Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Co. Cavan has a population of 3,211. The population grew 18% between 2016 and 2022.
Good on most counts; one lags. With a B overall, Virginia sits #140 of 320 Irish towns. On that grade it does better than 56% of Irish towns. Where it does best is health — for every 100 its ages would predict, 94 residents are in bad health and 100 have a disability. A typical home sold for €300,000, or 5.6 years of the town’s median household income. What counts against it is walkability. just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · radon, EPA.
The 3 things Virginia does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Virginia 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 →
3 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Virginia.
At the census, 1.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below both Co. Cavan’s towns (2.1%) and Irish towns (2%). Self-reported good health: 89% of Virginia’s residents. Disability, age-adjusted: 100 for every 100 expected locally.
| Census 2022 | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 2.1% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | 88% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.2% | 4.4% | 5.4% |
| 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
Of those in the labour force, 9.2% are unemployed. The census found 12% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
| Census 2022 | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 33 min | 26.6 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 36% | 50% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.2% | 12% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €53,504 | €49,137 | €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.
Taken over the whole year, the average temperature in Virginia is 9.5°C. July afternoons reach 19.5°C here, about level with Co. Cavan’s towns (19.4°C) and below Irish towns (19.9°C). The nearest weather station is Ballyhaise, 28 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.5°C | 9.3°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 1.7°C | 1.6°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.5°C | 19.4°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,043 mm | 1,065 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
80% of homes are a short walk (400 m) from green space. Walkers have 1.1 km per km² of paths and tracks, higher than Co. Cavan’s towns (0.5 km per km²) yet lower than Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). 2 parks, 7 ha of green space: that is the measure of Virginia’s parkland.
| Outdoors | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 18% | 8.9% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 80% | 76% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.1 km per km² | 0.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0.2% | 0% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The coming days top out somewhere between 6°C and 10°C; Thursday looks warmest. Virginia’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 10°C, nights 4°C. Today brings about 1 mm of rain and a breeze of up to 24 km/h; the low is 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 286 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 4°C | 214 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 10°C | 255 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 6°C | 288 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Degrees are held by 33% of adults, above Co. Cavan’s towns (22%) but below Irish towns (36%). 23% of residents are children under 15. Foreign-born residents make up nearly a quarter of the population.
52.2% of Virginia’s residents are women
1,676 women and 1,535 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 23% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 13% | 11% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 8.2% | 13% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 13% | 18% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 38% | 41% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.9% | 7.1% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 33% | 22% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cavan and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Virginia answers to one council, Cavan County Council; Ireland has no town tier. 57% of voters turned out at the last local elections, near Co. Cavan’s towns (57%) and higher than Irish towns (46%). Cavan County Council has no ruling majority: Fine Gael hold 6 of its 18 seats, short of the 10 needed.
| Turnout | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 57% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 64% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Scaled to its population, that is 62 inventory buildings for every 10,000 people in Virginia. The Sites and Monuments Record lists 3 sites here, below both Co. Cavan’s towns (8) and Irish towns (11).
| Heritage | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 62 | 71 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 3 | 8 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
The ground under Virginia carries no high landslide susceptibility. Low-lying near a river: 0.8% of homes, about level with Irish towns (0.5%) and above Co. Cavan’s towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0.3% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0.8% | 0% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Burglary and damage add up to 3.8 per 1,000 residents each year. The commonest graded crime in Virginia was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). In all, 56 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, about level with Irish towns (54.3) and above Co. Cavan’s towns (36.2).
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 | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 3.8 | 5.3 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 5.5 | 5.8 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 56 | 36.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Private renters make up 28% of households. No town in Co. Cavan costs more to buy into than Virginia, at €300,000, the highest of 5. Prices locally are up 94% since 2010: the typical sale went from €160K that year to €310K in 2025. Rent averaged €1,222 a month, higher than Co. Cavan’s towns (€1,119) yet lower than Irish towns (€1,606).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €295,000 | 189 |
| The last 12 months | €351,800 | 60 |
| Housing | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €300K | €213K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,222 | €1,119 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 28% | 27% | 22% |
| Households in social housing | 13% | 15% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
3 schools lie within 3 km of Virginia: 2 primary schools and 1 secondary school. For secondary school, the closest is Virginia College, 0.7 km from the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Mxd N.S. Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 463 | Catholic |
| Virginia CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 809 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Virginia | Co. Cavan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 24% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +11% | +7% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 0% | 8% |
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.
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Virginia; these are the best known within 40 km.
Historic houseKells High Crosses18 km southeast
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksFore Abbey19 km southwest
Castle · Office of Public WorksTrim Castle37 km southeast
CathedralThe Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim26 km northwest
CastleSlane Castle37 km east
CathedralCathedral of Christ the King39 km southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
20 of Virginia’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 3 archaeological sites in and around the town.
5 notable people were born in Virginia.
Agnes O'Farrelly: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 3,211 | — | B | B− | B− | B+ |
| Ballyjamesduff | 2,917 | 8.5 | B+ | A | B− | C |
| Oldcastle Meath | 1,409 | 8.9 | — | A− | B+ | C+ |
| Mullagh | 1,651 | 9.4 | — | B+ | A | C− |
| Bailieborough | 2,974 | 11 | B+ | A | C | A− |
| Kells Meath | 6,608 | 18 | B | A | B− | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Virginia had 3,211 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,712 in 2016: 18.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Virginia is 35.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Cavan
3,211 people live in Virginia, 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).