Land Registry maps show 'general boundaries' only, meaning they indicate the approximate position of a boundary rather than a precise, legally fixed line. They are a reliable starting point for identifying a parcel but should not be treated as exact for measurements close to a boundary.
Land Registry maps in Ireland, maintained by Tailte Éireann and viewable through landdirect.ie, operate on a 'general boundaries' basis. This means the mapped line shows roughly where a boundary lies, based on Ordnance Survey mapping at a given scale, but it does not guarantee the precise legal position of the line on the ground. The system was designed to make registration practical without requiring every boundary to be surveyed to exact tolerances.
In practice this means the map is generally accurate enough to identify which parcel of land you are looking at and its approximate shape and area, but it is not accurate enough to settle a dispute over, for example, whether a wall sits half a metre one way or the other of the true boundary. Scale and drafting inaccuracies, historic map digitisation, and changes on the ground since the map was drawn can all introduce small discrepancies.
Where a planning application, a build close to a boundary, or a neighbour dispute depends on the boundary being accurate to a fine tolerance, the registry map alone is not sufficient evidence. A chartered surveyor should be engaged to prepare a boundary survey that reconciles the deeds, the registry map and the physical evidence on site.