Ardfinnan Castle · Photo: Mike Searle · CC BY-SA 2.0Ardfinnan, recorded since 1200: 6 buildings on the National Inventory
The Sites and Monuments Record adds 9 archaeological sites inside the town. Of its homes, 6% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Ardfinnan in 2 photos
There are photos of 2 of Ardfinnan’s recorded places so far. The set opens with Ardfinnan Castle and “Bridge, Ardfinnan”. Ardfinnan Castle, dated 1200, is the oldest pictured in Ardfinnan.
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.
Most of Ardfinnan’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
2 of the 6 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Ardfinnan Castle, from 1200.
Where Ardfinnan’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).
6 historic places in Ardfinnan
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
Reg
RegMore homes than anything else in and around Ardfinnan: 58%
Every building on Ardfinnan’s record is rated regional, none national. Second on the record: walls, gates and bridges, 2 of them. The highest-rated include Ardfinnan Castle and Lacken House.
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 in Ardfinnan
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.
| Church1 record |
| Graveyard1 record |
| Ringfort - rath1 record |
| Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle1 record |
| Bridge1 record |
| Mill - unclassified1 record |
| Bawn1 record |
| Castle - tower house1 record |
| Tomb - chest tomb1 record |
Just outside Ardfinnan: 6
| Lacken HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 800 m outside the town |
| Rochestown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Ballybrada House (demesne walls / gates / railings)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| Ballybrada House (farmyard complex)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Ballybrada House (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| House, BallylaffinRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.7 km outside the town |
Only 3.4% of Ardfinnan’s homes were built since 2011 (5.8% is typical)
Older than 2001: more than half of the homes in Ardfinnan. A full 10% of the homes in Ardfinnan went up between the wars, beyond the typical 3.9%. Look at when Ardfinnan’s homes went up and one period leads: from 1946 to 1980, with 33%.
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.
Ardfinnan and its neighbours
Ardfinnan in brief
The record in Ardfinnan starts with Ardfinnan Castle, which dates from 1200. In all there are 6 places on the record. Its housing is old: 6% of homes date from before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 3 of 6. The archaeological record adds 9 sites. The rest is about typical: Robert Dunne (1830) was born here before 1900.
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 Ardfinnan’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Ardfinnan?
6 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Ardfinnan?
Ardfinnan Castle: the first date on its record is 1200.
Are there archaeological sites in Ardfinnan?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 9 archaeological sites inside Ardfinnan.
How old are the homes in Ardfinnan?
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).