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Record of Protected Structures

All Local Authorities in Ireland are required to produce and maintain a Record of Protected Structures under the Planning & Development Act 2000. The purpose of the Record of Protected Structures is to protect structures, or parts of structures “which form part of the architectural heritage and which are of special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest.” The first Record of Protected Structures for County Donegal was adopted by the Elected Members of Donegal County Council on December 1, 2003 and contained 320 structures. Additions were made to the Record of Protected Structures for County Donegal in December 2007.

Protected Structures in County Donegal

Type                        

Number  

Percentage 

Churches

106

33%

Houses

103

32%

Bridges

16

5%

Mill Houses

11

3%

Vernacular Cottages

10

3%

Watchtowers

6

2%

Lighthouses

5

2%

Schools

5

2%

Warehouses

5

2%

Other

53

17%

Source: Donegal County Council (2003)

Of the 106 churches on the first Record of Protected Structures for County Donegal, 41% are Catholic, 35% are Church of Ireland, 20% are Presbyterian, and 3% are Methodist. Other ecclesiastical structures on the list include the Bishop’s Palace (Raphoe), four rectories and a convent. Among the other structures on the list are courthouses, public houses, banks, forts, Martello towers, gate lodges, halls, lighthouse keepers’ cottages, coastguard stations, and hotels. Some of the more unusual structures on the list include a “carved limestone and pink granite World War I memorial mounted on boundary wall” in Pettigo and a “freestanding milestone to roadside built c. 1850, with distance to Ramelton and to Dunfanaghy inscribed on it” in Ramelton.

 

 Record of Protected Structures 

 

Record of Protected Structures & Record of Monuments and Places 

In some instances, structures of architectural heritage are considered to be of archaeological merit and included on both the Record of Monuments & Places (RMP) and the Record of Protected Structures (RPS). This means that these structures are protected by both the National Monuments Acts (1930-2004) & the Planning and Development Act (2000).