SMRReligious house - Cistercian monksHoly Cross AbbeyHolycrossPhoto: Sarah777 · Public domain · Commons file
Bridge, Holycross · Photo: Sarah777 · Public domain9buildings on the National Inventory
History of Holycross · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
History in Holycross reaches back to 1400: 9 buildings on the National Inventory
Old homes stand out in Holycross: 7.3% were built before 1919, where the typical town has 3.4%. It is a historic town on the Sites and Monuments Record, with 34 archaeological sites inside it.
On the National Inventory
9
Of national importance
0
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
34
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1400
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
7.3%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
3 photos of Holycross’s landmarks
You can start with “Bridge, Holycross” and Holy Cross Abbey. Of the places on Holycross’s record, 3 have a photo here. Pictured and oldest in Holycross: Holycross Church, 1820.
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.
How old
Most of Holycross’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
Middle Ages 500–14992
1500–1799 three centuries2
19th century 1800–18995
1900 and later to today0
4 of the 9 dated ones were built before 1800.
The map
Where Holycross’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 Holycross
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
RegChurch / chapel · 1820–1825Holycross ChurchHolycrossPhoto: Imfrmdublin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
RegMill (water) · 1760–1800Old MillHolycross
House · 1780–1820River View CottageHolycross
House · 1800–1840Church HouseHolycross
House · 1800–1840Glasheen'sHolycross
Presbytery / parochial / curate's house · 1810–1820Holycross HouseHolycross
Church / chapel · 1830–1835Saint Michael's Catholic ChurchHolycross
Bridge · 1400–1820Bridge, Holycross
What’s recorded
More walls, gates and bridges than the national record: 24% in Holycross, 8% across Ireland
Across its record, Holycross takes in 6 kinds of building. The largest group is homes: 9, or 43%. Leading the record by rating: Killough Castle and Old Mill.
Homes9
Walls, gates and bridges5
Mills, stations and works3
Churches and chapels2
Farm and estate buildings1
Public buildings1
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 Holycross
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
34 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.
| Graveslab21 records |
| Bridge2 records |
| Church2 records |
| Graveyard2 records |
| Historic town1 record |
| Religious house - Cistercian monks1 record |
| Water mill - unclassified1 record |
| Ritual site - holy well1 record |
| Weir - regulating1 record |
| Sheela-na-gig1 record |
| Ecclesiastical enclosure1 record |
Just outside Holycross: 12
| Killough CastleRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| Beakstown Saw MillRegional rating (NIAH) · 900 m outside the town |
| Twoford BridgesRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Twoford BridgesRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Rathkennan BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Beakstown CottageRegional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| Holycross DistilleryRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Rathkennan HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Gaile National SchoolRegional rating (NIAH) · 3 km outside the town |
| Knockaderry HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.4 km outside the town |
| House, Clonyharp (Clogher Pr)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Farmyard complex, Galbertstown LowerRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Holycross has added few homes since 2011: 1.7%, where most towns have 5.8%
Over half of the homes in Holycross were already standing by 2001. The busiest building years in Holycross were from 1981 to 2000, which account for 35% of today’s homes. Just 2.8% of the homes in Holycross went up between the wars, short of the typical 3.9%.
7.3%
Before 1919
2.8%
1919–45
28%
1946–80
35%
1981–2000
25%
2001–10
1.7%
Since 2011
HolycrossTypical 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
Holycross and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holycross | 697 | 9 | 0 | 34 |
| Thurles | 8,185 | 103 | 1 | 26 |
| Cashel | 4,805 | 90 | 6 | 159 |
| Templemore | 2,005 | 46 | 0 | 8 |
In brief
Holycross in brief
Old houses are part of Holycross’s character: 7.3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 10 places on the record. Of the 9 with a date, 5 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Old Mill, from 1760.
It also has 34 archaeological sites on the record. Beyond that, Michael O'Dwyer (1887) and Phil Cahill (1899) were 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 Holycross’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Holycross?
9 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Holycross?
Bridge, Holycross: the first date on its record is 1400.
Are there archaeological sites in Holycross?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 34 archaeological sites inside Holycross.
How old are the homes in Holycross?
7.3% 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).