National Monuments Service - Archaeological Survey of Ireland

This is a point dataset showing the location of 950 panels of prehistoric rock art in the Republic of Ireland generated from the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR). This dataset is updated on a regular basis by the Archaeological Survey of Ireland (ASI). The current published dataset dates from April 2023. New panels of rock art are updated to the record by the Archaeological Survey of Ireland as soon as possible after the notification of such discovery has been reported to the National Monuments Service (NMS) through their email at nationalmonuments@housing.gov.ie Unlocated panels of rock art with a 0 0 National Grid Reference are monuments whose location has been lost and await rediscovery by local people who may report their findings to the National Monuments Service at the above email address. The KML file can be opened using Google Earth which displays these ‘lost’ monuments at the same location in the Atlantic Ocean. The dataset contains a list of the following fields, the monument number known as the SMR Number, Class Description which is the classification type of the monument, ITM E and ITM N are the Easting and Northern Irish Grid reference in Irish Transverse Mercator format, the latitude and longitude of the monument location. The final Links table includes a hyperlink or internet address which takes the browser directly to the online entry for each monument hosted on the Historic Environment Viewer of the National Monuments website at www.archaeology.ie This dataset is based on information exported from the national database on the 20/04/2023.

This dataset pinpoints national monuments around the country which are accessible to the public. The national monuments mapped on the website feature those at which the Office of Public Works maintain visitor services (for which there may be a charge) and those which have no formal visitor services on-site but which are accessible to the public.

This dataset displays locational information for all 3,025 Holy Wells in the Republic of Ireland that has been recorded by the National Monuments Service. The dataset contains information on certain holy wells the precise location of which has not been identified and as a result have been assigned the National Grid Reference of 0/0. It is hoped with the publication of this dataset that some of these ‘lost holy wells’ may be located by public information which can be sent by email to nationalmonuments@housing.gov.ie. The dataset provides the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) Number for each holy well along with a link to a more comprehensive online entry available on the National Monuments Service, Historic Environment Viewer, accessible at https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment. This information is correct at the time of publication. It may be amended or altered by the addition or removal of Holy Wells based on information submitted to the National Monuments Service. This dataset is based on information exported from the national database on the 20/04/2023.

This dataset displays locational information for the UNESCO World Heritage sites Brú na Bóinne and Sceilg Mhichíl. It also contains the buffer boundary of Brú na Bóinne. All datasets have been recorded by the National Monuments Service on behalf of UNESCO as part of their World Heritage sites record. The datasets are also viewable on the National Monuments Service, Historic Environment Viewer, accessible at https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment. This dataset is based on information provided to UNESCO in April 2023. Boundaries of Brú na Bóinne – Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne World Heritage Property and its buffer zone. Brú na Bóinne was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The listing reflects the site’s status as Europe’s largest and most important concentration of prehistoric megalithic art and as Ireland’s richest archaeological landscape. The archaeological landscape within Brú na Bóinne is dominated by three large Neolithic passage tombs, Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth, which contain the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Western Europe. Each year at dawn on the winter solstice (21 December), and for a number of days before and after, a shaft of sunlight enters the chamber at Newgrange through an opening in the roof box. The natural heritage of Brú na Bóinne is also of importance and it encompasses several Natural Heritage Areas. The Boyne River Islands are one of the country’s few examples of alluvial wet woodland, which is a priority habitat under the EU Habitat Directive. Boundaries of Sceilg Mhichíl – World Heritage Property. Sceilg Mhichíl was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. Sceilg Mhichíl and Sceilg Bheag are towering sea crags rising from the Atlantic Ocean almost 12 kilometres west of the Ivereagh Peninsula in County Kerry. Both islands are internationally renowned as one of the most important sites for breeding seabirds in Ireland. Located at the western edge of the European landmass, Sceilg Mhichíl was the chosen destination for a small group of ascetic monks who, in their pursuit of greater union with God, withdrew from civilisation to this remote and inaccessible place. Sometime between the sixth and eight centuries, a monastery was founded on this precipitous rock giving rise to one of the most dramatic examples of the extremes of Christian monasticism. The monastic community moved to the mainland by the thirteenth century and the island remained uninhabited until the nineteenth century when two lighthouses were constructed and linked by a remarkable road cut into the rock along the southern edge of the island.

This dataset displays locational information for all Ireland’s known Sheela-na-Gigs. It provides National Monuments Service descriptions for each where available. It maps original and present locations (as of March 2017) for each. It was created using publically available National Monuments Service open-data. This was augmented with images and information gathered from the museum sector and Sheela-na-Gig academics and enthusiasts.

Cultural and historic places: museums, galleries, theatres, places of worship, monuments, and historic sites tagged via `tourism`, `amenity`, `historic`, or `heritage`. Useful for heritage protection, cultural mapping, and tourism context. Coverage reflects where volunteer mappers have been active. Urban areas are usually well represented, remote areas may be sparse. Cross-check critical decisions with local field knowledge. - Source: OpenStreetMap, a free, collaborative world map - Tags: tourism, amenity, historic, heritage - Part of the country exports on HDX by HOT