations and works2
Public buildings1
Street furniture1
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Kilmessan’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries2
19th century 1800–18997
1900 and later to today1
2 of the 10 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Saint Mary's Church (Kilmessan), from 1730.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Kilmessan
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
4 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 - rath1 record |
| Church1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Building1 record |
Just outside Kilmessan: 11
| Dunsany CastleRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
| ClontaraRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
| Dunsany Constabulary BarrackRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
| Welleran HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Conabery HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Bridge, DunsanyRegional rating (NIAH) · 3 km outside the town |
| Worker's house, DunsanyRegional rating (NIAH) · 3 km outside the town |
| Bridge, KilmessanRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Bridge, KilmessanRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Bridge, KilmessanRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| House, DunsanyRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.9 km outside the town |
Homes by age
New homes stand out in Kilmessan: 18% built since 2011, where most towns have 5.8%
Just 1.7% of the homes in Kilmessan went up between the wars, short of the typical 3.9%. Kilmessan added comparatively little from 1946 to 1980: 7.9% of its homes, the typical town 24%. More of Kilmessan’s homes than usual date in the 2000s: 47%, against 25%.
3.4%
Before 1919
1.7%
1919–45
7.9%
1946–80
21%
1981–2000
47%
2001–10
18%
Since 2011
KilmessanTypical 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
Kilmessan and its neighbours
In brief
Kilmessan in brief
More of Kilmessan’s homes are old than in most places: 3.4% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 10 places on the record. Of the 10 with a date, 7 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Saint Mary's Church (Kilmessan), from 1730. The rest is about typical: it also has 4 archaeological sites.
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 Kilmessan’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Kilmessan?
10 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Kilmessan?
Saint Mary's Church (Kilmessan): the first date on its record is 1730.
Are there archaeological sites in Kilmessan?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 4 archaeological sites inside Kilmessan.
How old are the homes in Kilmessan?
3.4% 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 (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).