National monument (Ireland)

A national monument (Irish: séadchomhartha náisiúnta) in the Republic of Ireland is a structure or site, the preservation of which has been deemed to be of national importance and therefore worthy of state protection. If the land adjoining the monument is essential to protect it, this land may also be protected.

Equivalent monuments in Northern Ireland are termed scheduled monuments and come under the protection of the Department for Communities.^{[citation needed]}

Legal framework for protection

National monuments are managed under the auspices of the National Monuments Service, which is part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.^[1]^[2]^[3] The official status of national monument is conferred under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014.^[4]

Monuments had been protected under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882, an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, this framework was reformed by the National Monuments Act 1930.^[5] The list of national monuments has since been expanded. By 2010 there were nearly 1,000 monuments in state ownership or guardianship, although this represents only a small proportion of Ireland's recorded archaeological heritage.^[6] There are more than 126,000 known sites ['Recorded Monuments'] in Ireland.^[7] Each national monument is numbered (for example, the Rock of Cashel is National Monument number 128, Newgrange is number 147),^[8] and a numbered monument may represent a group of sites, as is the case at the Rock of Cashel.

A provision of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004 allows for the destruction in whole or in part of a national monument by the Government of Ireland if such destruction is deemed to be in the "public interest".^[9] According to press reports, these provisions were included to facilitate road schemes, and in particular the destruction of Carrickmines Castle, a national monument, to build an intersection along the south-eastern section of the M50 motorway.^{[citation needed]}

World Heritage Sites

Two national monuments are also recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites: Brú na Bóinne in County Meath and Skellig Michael in County Kerry.

List of monuments

Province	County	Individual Monuments
Connacht	Galway	88
Munster	Kerry	76
Munster	Limerick	62
Munster	Cork	58
Connacht	Mayo	53
Leinster	Meath	53
Munster	Tipperary	48
Munster	Clare	37
Leinster	Kilkenny	33
Leinster	Dublin	30
Connacht	Sligo	24
Leinster	Wicklow	24
Leinster	Louth	23
Leinster	Wexford	17
Ulster	Donegal	16
Leinster	Kildare	16
Connacht	Roscommon	15
Leinster	Westmeath	15
Leinster	Carlow	14
Munster	Waterford	14
Leinster	Offaly	10
Leinster	Laois	8
Ulster	Cavan	7
Connacht	Leitrim	7
Ulster	Monaghan	7
Leinster	Longford	6
Total	Republic of Ireland	761

The following is an index to lists of National Monuments of the Republic of Ireland, divided by province.

Connacht

Leinster

Munster

Ulster

References

^ Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 339 of 2020). Signed on 8 September 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
^ "National Monuments Service". Who Does What. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
^ Homepage of the National Monuments Service
^ Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 1: Short title, collective citations, constructions and commencement (No. 1 of 2014, s. 1). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
^ National Monuments Act 1930 (No. 2 of 1930). Enacted on 26 February 1930. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
^ "National Monuments Service - How many National Monuments are in State care?". Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ "National Monuments Loophole". Friends of the Irish Environment. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ "National Monuments Service - Search by County". Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004, s. 5: Injury to national monuments, etc. (No. 22 of 2004, s. 5). Enacted on 18 July 2004. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.