NatCathedral · 1840–1855Saint Aidan's Catholic CathedralCathedral Street, Main Street, EnniscorthyPhoto: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
Saint Aidan's Catholic Cathedral · Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0266buildings on the National Inventory
History of Enniscorthy · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Enniscorthy: 266 buildings on the National Inventory, 5 of them of national importance
Old homes stand out in Enniscorthy: 8% were built before 1919, where the typical town has 3.4%. It is a historic town on the Sites and Monuments Record, with 28 archaeological sites inside it. The oldest record dates from 1585. Enniscorthy has 216 buildings on the record for every 10,000 residents, against 48 in the typical town.
On the National Inventory
266
216 per 10,000 residents
typical town: 48
typical town: 48
Of national importance
5
NIAH National or International, and national monuments
Archaeological sites
28
Sites and Monuments Record
Oldest building
1585
the first date on its record
Homes built before 1919
8%
typical town: 3.4%
In pictures
10 pictures of Enniscorthy today and 1 from before 1950
From 1900 come the old photographs of Enniscorthy. Pictures exist for 10 of the places Enniscorthy has on the record. Of Enniscorthy’s places of national importance, 1 are photographed.
Enniscorthy Market HouseRegional rating (NIAH)
Enniscorthy BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)
Enniscorthy Railway StationRegional rating (NIAH)
Enniscorthy United Presbyterian and Methodist ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
1798 MonumentRegional rating (NIAH)+5See 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
Enniscorthy in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
1900sFrom 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 Enniscorthy’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
National and InternationalRegional and other sites400 m from Enniscorthy Castle
3 of 5within 400 m of Enniscorthy Castle, the heart of the town’s history
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 266, by rating
5 National and International261 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
5 places of national importance in Enniscorthy
Buildings the National Inventory rates National or International: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Each one opens its own page.
Castle / fortified house · 1585–1590Enniscorthy CastleCastle Hill, Enniscorthy
Mill (wind) · 1700–1798Mill (wind), Vinegar Hill Lane, Enniscorthy
Graveyard / cemetery · 1755–1846Graveyard, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy
Hospital / infirmary · 1860–1870Hospital, Enniscorthy
Regional and other sites
261 more historic places in Enniscorthy
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 95, A to Z
1798 MonumentAbbey Cottage (house)Abbey Cottage (outbuilding)Abbey HouseAirmount HouseAllied Irish BankAntwerp HouseBank of IrelandCentral Photographic StudioClonhasten HouseConvent of Mercy (convent / nunnery)Convent of Mercy (convent / nunnery)D. CarrollEnglewoodEnglishes StoresEnniscorthy BridgeEnniscorthy CourthouseEnniscorthy Market HouseEnniscorthy Post OfficeEnniscorthy Railway StationEnniscorthy Railway Station (building misc)Enniscorthy Railway Station (foot bridge)Enniscorthy Railway Station (signal box)Enniscorthy Railway Station (store / warehouse)Enniscorthy Society of Friends' Meeting HouseEnniscorthy United Presbyterian and Methodist ChurchG.H. Lett and Company (brewery)G.H. Lett and Company (brewery)G.H. Lett and Company (chimney)G.H. Lett and Company (malt house)Gate lodge, Saint Mary's CemeteryGates, Saint Aidan's Catholic CathedralGates, Saint Mary's Christian Brothers' SchoolGleann na SmólGraveyard, Saint Aidan's Catholic CathedralH. Murphy and Company (mill (tread))H. Murphy and Company (mill (water))HayesHillview HouseHolohansIsland ViewKelly's Medical HallKnock Haven (gate lodge)Knock Haven (gates / railings / walls)Knock Haven (rectory / glebe / vicarage / curate's house)LeamurListerlinLymington HouseLymington House (gate lodge)Lymington House (gates / railings / walls)Manor HouseMayfield HouseMayfield House (gates / railings / walls)McDonaldMerrythought HouseMill Park HouseMill Park HouseMonfin HouseOakhurstP. WickhamP.J. Kenny and Son (house)P.J. Kenny and Son (house)Patrick FurlongPhil and Geraldine WilsonPresentation Convent (church / chapel)Presentation Convent (convent / nunnery)Prospect HouseSaint Aidan's Parochial House (gates / railings / walls)Saint Aidan's Parochial House (presbytery / parochial / curate's house)Saint Anthony'sSaint John's BridgeSaint John's FoundrySaint John's Hospital (workhouse)Saint John's Hospital (workhouse)Saint John's HouseSaint John's Mills (mill (water))Saint John's Mills (miller's house)Saint Mary'sSaint Mary's CemeterySaint Mary's Christian Brothers' SchoolSaint Mary's Church (Saint Mary's Enniscorthy)Saint Mary's Church InstituteSaint Senan's Catholic ChurchSeamus Rafter MonumentSexton's house, Saint Aidan's Catholic CathedralSomerset HouseSweetfarm HouseThe AthenæumThe Maltings (malt house)The Maltings (malt house)The Maltings (malt house)The Maltings (unknown)W.K. StampWoodstockWoodview
166 recorded by their type and address
166 are recorded only by their type and address: 114 homes, 28 other buildings and 7 walls, gates and bridges; most date from the 19th century.
17th century14
18th century22
19th century97
20th century33
Historic streets
Market Square and Mill Park Road have the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Market Square15 on the record
Mill Park Road15 on the record
Parnell Road14 on the record
Weafer Street14 on the record
Saint John's Street14 on the record
Rafter Street12 on the record
Main Street11 on the record
Castle Street9 on the record
Court Street9 on the record
Slaney Street9 on the record
Cathedral Street8 on the record · 1 of national importance
Saint John's Terrace7 on the record
Of the 266 records, 214 give a street address.
What’s recorded
More homes than anything else in Enniscorthy: 64%
Among the highest-rated: Enniscorthy Castle and Saint Aidan's Catholic Cathedral. That mix has few street furniture: 2% in Enniscorthy, against 3% across the National Inventory. The next biggest group is walls, gates and bridges, 16 in all.
Homes170
Walls, gates and bridges16
Churches and chapels16
Public buildings12
Mills, stations and works10
Street furniture6
Memorials and tombs2
Farm and estate buildings1
Other buildings33
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
How old
Most of Enniscorthy’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1500–1799 three centuries46
19th century 1800–1899164
1900 and later to today56
46 of the 266 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Enniscorthy Castle, from 1585.
Archaeology and around
Archaeology in Enniscorthy
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
28 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.
| Church2 records |
| Graveyard2 records |
| Tannery2 records |
| Cross (present location)2 records |
| Battlefield2 records |
| Cist1 record |
| Historic town1 record |
| Religious house - Franciscan friars1 record |
| Castle - tower house1 record |
| Bullaun stone1 record |
| Well1 record |
| Cross-slab (present location)1 record |
| Ogham stone (present location)1 record |
| Font (present location)1 record |
| Cross-inscribed stone (present location)1 record |
| 8 more kinds8 records |
Just outside Enniscorthy: 82
| Ballybough BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Ballynahallin HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Ballynapierce BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Bann BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| BroomlandsRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Carley's BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Clough MillsRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Cooladine HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Drumgold HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Kilcarbry BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Killabeg HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.7 km outside the town |
| Monart BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.3 km outside the town |
| Monart HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.4 km outside the town |
| Solsborough BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Solsborough House (gates / railings / walls)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.6 km outside the town |
| Verona BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| Verona HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| Monart (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Dunsinane HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Scarawalsh BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Enniscorthy’s building boom came in the 2000s: 28% of its homes
Over half of the homes in Enniscorthy were already standing by 2001. 8.1% of Enniscorthy’s homes were built between the wars, more than the typical town’s 3.9%. Since 2011 Enniscorthy has added 8.7% of its homes, more than the typical town’s 5.8%.
8%
Before 1919
8.1%
1919–45
20%
1946–80
27%
1981–2000
28%
2001–10
8.7%
Since 2011
EnniscorthyTypical 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
7 notable people born in Enniscorthy before 1900
From Cadwallader Colden (1688) to Bill Lacey (1889): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Cadwallader Colden
Martin Cash
Charles Reeves
Richard Reeves
John Switzer Owens
Séamus Doyle
Bill Lacey
1650170017501800185019001950
Bill Lacey1889–1969 · Irish footballer and manager
CC
Cadwallader Colden1688–1776 · Lieutenant governor, acting governor of the Province of New York
MC
Martin Cash1808–1877 · Australian bushranger
SD
Séamus Doyle1885–1971 · Irish activist and politician
Charles Reeves1836–1912 · New Zealand businessman
Richard Reeves1836–1910 · New Zealand politician
JO
John Switzer Owens1871–1941 · Irish physician and environmental engineer
Everyone born in Enniscorthy → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Enniscorthy has the 2nd most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 11,500 to 13,100 residents, by buildings on the record.
Enniscorthy266
#2 of 16for buildings on the record per resident (216 per 10,000). Summerhill, Enniscorthy and Phibsborough lead.
Only Summerhill has more. The typical town its size has 75.
Neighbours
Enniscorthy and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enniscorthy | 12,310 | 266 | 5 | 28 |
| Ferns | 1,317 | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| Castlebridge | 1,850 | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| Bunclody | 2,053 | 57 | 1 | 1 |
In brief
Enniscorthy in brief
Old houses are part of Enniscorthy’s character: 8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 266 places on the record, 5 of them in the top tier. For its size, it has more recorded buildings than 88% of Irish towns of 2,500 or more. Its places of national importance cluster together: 3 of them stand within 400 m of Enniscorthy Castle.
Only one of the 16 towns nearest its size has more recorded buildings. On Market Square alone there are 15 places on the record. Most entries on the list, 64%, are homes.
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 Enniscorthy’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Enniscorthy?
266 buildings on the National Inventory, 5 of them of national importance, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Which places in Enniscorthy are of national importance?
Enniscorthy Castle, Saint Aidan's Catholic Cathedral, Mill (wind), Vinegar Hill Lane, Enniscorthy, Graveyard, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy and Hospital, Enniscorthy.
What is the oldest building in Enniscorthy?
Enniscorthy Castle: the first date on its record is 1585.
Are there archaeological sites in Enniscorthy?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 28 archaeological sites inside Enniscorthy.
How old are the homes in Enniscorthy?
8% 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).