RegChurch / chapel · 1890–1895Saint Patrick's Catholic ChurchChapel Street, ElphinPhoto: undefined · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
Saint Patrick's Catholic Church · Photo: undefined · CC BY-SA 4.03buildings on the National Inventory
History of Elphin · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Elphin: 3 buildings on the National Inventory
Elphin has kept more old homes than most towns: 11% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. Its oldest building dates from 1860. The Sites and Monuments Record adds 9 archaeological sites inside the town.
On the National Inventory
3
Of national importance
0
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
9
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1860
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
11%
typical town: 3.4%
The map
Where Elphin’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 3, by rating
3 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
3 historic places in Elphin
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
Bank / financial institution · 1860–1900Bank of IrelandMain Street, Elphin
Convent / nunnery · 1865–1870Archbold HouseBishop's Street, Elphin
What’s recorded
Churches and chapels and homes tie for the lead in Elphin’s record, 2 each
Leading the record by rating: Smith Hill House and Rossmore House. Beyond Elphin’s edge the record is older still: 1720. None of Elphin’s records is rated of national importance; all are of regional interest.
Churches and chapels2
Homes2
Public buildings1
Mills, stations and works1
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped, for the records inside the town and those just outside it that belong to it; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Elphin
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
9 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.
| Wall monument4 records |
| Cathedral1 record |
| Bullaun stone1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Ritual site - holy well1 record |
| Kiln1 record |
Just outside Elphin: 3
| Smith Hill HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.1 km outside the town |
| Rossmore HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Mill (wind), Windmill Road, ElphinRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
Homes by age
Few of Elphin’s homes are newer than 2011: 2.8%, against 5.8%
The period that gave Elphin the most homes is in the 2000s: 33%. Building between the wars went further in Elphin than in most towns: 5.3%, against 3.9%. Half of what Elphin lives in today was already built by 2001.
11%
Before 1919
5.3%
1919–45
22%
1946–80
26%
1981–2000
33%
2001–10
2.8%
Since 2011
ElphinTypical 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
3 notable people born in Elphin before 1900
From Oliver Goldsmith (1728) to William Mostyn (1836): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Oliver Goldsmith
Patrick Roddy
William Mostyn
170017501800185019001950
OG
Oliver Goldsmith1728–1774 · Anglo-Irish writer, poet, and physician (d. 1774)
PR
Patrick Roddy1827–1895 · Recipient of the Victoria Cross
WM
William Mostyn1836–1881 · Canadian doctor and political figure in Ontario
Everyone born in Elphin → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Neighbours
Elphin and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elphin | 715 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Carrick-On-Shannon | 4,743 | 57 | 0 | 15 |
| Boyle | 2,915 | 55 | 3 | 35 |
In brief
Elphin in brief
Old houses are part of Elphin’s character: 11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 3 places on the record. Oliver Goldsmith (1728), Patrick Roddy (1827) and William Mostyn (1836) were all born here before 1900. It also has 9 archaeological sites on the record. The oldest, Bank of Ireland, dates from 1860.
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 Elphin’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Elphin?
3 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Elphin?
Bank of Ireland: the first date on its record is 1860.
Are there archaeological sites in Elphin?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 9 archaeological sites inside Elphin.
How old are the homes in Elphin?
11% 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).