Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 2,917 people live in this town, in Co. Cavan. It skews young: only 9% of residents are 65 or over.
Buying a home costs less than in most towns (A): prices run to a median €215,000, 4.3 times local household income. Ballyjamesduff grades B+ overall, better than 72% of Irish towns, and ranks #1 of 5 in Co. Cavan. What holds it back is health — for every 100 its ages would predict, 155 residents are in bad health and 109 have a disability. It also trails on jobs & income: the unemployment rate is 11%, with 65% of 15 to 64s in work. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B for walkability.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health, work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
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 Ballyjamesduff does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Ballyjamesduff 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 →
The record adds 5 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 4%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballyjamesduff.
32% rent privately, higher than both Co. Cavan’s towns (25%) and Irish towns (22%). Owners make up 52% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €211,500 | 128 |
| The last 12 months | €265,000 | 35 |
| Housing | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €946 | €1,193 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 32% | 25% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €215K | €230K | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 52% | 59% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
In Ballyjamesduff, an estimated 1.6% of homes exceed the radon reference level. On high landslide susceptibility: 0.8% of homes, higher than both Co. Cavan’s towns (0.2%) and Irish towns (0%). Next to none of its homes lie low beside a river or the sea.
| Share of homes | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.8% | 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.
At the census, 2.3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. 87% of Ballyjamesduff’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Co. Cavan’s towns (89%) and Irish towns (88%). Ages taken into account, Ballyjamesduff counts 109 people with a disability for every 100 predicted.
| Census 2022 | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.3% | 4.5% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2% |
| With a disability | 21% | 20% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Short trips: 45% under 15 minutes, below Co. Cavan’s towns (50%) but above Irish towns (31%). At the census, 4.9% of workers worked mainly from home. The car carried 77% of commuters at the census.
| Census 2022 | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 45% | 50% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 65% | 66% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 11% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €50,360 | €50,709 | €57,760 |
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 year brings 1,080 mm of rain, close to Co. Cavan’s towns (1,046 mm) and above Irish towns (937 mm). Taken over the whole year, the average temperature in Ballyjamesduff is 9.4°C. Summer highs in Ballyjamesduff reach 19.4°C in July.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.4°C | 9.4°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 1.7°C | 1.6°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.4°C | 19.4°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,080 mm | 1,046 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 1 km, 7.6% of the land is woodland, below Co. Cavan’s towns (11%) but above Irish towns (2.7%). 2 parks, 8 ha of green space: that is the measure of Ballyjamesduff’s parkland. 91% of homes are within 400 m of green space.
| Outdoors | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 7.6% | 11% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 91% | 72% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.2 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 a typical November, days climb to about 10°C and nights sink to 4°C, the yardstick for Ballyjamesduff’s forecast. Expect a dry, breezy day today, the wind reaching 23 km/h and the temperature dipping to 6°C. December follows with normal highs of 8°C and lows of 2°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 297 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 4°C | 222 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 10°C | 263 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 6°C | 298 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.6%, close to Co. Cavan’s towns (0.6%) and below Irish towns (1.1%). 8.7% of residents have reached 65. Graduates make up 15% of adults.
Women make up 49.2% of Ballyjamesduff
1,436 women and 1,481 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 22% | 24% |
| 65+ | 8.7% | 13% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 13% | 12% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 47% | 39% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7.2% | 7% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 15% | 26% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cavan and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
No party holds a majority on Cavan County Council: Fine Gael lead with 6 of 18 seats, short of the 10 needed. Local government for Ballyjamesduff is Cavan County Council alone; Ireland has a single tier. 57% of voters turned out at the last local elections, near Co. Cavan’s towns (57%) and higher than Irish towns (46%).
| Turnout | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 57% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 64% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Relative to its size, Ballyjamesduff keeps 31 buildings on the inventory per 10,000 residents. 5 archaeological sites are on the record, lower than both Co. Cavan’s towns (7) and Irish towns (11).
| Heritage | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 31 | 71 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 5 | 7 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
All told, 33.3 crimes per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. Burglary and damage came to 3.7 per 1,000 residents a year, below Co. Cavan’s towns (5.3) and Irish towns (6.4) alike. Assaults and harassment topped the graded crimes in Ballyjamesduff (2023–2025).
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 | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 3.7 | 5.3 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 2.3 | 6.4 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 33.3 | 47.5 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
For secondary school, the closest is St Clare's College, 0.6 km from the town. Within 3 km of Ballyjamesduff there are 2 schools (1 primary school and 1 secondary school). Since 2019/20, pupils changed −4%, below Co. Cavan’s towns (+10%) and Irish towns (+4%) alike.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Clares N.S. DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 422 | Catholic |
| St Clare's CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 578 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballyjamesduff | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −4% | +10% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 10% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 0% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no results school by school, so these cards carry no letters or results.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Ballyjamesduff. Best known first.
MuseumCavan County Museumin townMuseumMuseumWorld War 1 Trench Experiencein townMuseumMuseumThe GPO Exhibitionin townTheme parkTheme parkThe Cavan Centre2.7 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 9 buildings in Ballyjamesduff, each rated of regional importance. 5 archaeological sites are on the record here.
5 notable people were born in Ballyjamesduff.
Jake Doyle-Hayes: Skippo10, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kathryn Reilly: Mo ainm, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pete Briquette: Michael Tutton, CC BY 2.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyjamesduff | 2,917 | — | B+ | A | B− | C |
| Virginia | 3,211 | 8.5 | B | B− | B− | B+ |
| Oldcastle Meath | 1,409 | 11 | — | A− | B+ | C+ |
| Ballinagh | 1,012 | 15 | — | A | B | C |
| Bailieborough | 2,974 | 16 | B+ | A | C | A− |
| Cavan | 11,741 | 18 | C | A− | C− | C+ |
| Mullagh | 1,651 | 18 | — | B+ | A | C− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Ballyjamesduff is 35.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Ballyjamesduff had 2,917 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,662 in 2016: 9.6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
5% mostly work from home, and 45% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Cavan
Ballyjamesduff has 2,917 people, 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).