Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2,974 people, this town lies in Co. Cavan.
Homes are affordable here, though not without reasons. Housing is within reach (A): the median home here went for €199,500, 4.2 times the median household income. With a B+ overall, Bailieborough is better than 71% of Irish towns and ranks #2 of 5 in Co. Cavan. Residents are healthier than most (A−). The drawback is jobs & income: nearly two thirds of working-age residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 13%.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health and work, CSO Census 2022.
Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level. This town's Hazard risk Grade uses radon and landslides only: open LiDAR heights don't cover enough of its homes to measure flooding, so flood isn't counted for or against it.
The 3 things Bailieborough does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Bailieborough with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
10 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bailieborough.
0.5% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, about level with both Co. Cavan’s towns (0.2%) and Irish towns (0%). Under 1% of homes in Bailieborough are estimated to have radon above the reference level. Few of its homes stand low beside water.
| Share of homes | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Private renters make up 20% of households, below both Co. Cavan’s towns (30%) and Irish towns (22%). Bailieborough is the cheapest of the 5 towns in Co. Cavan: its median sale is €199,500. Owners make up nearly two thirds of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €199,000 | 125 |
| The last 12 months | €256,200 | 42 |
| Housing | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €200K | €233K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,053 | €1,193 | €1,606 |
| Households owning their home | 65% | 55% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 20% | 30% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Driving is how 80% of commuters got to work at the census. 50% of trips took under 15 minutes, near Co. Cavan’s towns (48%) and higher than Irish towns (31%). On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how just over one in ten commuters travelled at the census.
| Census 2022 | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 13% | 10% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 50% | 48% | 31% |
| Median household income | €47,477 | €51,932 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 28 min | 26.6 min | 27.6 min |
CSO, Census 2022 travel to work, work and education · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income 2022 · Live Register · Census day was 3 April 2022, with working from home still common; shares are of those who travelled.
A fifth of residents have a disability, lower than both Co. Cavan’s towns (21%) and Irish towns (22%). Weighed against its ages, bad health in Bailieborough runs at 102 per 100 expected. Unpaid caring falls to 3.8% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 3.8% | 4.5% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 20% | 21% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 2.1% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Among the graded crimes in Bailieborough, the most frequent was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Burglary and damage add up to 6.2 per 1,000 residents each year. Counting every kind of crime, the yearly rate is 39.1 per 1,000 residents.
Not in the gradeTheft, public order and offences found by Garda checks (drugs, road traffic, dangerous acts) are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence, burglary and damage.
| Per 1,000 a year | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 7 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 6.2 | 4.1 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 39.1 | 44.7 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 7.4 | 4.8 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
1,157 mm of rain falls in a year, higher than both Co. Cavan’s towns (1,046 mm) and Irish towns (937 mm). Across the year, Bailieborough averages 9.1°C. In July, daytime highs in Bailieborough average 19.1°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.1°C | 9.5°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 1.3°C | 1.7°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.1°C | 19.5°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,157 mm | 1,046 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Its paths and tracks come to 0.3 km per km², near Co. Cavan’s towns (0.7 km per km²) and lower than Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). One park, 6 ha of green space: that is the measure of Bailieborough’s parkland. There are 1.9 ha of green space for every 1,000 people locally.
| Outdoors | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 55% | 83% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 10% | 9.7% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | 0.7 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0% | 0.1% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
In Bailieborough, the November norm is a high of 10°C and a low of 3°C. Expect roughly 1 mm of rain today, wind picking up to 24 km/h, and a low of 6°C. By December, a normal day reaches 8°C and a normal night 2°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 1°C | 320 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 4°C | 236 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 10°C | 280 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 6°C | 322 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
15% of residents are 65 or over, above both Co. Cavan’s towns (11%) and Irish towns (14%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 11% of the town. Under-15s account for 22% of the population.
49.6% of Bailieborough’s residents are women
1,475 women and 1,499 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 22% | 24% |
| 65+ | 15% | 11% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 15% | 12% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.6% | 7.1% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 20% | 26% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cavan and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Bailieborough is run by Cavan County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. 57% of voters turned out at the last local elections, about level with Co. Cavan’s towns (57%) and above Irish towns (46%). No party holds a majority on Cavan County Council: Fine Gael lead with 6 of 18 seats, short of the 10 needed.
| Turnout | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 57% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 64% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
4.6% of its homes were built before 1919, above Co. Cavan’s towns (3.9%) and Irish towns (3.4%) alike. 10 archaeological sites are on the record, higher than Co. Cavan’s towns (5) yet lower than Irish towns (11). 32 of Bailieborough’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance.
| Heritage | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 108 | 63 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 4.6% | 3.9% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
For secondary school, the closest is Bailieborough Community School, 0.1 km from the town. DEIS, the support scheme, covers 20% of them, between Co. Cavan’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (35%). Pupils across the 5 schools within 3 km of the town: 1,420.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailieboro N.S. DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 288 | Catholic |
| Bailieborough Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 754 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Bailieborough | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 0% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 20% | 14% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +4% | +10% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Bailieborough; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Historic houseKells High Crosses22 km south
CastleSlane Castle35 km southeast
CathedralThe Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim27 km west
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksOld Mellifont Abbey38 km southeast
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksFore Abbey31 km southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
32 of Bailieborough’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 10 archaeological sites in and around the town.
8 notable people were born in Bailieborough.
Cillian Sheridan: Biso, CC BY 3.0 · Francis Sheehy-Skeffington: photographer not identified, Public domain · Leanne Kiernan: James Boyes from UK, CC BY 2.0 · Patrick "Paddy" Smith: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bailieborough | 2,974 | — | B+ | A | C | A− |
| Kingscourt | 2,955 | 11 | B+ | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Virginia | 3,211 | 11 | B | B− | B− | B+ |
| Mullagh | 1,651 | 11 | — | B+ | A | C− |
| Ballyjamesduff | 2,917 | 16 | B+ | A | B− | C |
| Carrickmacross Monaghan | 5,745 | 18 | B | B+ | C+ | B+ |
| Cootehill | 1,856 | 19 | — | A+ | B− | D |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
7% mostly work from home, and 50% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Bailieborough had 2,974 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,816 in 2016: 5.6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Bailieborough is 38.2, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Cavan
2,974 people live in Bailieborough, in the area of Cavan County Council. TownRatings uses the CSO’s 2022 Urban Areas as Ireland’s towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a county or a council area, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from Tailte Éireann’s boundaries and the CSO’s Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0)
Sources: CSO, Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · Tailte Éireann, Urban Areas and Electoral Divisions 2022 (CC BY 4.0) · TownRatings grades, run #544 (Irish towns only). Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).