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Built in 1846, Dartrey, Rockcorry, Co. Monaghan Archiseek.com

8 Irish buildings that vanished, disappeared or were demolished

The architectural illustrations range from the Turkish Baths in Dublin, to the Tholsel in Galway, to the Exchange in Limerick.

WE TAKE A look at some of the lost buildings that have disappeared from the face of Ireland.

The images are all from Archiseek.com, a website dedicated to Irish architecture, particularly historical buildings that either never were or that have now vanished, been demolished or replaced.

“It’s always fun to image what-might-have-been, but on the other hand, it’s often quite painful to see what buildings have been lost to us,” said Paul Clerkin, publisher of Archiseek.com.

The architectural illustrations range from the Turkish Baths in Dublin, to the Tholsel in Galway, to the Exchange in Limerick.

Here are eight sites from around Ireland that are no more:

Vanished Ireland
1 / 8
  • Vanished Ireland

    Dartrey, Rockcorry, Co. Monaghan was built in 1846 and designed by William Burn as a large Elizabethan Revivial mansion to replace an earlier house on the site. Built for Richard Dawson, third Lord Cremorne and later first Earl Dartry, it had very long facades with legions of mullioned windows, oriel windows, Tudor chimneys and curvilinear gables relieved by square turrets with cupolas. On the garden front (pictured) was a two level terrace facing onto Lough Dromore. On an island in the lake there was also a fine Mausoleum to the design of James Wyatt from around 1770 which is now roofless. The house was demolished in the 1950s. All that remains of the estate are various gatehouses, the ruined Mausoleum and a fine stable block built around five sides of an octagon. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Vanished Ireland

    Great Victoria Street Railway Station, Belfast. The Ulster Railway opened Belfast’s first railway terminus in 1839. By 1852 the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway was completed, making it the terminus for the most important main line in Ireland. The Ulster Railway had added a new station building in 1848 to designs by John Godwin, replacing the original station by Thomas J. Woodhouse. Sadly, in the early 1970s Northern Ireland Railways closed both Great Victoria Street and the Belfast Queen’s Quay terminus of the Bangor line and replaced them with a new Belfast Central station. The station buildings were demolished and the Europa Hotel and the Great Northern Tower built in its place. For many years, part of the railway shed remained, in use as a bus station, before being demolished. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Vanished Ireland

    Here is St Michael le Pole, which was once located between Chancery Lane and Ship Street. 'St Michael of the Pool' overlooked the 'Black Pool' from which Dubhlinn took its name. The round tower stood for almost 700 years before it was removed. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Vanished Ireland

    The Turkish Baths, Lincoln Place, Dublin was built in around 1639 and was one of the more bizarre buildings to have graced Dublin. The main front of the Lincoln Place Baths was about 186ft in length. Separate facilities were provided for male and female bathers on either side of the central ticket-office. Very visible was the 50ft high dome above the old company board room, and the 85ft high polychromic brick chimney shaft. It was called ‘the mosque of the baths’ by Leopold Bloom in James Joyce’s Ulysses. But as the baths had closed in 1900, some four years before Leopold Bloom’s odyssey, Leopold could not have availed of their facilities. It was demolished in 1970, after being used for a variety of commercial purposes. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Vanished Ireland

    Design for Swing Bridge, Dublin which was published in 1879 for the bridge over the Liffey at Beresford Place. Eventually called Butt Bridge, it linked the new Tara Street with Beresford Place. It was replaced in 1932 with a more conventional structure. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Vanished Ireland

    The Tholsel once stood on Shop Street in Galway city. Construction started on the building in 1639 and it was demolished around 1822. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Vanished Ireland

    Here are the interior designs for remodeling Langford House on Mary St., Dublin. The large five bay, four story house was bought by Rt. Hon. Hercules Langford Rowley in 1743. It had a street frontage of almost 90ft, and was sited where the current Marks & Spencer store is today. In 1765, the architect Robert Adam designed new front and rear drawing rooms for Rowley. The house was demolished 1931. (Image: Archiseek.com)
  • Vanished Ireland

    The Limerick City Exchange was built in 1673, close to St. Mary’s Cathedral to house the city’s covered market and council chamber. In 1702, the Exchange was demolished and replaced by a new larger building to allow for the development of wider streets in the city. During the mid-1800s, the Exchange fell into disuse after a new town hall was constructed across the bridge in Rutland Street. All that remains of the Exchange now is a row of Tuscan columns in the wall surrounding St. Mary’s graveyard. (Image: Archiseek.com)

Read: 4 Irish sites to visit to get close to St Patrick mythology >

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98 Comments
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    Mute Gregson from the Block
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    Apr 24th 2023, 7:20 AM

    The Commissioners contract was extended to June 2025 which is quite unbelievable given that he is trying his level best to destroy the organisation be it intentionally or otherwise. The Government are just sitting back and watching the whole thing burn before their eyes.

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    Mute Anne Busher Collins
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:39 AM

    @Gregson from the Block: Requiring accountability that’s all. They have been a law onto themselves previously.

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    Mute IronMan2020
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:37 AM

    I own a small business in my town and regularly see the same guarda out and about in the town weather that be during the day or on Saturday nights. It seems that there is about 20% of people doing 90% of the work ? I’m well aware that there is a greater number of guards in the station but what do they do ??

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    Mute Anne Busher Collins
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:38 AM

    And attendance at dodgy parties no doubt

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    Mute Disco Inferno
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    Apr 24th 2023, 10:10 AM

    @Anne Busher Collins: that was a civil servant working for the Garda Ombudsman, no serving Gardai work in there

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    Mute johnbrady
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    Apr 24th 2023, 10:46 AM

    @Anne Busher Collins: ah bless poor Anna doesn’t know the difference between GSOC and the Gardai

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Apr 24th 2023, 12:06 PM

    @johnbrady: hmmm and yet you seem to be dismissive of the seriousness of organised crime infiltrating both Garda and GSOC / organised crime gangs that manages to use Garda Uniforms for a murder / leading detectives working on that specific case committing suicide in a Garda station / a a member of GSOC who investigate the Garda attending the party celebrating the release / and you think trying to be condescending and splitting hairs over the organisation structures of our police force is somehow going to deflect from the scandal – jog on

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    Mute Mc Comascaigh Paul
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    Apr 24th 2023, 2:50 PM

    @Disco Inferno: not necessarily correct … there have been gards there on secondment

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    Mute Mc Comascaigh Paul
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    Apr 24th 2023, 2:51 PM

    @Dave Hammond: wearing boiler suits and military helmets with AK 47s none of which were garda issued

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    Mute Disco Inferno
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    Apr 24th 2023, 4:15 PM

    @Mc Comascaigh Paul: There aren’t any currently, and that secondment ended 2 years ago.

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    Mute BarryH
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    Apr 24th 2023, 7:16 PM

    @johnbrady: The condescending arrogance is breathtaking, (To Anne Busher). From Maurice McCabe to Paul Reynolds suggesting the monk was tipped off because he was ‘always ahead of the game’ to the many Gardai personally abusing Drew Harris because of his attempted reforms. Criticism ok, personal abuse that should be beneath ye. Can ye not see the damage the few are doing to the majority of cops and to the public with arrogance like that. Nobody is perfect but you need to understand that before you can begin to put it right. The saddest thing is we ALL want to be supportive of the Gardai but boy do ye make it difficult.

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    Mute Mc Comascaigh Paul
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:47 PM

    @Disco Inferno: oh ye?, suppose they don’t need it anymore given that they send most investigations on to be investigated by AGS anyway !!

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    Mute Mc Comascaigh Paul
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    Apr 25th 2023, 12:00 AM

    @Disco Inferno: heard he was a great lad all together

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    Mute ggg
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:50 AM

    Westport, nice 3 days. I see suspension of Garda is going to be a talking point. A more valid talking point would be dismissal of Garda . The organization has lost the publics respect in many areas. Another one recently caught in Dublin airport with a pocket full of white .

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 7:53 AM

    I’m expecting the same ‘outrage’ we see for education…

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    Mute William slevin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 8:11 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: why?

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:43 AM

    @William slevin: par for the course no?

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    Mute William slevin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:54 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: so people complain about the teachers they must also need to complain about the garda?

    Here I’ll help you out the garda organisation as an organ of the state is corrupt…they have an us and them mentality, many see themselves as seperate to the people they serve they in fact think they are superior to the people they serve…many of the population got to see the nasty side of many a garda during the pandemic…

    Examples of garda abuse and corruption are a couple of mayo garda joking about raping a woman protestor, who was protesting about the corrib oil fields I think it was…she secretly recorded it and used it as evidence against them…

    Then their was the false breathalyser tests over a million of them…

    Hitting on rape victims giving their statements…

    The entire corruption that garda mcabe exposed…which two commisioners had to step down…

    A ban Garda drug addict selling information for drugs to drug dealers in sligo…

    Garda commiting purgery in court just to get a conviction…

    Garda fasley arresting people without reasonable cause…

    Garda assaulting members of the public…

    Garda extorting foreign dilveroo drivers…

    The list is near endless amount of corruption in the garda organisation and just about all of what of just said has been reported by thejournal.ie at one point or another.

    As far as I can tell and i won’t say this about every garda because I’ve met some good ones…but it seems to be as an organisation and a culture with the garda they have a disdain for the people they serve why otherwise would their be so much abuse and corruption amongst their ranks…

    Hope that satisfied you

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 12:32 PM

    @William slevin: Pretty concise evaluation Bill. I’m alluding to those that would look to make our only 2 functioning institutions worse rather than better, teachers are the easier target tbf, in this instance I’ve had too few run ins with Garda to really have an opinion of any nuance, but I appreciate that people’s taxes have insured desirable, necessary employment that can maintain a reasonably middle class life (depending on ones circumstance, family etc). Accountability is needed across the PS tho

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    Mute William slevin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 8:31 PM

    @thesaltyurchin: the garda aren’t a function ing institution what they are is a self corrupt self serving institution…

    As for the teachers and the school system…I call them the murder machine as in the murder of young minds, literally then came across a pamphlet book in my early 20′s by padrig Pearce called the murder machine…speaking similarly of my thoughts but of the british education system murdering young irish minds…

    Today it hasn’t changed the education system is their for the self serving establishment…the entire system needs an overhaul…not everyone needs academics…many are best placed in trades from a young age early teens…were placing to much on the class room for learning…to much on a single piece of paper over experience on the job training and that includes business and so on…

    These two institutions are as dysfunctional as the rest and only exist to serve themselves and the establishment…

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