NatCourt house · 1840–1870Nenagh CourthouseBanba Square, NenaghPhoto: P L Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Nenagh Courthouse · Photo: P L Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.066buildings on the National Inventory
History of Nenagh · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Nenagh has 66 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance
The Sites and Monuments Record marks Nenagh as a historic town and lists 43 archaeological sites inside it. Its oldest building dates from 1575. For every 10,000 residents, Nenagh has 67 buildings on the record; the typical town has 48.
On the National Inventory
66
67 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
1
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
43
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1575
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
5.3%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
Nenagh’s landmarks in 7 photos, with 1 old views
Nenagh as it was in 1905, in old photographs. 6 recorded places in Nenagh have a photo. You can start with Nenagh Courthouse and Catholic Church of Saint Mary of the Rosary.
Catholic Church of Saint Mary of the RosaryRegional rating (NIAH)
Nenagh Railway StationRegional rating (NIAH)
Saint Mary's Church (Nenagh)Regional rating (NIAH)
Prison governor's house, O'Rahilly Street, NenaghRegional rating (NIAH)
Bank of IrelandRegional rating (NIAH)+2See all photosPhotos 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
Nenagh in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
c. 1905From 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 Nenagh’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 66, by rating
1 National and International65 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).
National and International
One place of national importance in Nenagh
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Regional and other sites
65 more historic places in Nenagh
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 32, A to Z
Annebrook HouseBank of IrelandBrook Watson HouseCatholic Church of Saint Mary of the RosaryDún MhuireJ. McMahonJames HealyLoreto HouseM. HasseyMcCarney'sNenagh BridgeNenagh ChurchNenagh Garda Síochána StationNenagh General HospitalNenagh ManorNenagh Railway StationNenagh Railway Station (foot bridge)Nenagh Railway Station (store / warehouse)Nenagh Town HallOrmondPowell BrothersRiverstonRiverston MillSaint Mary's Church (Nenagh)Saint Mary's Convent of MercyScoil Náisiúnta Clochair Mhuire NaomhthaSilver ViewSummerhill HouseTeach an LéinnThe Lecture HallThe MaltingsTyone House
33 recorded by their type and address
33 are recorded only by their type and address: 21 homes, 8 other buildings and 1 public buildings; most date from the 18th century.
18th century21
19th century7
20th century5
Historic streets
Summer Hill has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Summer Hill14 on the record
Kenyon Street8 on the record
O'Rahilly Street8 on the record
Pearse Street7 on the record
Banba Square6 on the record · 1 of national importance
Silver Street4 on the record
Church Street4 on the record
Of the 66 records, 65 give a street address.
What’s recorded
Nenagh’s largest group: homes, 53% of the record
Across Ireland public buildings make up 6% of the record, so Nenagh’s 11% stands out. Two of the highest-rated records are Nenagh Courthouse and Nenagh Bridge. All told, 9 kinds of building appear on Nenagh’s record.
Homes35
Public buildings7
Churches and chapels5
Walls, gates and bridges3
Inns, shops and warehouses2
Mills, stations and works2
Farm and estate buildings1
Memorials and tombs1
Other buildings10
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Nenagh’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries23
19th century 1800–189931
1900 and later to today12
23 of the 66 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Nenagh Bridge, from 1575.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Nenagh
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
43 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.
| Barrow - ring-barrow9 records |
| Cross-slab (present location)4 records |
| Graveslab3 records |
| Bridge2 records |
| Graveyard2 records |
| Enclosure2 records |
| Ringfort - rath2 records |
| Ritual site - holy well1 record |
| Historic town1 record |
| Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle1 record |
| Religious house - Franciscan friars1 record |
| Memorial stone1 record |
| Prison1 record |
| Market-house1 record |
| Town defences1 record |
| 11 more kinds11 records |
Just outside Nenagh: 20
| Rapla House (icehouse)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.4 km outside the town |
| Rapla House (outbuilding)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| Rathurles BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Knockalton HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Millview HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Rathurles HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.1 km outside the town |
| Rockford HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.7 km outside the town |
| Tullamore ParkRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Bayly FarmRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.7 km outside the town |
| Islandbawn MillsRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Kilruane HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| Rockford House (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Solsborough House (outbuilding)Regional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Tyone BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Solsborough House (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Solsborough House (gates / railings / walls)Regional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Wellington HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| House, BallycommonRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| House, BallycommonRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.2 km outside the town |
| Mill (water), BallyannymoreRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.1 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Before 1919: 5.3% of Nenagh’s homes, well above the typical 3.4%
38% of Nenagh’s homes went up in the 2000s, more than in any other period. Nenagh has an unusual share of homes built between the wars: 5.7%, where most towns have 3.9%. Building since 2011 in Nenagh, 6.7% of its homes, keeps pace with the norm of 5.8%.
5.3%
Before 1919
5.7%
1919–45
21%
1946–80
24%
1981–2000
38%
2001–10
6.7%
Since 2011
NenaghTypical 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
15 notable people born in Nenagh before 1900
From Aquilla Smith (1806) to Jack Darcy (1898): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Aquilla Smith
Patrick Donohoe
Ambrose Kyte
Patrick Joseph O'Brien
John Augustus O'Shea
Elizabeth O'Shea Dillon
John Nihill
T. P. Gill
Mary Redmond
Frank McGrath
Jim Cleary
Edward Joseph Conway
Daniel Morrissey
Andy Cooney
Jack Darcy
1800182518501875190019251950
AS
Aquilla Smith1806–1890 · Irish antiquarian seller and numismatist
John Nihill1850–1908 · United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Daniel Morrissey1895–1981 · Irish politician
ED
Elizabeth O'Shea Dillon1842–1900 · Irish novelist
T. P. Gill1858–1931 · Irish journalist and politician
EC
Edward Joseph Conway1894–1968 · Irish biochemist
JO
John Augustus O'Shea1839–1905 · Irish soldier, journalist, and author
AC
Andy Cooney1897–1968 · Irish republican
Everyone born in Nenagh → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Nenagh has the 3rd most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 9,600 to 10,200 residents, by buildings on the record.
Nenagh66
#3 of 16for buildings on the record per resident (67 per 10,000). Parnell Square, Dungarvan and Nenagh lead.
Only Parnell Square and Dungarvan have more. The typical town its size has 18. One of the 16 has none.
Neighbours
Nenagh and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nenagh | 9,895 | 66 | 1 | 43 |
| Borrisokane | 1,117 | 18 | 0 | 4 |
| Ballina | 2,959 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Killaloe | 1,666 | 7 | 2 | 22 |
In brief
Nenagh in brief
More of Nenagh’s homes are old than in most places: 5.3% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 66 places on the record, 1 of them in the top tier, including Nenagh Courthouse. Only 2 of the 16 towns nearest its size have more recorded buildings. Summer Hill alone has 14 places on the record.
Most entries on the list, 53%, are homes. Aquilla Smith (1806), John Nihill (1850) and Daniel Morrissey (1895) are among the 15 people born here before 1900. It also has 43 archaeological sites on the record. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: per resident it sits near the middle of Irish towns of 2,500 or more.
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 Nenagh’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Nenagh?
66 buildings on the National Inventory, one of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Nenagh are of national importance?
Nenagh Courthouse.
What is the oldest building in Nenagh?
Nenagh Bridge: the first date on its record is 1575.
Are there archaeological sites in Nenagh?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 43 archaeological sites inside Nenagh.
How old are the homes in Nenagh?
5.3% 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).