Bank of Ireland

This well-detailed and well-proportioned early-to-mid twentieth century bank building retains its early form and character despite some alterations at ground floor level. The front elevation has a classical style that harks back to the bank buildings constructed during the second half of the nineteenth century. It has a commanding presence in the streetscape, reflecting the period when bank buildings were designed to express the solidity and wealth of the institution through their architecture. The central pediment and the fluted Composite pilasters to the central window opening at first floor level create a strong central focal point. The front elevation is enlivened by the render detailing including channelled rustication at ground floor level, architraved surrounds to the window openings and an emphatic eaves cornice. The architect who designed this bank may have taken inspiration from the detailing of the fine mid-twentieth-century courthouse (see 40815039) that lies a short distance to the south-west. The visual expression and integrity of this bank building is enhanced by the retention of much of its early fabric including timber sliding sash windows and fielded panelled doors. This bank was built to designs by Adam Gerald Chaytor Millar (1874-1957), architect to the Bank of Ireland from 1907 until 1943 (full-time from 1926 or1927). It is built on the site of an important terrace of four two-storey gable-fronted brick buildings with curvilinear ‘Dutch Billy’-style gables dating to the late seventeenth or (more likely) early eighteenth-century, known as Mount Tilly. These buildings were demolished in 1930 to make way for this bank and are a sad loss to the architectural heritage of Donegal and indeed Ireland. This building is an integral element of the architectural heritage of Buncrana, and makes a positive contribution to the streetscape to the centre of the town.