Tinahely's square preserves the public buildings of a town rebuilt after 1798, while its former courthouse became the focus of a long community restoration.
Illustration, Market House, Tinahely
⊕Recorded locationTinahely52.79700° N · 6.46308° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
Tigh na hÉille· Irish · main form · validated name
Tinahely· English · main form
Place & story
The market house after 1798
Tinahely was burned during the rebellion of 1798 and rebuilt with the support of the Fitzwilliam estate. The market house dates from about 1820 and brought several public functions under one roof. Samuel Lewis's 1837 account, reproduced by the community archive, recorded court business in an upstairs room and Methodist meetings there as well. The building later served as a school and commercial premises. Granite dressings, corner stones and an external double flight of steps give this adaptable building a strong presence in the town's square.[2]
A purpose-built courthouse
The courthouse was erected in 1842–43 by Thomas Symes, with its completion year displayed on the parapet. Its design is attributed to William Hampton, Wicklow's county surveyor. Projecting end bays and recessed porches create a symmetrical frontage, with granite details emphasising corners and openings. Inside, a galleried courtroom accommodated legal proceedings and their spectators. The architectural survey records the survival of the building's overall form and substantial original or replicated fabric following restoration. Together with the market house, it preserves the scale and character of Tinahely's nineteenth-century civic centre.[3]
The community campaign for an arts centre
Local representatives sought to secure the disused courthouse as a community hall as early as 1954. A ninety-nine-year lease finally followed in 1988, and restoration began the next year with local fundraising and a FÁS training scheme. Jimmy Byrne supervised work that gave young people building experience while returning the neglected structure to use. The courthouse opened a new chapter as an arts centre in 1996. The community archive records concerts, sponsored events and other fundraising behind a project sustained by several generations of local effort.[4]
Both counts use the 2016 settlement boundary, allowing like-for-like comparison. CSO supplies the 2022 count on this older boundary for comparison only. The official 2022 Built Up Area has different boundaries.
View population figures
Tinahely — Census 2016 settlement footprint — census population
These are the historical areas published in the 2006 census report. Boundaries may differ between censuses and from modern settlements. Legal towns, environs and suburbs are shown separately; none has been combined into a modern settlement total.
View population figures
Tinahely, Wicklow — Census town, CSO 2006 report — census population
These are the historical areas published in the 1996 census report. Boundaries may differ between censuses and from modern settlements. Legal towns, environs and suburbs are shown separately; none has been combined into a modern settlement total.
View population figures
Tinahely, Wicklow — Census town, CSO 1996 report — census population
Figures cover the historical town area printed in the 1986 report. Boundaries may have changed between censuses. Legal town, environs and suburb totals remain separate and differ from modern settlement boundaries.
View population figures
Tinahely, Wicklow — Census town, CSO 1986 report — census population
These figures use different area definitions. Read the boundary note before comparing them.
Tinahely, Wicklow
Published census settlement populations
937people · 2016
Settlement boundaries changed during this period. Differences may reflect boundary changes as well as population change. Where a 2011 legal-town-and-environs count is shown, it has not been recalculated onto the 2016 settlement boundary.
placenames
