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Sir Richard Griffith

25 October 2026 by in The Gateway to Drimnagh

Born Sept. 20, 1784, Dublin – Died Sept. 22, 1878, Dublin

Sir Richard Griffith, a geologist and engineer is better known for building 243 roads in the south west of Ireland and the three arch bridge over the River Feale. 

Born in Hume Street, Dublin in 1784. He had a brief commission at the Royal Irish Artillery before moving to London to study engineering. He completed his geology studies at Edinburgh.

He published the first Geology Map of Ireland in 1815. He was responsible for the Boundary Survey mapping out 68,000 townlands across Ireland and in 1846 he was responsible for evaluating property holdings for taxation purposes, otherwise known as Griffith’s Valuation. 

Griffith’s Valuation Map 1855

Griffith’s Valuation 1850’s

Griffith’s Valuation was used by the Land League as the proper standard for rent.