Rathgarvan or Clifden

67 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Rathgarvan or Clifden, from 36 m² to 231,017 m² (23.1 ha, 57.09 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary. 25 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings, or as GeoJSON or KML.

No zone of a development plan covers Rathgarvan or Clifden in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

No planning application touches the townland of Rathgarvan or Clifden in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Rathgarvan or Clifden.

Recorded monuments

• KK020-036 Enclosure
  Description

  The Archaeological Survey of Ireland (ASI) is in the process of providing information on all monuments on The Historic Environment Viewer (HEV). Currently the information for this record has not been uploaded. To access available information for research purposes please make an appointment in advance with the Archive Unit (open Fridays 10.00 am – 5.00 pm), Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, The Custom House, Dublin 1 D01W6XO or email NMarchive@housing.gov.ie.

• KK020-037001 Castle - tower house
  Description

  On W-facing slope, on the S edge of a farmyard, surrounded by mixed tillage and pasture. There are good views from SW-W-N. Indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran in Rathgarvan townland (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The terrier accompanying the parish map of Blackrath and St Martins describes, ‘on Rathgarvan a Castle in repaire’ and lists ‘James Blanchfield’ as the proprietor in 1640 (NLI MS720). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 417), ‘Richard Blanchville, their [the family’s] representative in Cromwell’s time, forfeited the family property, and, with his wife and six infant children, was transplanted to Connaught in 1654’. A three-storey, rectangular tower house (int. dims. 5.25m N-S x 4.7m E-W) constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble with larger cut and roughly dressed blocks employed as quoins. The crenellated battlements survive with a machicolation at the S end of the W wall. The tower house has been modified in relatively recent times with later brick window surrounds in the W wall. The tower house was entered through a doorway, now modified, at the N end of the E wall which gives access to the ground-floor chamber. It was lit by a flat-headed loop, centrally placed in the W wall, and another in the E wall, with remnants of a third window in the S wall. There is a large pointed-arch recess in the N wall and a small wall-cupboard in the W wall. The first floor was carried on a timber floor, supported on corbels, with two projecting from both the E and W walls. It is accessed via a mural stair rising in the N wall and lit by a flat-headed loop, now blocked. A flat-headed doorway (H 1.6m; Wth 0.8m) leads into the first-floor level which has a pointed vault and is lit by a single-light window set into a deep, slightly splayed embrasure in the S wall. The second floor, also accessed from the mural stair, was divided relatively recently into three chambers by two partition wall (one extending E-W creating N and S chambers; the other extending N-S bisecting S chamber). This floor was lit by a pointed window, now collapsed, in the E wall and a ruinous window in the S wall. There is a fireplace with mantle corbels in the E wall and a small wall-cupboard in the N wall. An opening at the S end of the W wall provides access to the machicolation. A narrow doorway at the E end of the S wall leads to a mural staircase which rises to the wall-walk. Corbels at second-floor level give additional support to the wall-walk. Externally the gable line of an adjoining building is visible on the N face. A possible 17th-century house (KK020-037002-) lies a short distance to the NE. See attached: KK020-037001-_01 extract from Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran (Hib. Reg., courtesy of Trinity College Dublin Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 7 December 2020

• KK020-037002 House - 16th/17th century
  Description

  NE of Clifden Castle tower house (KK020-037001-) and within a farmyard S of Clifden House. A ruined two-storey rectangular structure (dims. c. 14m E-W; c. 7m N-S) constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble. Presently comprising the NW corner, to full height, surmounted by a chimney stack with a string course. The visible remains suggest a possible 17th-century date for this ruinous house. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 7 December 2020

• KK020-038 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  In mixed tillage and pasture, overgrown with trees and scrub. Indicated on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly circular enclosure (diam. c. 43m) with a lane running NE-SW along the edge of the W sector and a field boundary running roughly E-W up to the E quadrant. Also on this map a stream flows into an area of marshy land c. 60m to the S. On the 1900 revision of OS 6-inch map the W sector appears to have been damaged, with the enclosing element at this point broken through. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 7 December 2020

• KK020-079 Burnt mound
  Description

  In pasture, reclaimed marsh. O'Flaherty (1983, 16) notes that during fieldwalking in advance of the laying of the Cork-Dublin gas pipeline, 'seven fulachta fiadha were discovered in the townlands of Clohoge and Rathcash, Co. Kilkenny. These sites had been ploughed out, but were visible as roughly circular spreads of burnt stone and charcoal'. Five of these monuments were located on an extract of a 6-inch OS map (KK020-075----; KK020-076-----; KK020-077----; KK020-078----; KK029-079-----) (per. comm. Maurice Hurley 1987). A sixth (KK020-039-----) was excavated as it lay within the pipeline corridor (O'Flahery 1987, 45). There is no information on the location of the seventh fulachta fiadha (KK020-013----), its precise location with the townlands of Cloghoge and Rathcash is unknown. As the monuments had no visible troughs they have been reclassified as burnt mounds. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 17 November 2020

• KK020-134 Ring-ditch
  Description

  In tillage. A circular enclosure (diam. c. 20m), defined by a fosse which is visible as a cropmark on satellite imagery (Apple Maps), identified and reported by Jean-Charles Caillère. See attached imagery: KK020-134----_01 Apple Maps satellite imagery Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 28 June 2023

Architectural heritage

• Saint Colman's Catholic Church, church/chapel, 1875–1880 · Regional interest
  Description

  Detached five-bay single- and two-storey Catholic church, built 1876, possibly incorporating fabric of earlier Catholic chapel, pre-1840, on site comprising four-bay double-height nave with four-bay single-storey lean-to side aisles to north-west and to south-east, single-bay double-height lower chancel to north-east having single-bay single-storey lean-to flanking bays, and single-bay single-storey gabled projecting porch to south-west. Part refenestrated. Pitched slate roofs (lean-to to side aisles and to flanking bays; gabled to porch) with clay ridge tiles, cut-limestone coping to gables having cut-limestone gabled bellcote to apex to south-west (with pointed-arch aperture on carved stringcourse having moulded reveals, cast-iron bell, and cut-limestone coping having cross finial to apex), cross finial to apex to north-east, rendered buttressed chimney stack to flanking bay, and cast-iron rainwater goods on timber eaves. Unpainted rendered, ruled and lined walls with cut-limestone date stone/plaque to gable to porch. Pointed-arch window openings (in tripartite arrangement to chancel) with oculus window openings to nave forming clere-storey (pointed oval window openings to chancel) having cut-limestone sills, and fixed-pane fittings having leaded stained glass panels. Pointed-arch door openings with tongue-and-groove timber panelled doors. Pointed-arch window openings to flanking bays with cut-limestone sills, and replacement uPVC casement windows. Set back from road in own grounds with unpainted rendered, ruled and lined boundary wall having rendered coping supporting iron railings, unpainted rendered piers having cut-limestone capping, and iron double gates having Fleur-de-Lys finials. (ii) Graveyard to site with various cut-stone markers, pre-1840-present.

• Clifden House, country house, 1740–1760 · Regional interest
  Description

  Detached three-bay two-storey over part-raised basement Classical-style country house, c.1750, on a H-shaped plan comprising single-bay two-storey recessed central entrance bay having (single-storey) prostyle tetrastyle pedimented portico to ground floor, and single-bay two-storey projecting flanking end bays having two-bay two-storey side elevations forming single-bay two-storey returns to west. Refenestrated. Undergoing extensive renovation, 2004-5. Hipped roof on a H-shaped plan (lean-to to portico behind blocking course) with replacement Bangor slate, 2004-5, clay ridge tiles, rendered chimney stacks, and rainwater goods undergoing replacement, 2004-5, on cut-limestone eaves having iron brackets. Unpainted roughcast walls on unpainted rendered base with tooled cut-limestone quoins to corners, and carved cut-limestone course supporting cut-limestone band to eaves. Square-headed window openings with cut-limestone sills, and replacement six-over-six timber sash windows, 2004-5, superseding replacement uPVC casement windows having some one-over-one and two-over-two timber sash windows to side (south) elevation. Square-headed door opening under prostyle tetrastyle Tuscan portico approached by flight of nine cut-limestone steps (with cut-limestone columns supporting carved entablature, frieze having central panel, and carved surround to pediment having blocking course to parapet) with cut-limestone block-and-start surround having entablature over, and timber panelled door. Square-headed door opening to rear (east) elevation approached by flight of nine cut-limestone steps with replacement glazed uPVC panelled door. Interior with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set back from road in own grounds.

• Clifden House, farmyard complex, 1740–1760 · Regional interest
  Description

  Farmyard complex, c.1750, including: (i) Detached four-bay two-storey outbuilding. Reroofed, c.1975. Pitched roof with replacement corrugated-iron, c.1975, iron ridge tiles, and replacement iron rainwater goods. Random rubble limestone walls with iron S-profile tie bars. Square-headed window openings with no sills, lintels, and timber fittings. Square-headed door opening with lintel, and iron door. Set back from road in grounds shared with Clifden House about a courtyard with random rubble limestone boundary wall to courtyard incorporating elliptical-headed carriageway having rubble stone voussoirs, and squared limestone coping supporting bellcote (with square-headed aperture having cast-iron bell, and squared limestone coping). (ii) Detached two-bay single-storey outbuilding. Extensively renovated. Pitched roof with replacement slate, clay ridge tiles, rooflights, and replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Random rubble limestone walls. Square-headed window openings with cut-limestone sills, red brick voussoirs, and replacement timber casement windows. (iii) Detached two-bay single-storey outbuilding. Pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles, rendered coping, and no rainwater goods on squared rubble limestone eaves. Random rubble limestone walls with oculus apertures to gables having red brick voussoirs. Square-headed window openings with cut-limestone sills, dressed stone lintels, and timber fittings. Square-headed door openings with dressed stone lintels, and remains of timber doors. (iv) Detached two-bay two-storey outbuilding. Pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles, and cast-iron rainwater goods on squared rubble limestone eaves. Coursed squared rubble limestone walls with oculus apertures to gables having squared rubble stone voussoirs. Square-headed window openings with cut-limestone sills, dressed stone lintels (shared to ground floor), and timber fittings. Square-headed door openings (including one to first floor side elevation approached by flight of twelve stone steps) with dressed stone lintels (shared to ground floor), and timber fittings.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

At the centre of the townland of Rathgarvan or Clifden, about 1 in 20 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as low, partly inferred.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_2225 (ZIP).

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

No address of the register names Rathgarvan or Clifden with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Kilkenny.

Name

Rathgarvan or Clifden · Ráth Gharbháin

Area

1,965,474 m² (196.55 ha, 485.68 acres)

Civil parish

Clara, and its townlands

Barony

Gowran

Electoral division

Dunbell, the unit of the census

Census 2022

525 people lived in 192 households in the Dunbell electoral division. 93% of households owned their home. 21% of homes were built since 2001. 6% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 0% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Ballynamona, Churchclara, Clarabricken, Clohoge, Dunbell Big, Grove, Maddockstown, Rathcash, Roughfield

Placenames

Rathgarvan or Clifden on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics by electoral division, Central Statistics Office, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address. Old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.