An Taisce, a charity that works to preserve and protect Ireland’s natural and built heritage, has assembled for the second time what it determines are the country’s Top 10 Most-at-Risk Buildings.
These are all buildings of importance, both intrinsically and to the heritage of their local areas, buildings that lie vacant and are in such a state of disrepair that they may be dangerous or have no identifiable new use. These buildings could be lost to future generations unless direct action is taken soon to preserve them.
Given that the recent pandemic brought construction around the country to a halt, together with a homeless situation that has not gone away, there is a compelling argument to save and repurpose these buildings.
The ‘Top 10 Most-at-Risk’ list is compiled and updated by An Taisce annually.
In no particular order, the ten buildings deemed most at risk in 2020 are:
Hope Castle + Market House, Co. Monaghan
Durrow Abbey House, Co. Offaly
Ormonde Centre, Co. Kilkenny
Ballyrafter Butter Mill, Co. Waterford
The House by the Churchyard, Dublin 20
Donaghy’s Mill, Co. Meath
Duleek House, Co. Meath
The Iveagh Markets, Dublin 8
Carrickglass Demesne, Carrigglass, Co. Longford
Templeview House, Co. Sligo
See www.antaisce.org/issues/buildings-at-risk for more details of buildings in perilous condition.
Further information:
The Buildings-at-Risk Register was put in place in response to the growing number of structures that are vacant and are falling into a state of disrepair.
The assessment of risk is directly associated with the condition of the structure and not the external processes affecting it. The Register does not include national monuments, as set out in the National Monuments Acts, 1930 to 2004. The Register is correlated with the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, if you would like to know more detail on the architectural merits of a certain building.
What makes a structure an ‘at-risk’ building?
For a structure to be at risk, it should meet one or several of the following criteria:
Vacant with no identified new use
Suffering from neglect and/or poor maintenance
Suffering from structural problems
Fire damaged
Open to the elements
Threatened with demolition
Abandoned ruin
See the full report for 2020 here.
Send details of a building you believe to be ‘at risk’ in your area:
ph: 01 454 1786; e: info@antaisce.org; Twitter: @AnTaisce; www.antaisce.org
For more information, press only:
PR Contact Name: Ian Lumley
Phone number: 083 1532384
Email: heritage@antaisce.org
