An Taisce completed the 2020 annual review of our Buildings at Risk Register in early July and compiled the list of the top ten buildings we consider to be most at risk this year. 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 Covid-19 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 and 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

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