Daingean Courthouse, court house in County Offaly

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.

What is recorded here

Read the whole record

Detached U-plan five-bay two-storey former courthouse, built in 1807, with broken base pedimented breakfronts. Rear returns to south and north and central extension. Now disused. Pitched and hipped slate roof, hidden by parapet with tooled stone coping. Roughcast rendered chimneystacks, carved urn and ball finials and cast-iron rainwater goods. Roughcast rendered walls with tooled stone plinth course quoins, string course and eaves courses. V-jointed tooled stone rustication and pilasters to central bays. Round-headed window openings with replacement timber casement windows and tooled stone sills. Square-headed window openings to sides and returns. Round-headed niches with tooled stone finials to end bays of facade. Square-headed door opening with replacement timber doors and modern concrete hood. Square-headed door openings inserted to end bays with rendered surrounds. Timber doors and concrete steps. Single-storey extension abutting south elevation, now used as a fire station. Pebbledashed wall enclosing rear site. Brick paving to front site, now used as car park.

This impressive building occupies a prominent site in the centre of Daingean. Set back from the road its scale draws the attention of passers-by. The tooled stone dressing, Classical motifs and varied façade finishes make for an attractive structure that adds to the built heritage of the town. Although attributed to James Gandon, it is more likely to be an early nineteenth-century structure which replaced a previous courthouse of c.1760. It is similar, in elevation, to Birr courthouse.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 14808007

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, extra.ie
Maker not stated on source page, monumentalireland.ie
Daingean GAA / Facebook, credited by Offaly Independent; individual photographer not named, www.offalyindependent.ie
Maker not stated on source page, commons.wikimedia.org
Maker not stated on source page, www.msn.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.pinterest.com

Daingean Church (Killaderry)Church/chapel · 57 yd

Explorer Tom Daingean Church (Killaderry) does weird things when nobody's looking, like rearranging its own pinnacles to look more…

school92 yd

Explorer Tom The School in Townparks has a superstition that if you knock three times on the door, you'll pass every exam forever.…

Jubilee HouseHouse · 99 yd

Explorer Tom Jubilee House is strutting down Main Street in Daingean with its chanelled render and pebbledash looking like it just…

Fort CastleCastle, unclassified · 202 yd

Explorer Tom Fort Castle here was built in a massive marsh because someone thought wet feet were a good defense strategy. The most…

Daingean Garda Síochána StationGarda station/constabulary barracks · 209 yd

Explorer Tom Daingean Garda Síochána Station is showing off its eaves like it’s going to a fancy dress party while losing all its…

Saint Anne'sHouse · 236 yd

Explorer Tom Saint Anne’s in Townparks is planning to retire by becoming a very fancy garden shed. It’s got stucco windows that look…

Saint Joseph's National SchoolSchool · 288 yd

Explorer Tom Saint Joseph’s National School in Townparks is having a mid-life crisis. Imagine it at a wedding, stealing the bride’s…

Ogham stone (present location) in Townparks (phillipstown Lower By.)Ogham stone (present location) · 607 yd

Explorer Tom Ogham stone in Townparks would teach history by showing you its pink sandstone face and saying, 'Look how rough I am…

Daingean GAA pitchGAA ground · 912 yd

Mapped cemeteryCemetery · 1023 yd

Explorer Tom Mapped cemetery in County Offaly is sitting there like a secret that forgot to tell itself. A prophecy once declared it…

(Site of) Castle BarnaghCastle, tower house · 1300 yd

Explorer Tom Castle Barnagh is sick of being asked if it’s a tower house or just a big rock with a history lesson attached. It sits…

Enclosure in KilladerryEnclosure · 1679 yd

Explorer Tom Enclosure in Killaderry, County Offaly is indicated by field fences on an aerial photo, which means you need a…

More historic places in County Offaly · All of County Offaly

Add to this placeAdd a picture Add a detailed tip Add a story

Explore the map1,095,414 places to discover