Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 367 buildings here. The town has 14,148 residents and lies in Co. Cork.
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Police record less crime here than in most towns: 4.2 violent crimes and 2.3 burglaries and acts of criminal damage recorded per 1,000 residents a year. Natural hazards weigh more here: an estimated a tenth of its homes exceed the radon reference level. Getting around depends on the car (C). 17% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). A median €392,000 buys a home here, 6.8 years of what the median household earns. The overall grade lands at B, #26 of 54 in Co. Cork. That leaves it better than 64% of Irish towns.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · radon, EPA · commuting, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
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 Cobh does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Cobh 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 register holds 367 buildings on the National Inventory in Cobh, one of them of national importance.
17 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Cobh. Best known first.
CathedralSaint Colman's Cathedralin town
ZooFota Wildlife Park3 km outside town, to the north · 415K visitors a year (2022)
MuseumSpike Island1.9 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleBelvelly Castle2.4 km outside town, to the north
MuseumCamden Fort Meagher4.5 km outside town, to the south
CastleBarryscourt Castle4.9 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cobh.
The nearest bathing water to Cobh is Fountainstown, 8.7 km away, rated good in 2025. 1.6% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, above both Co. Cork’s towns (0.4%) and Irish towns (0%). Few of its homes stand low beside water.
| Share of homes | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 1.6% | 0.4% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 25% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
In all, 21.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (44.2) and Irish towns (54.3). For its size, Cobh records less crime per resident than 93% of the 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
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 | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.3 | 4.9 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 21.9 | 44.2 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 3.8 | 10.3 | 15.3 |
| Violent crime | 4.2 | 6 | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Families in Cobh have 13 schools within 3 km to choose from: 10 primary schools and 3 secondary schools. DEIS, the support scheme, covers nearly a quarter of them, below both Co. Cork’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%). For secondary school, the closest is Coláiste Muire, 0.8 km from the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunscoil Rinn an Chabhlaigh Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 679 | Catholic |
| Coláiste MuireLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 709 | Catholic |
| Gaelscoile Cobh GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 46 | Catholic |
| Carrignafoy Community College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 322 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 44% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −11% | +2% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 23% | 40% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 8% | 9% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
A year brings 1,091 mm of rain, near Co. Cork’s towns (1,114 mm) and higher than Irish towns (937 mm). Across the year, Cobh averages 10.6°C. January nights in Cobh drop to 3.4°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.5°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.6°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.4°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,091 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Green space lies within 400 m of 83% of homes. Among the protected sites near Cobh is Cork Harbour SPA. Within 5 km, 23% is sea, above Co. Cork’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%) alike. The town has a single park, with 12 ha of green space in all.
| Outdoors | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected nature within 5 km | 13% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| Sea within 5 km | 23% | 0% | 0% |
| Near a park | 83% | 91% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.8 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain of about 2 mm rides in on the wind today (45 km/h); the low is 8°C. Over the coming week, Tuesday looks wettest, with about 24 mm of rain. A typical November day reaches 11°C and drops to 5°C at night: the forecast for Cobh is set against that.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 4°C | 317 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 226 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 235 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 312 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Born abroad: 17% of residents, below both Co. Cork’s towns (19%) and Irish towns (22%). Degrees are held by 31% of adults. Over-65s are 13% of the population.
50.5% of Cobh’s residents are women
7,145 women and 7,003 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 7.5% | 8.3% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7% | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 31% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Cork County Council is the one council for Cobh; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. No party holds a majority on Cork County Council: Fianna Fáil lead with 19 of 55 seats, short of the 28 needed. This Co. Cork town sits in the Cobh local electoral area, which elects 6 councillors.
| Turnout | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 45% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Cobh has 259 inventory buildings for every 10,000 residents. Homes from before 1919 make up 15.1% of the total, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (7.7%) and Irish towns (3.4%). The ground here holds 17 recorded archaeological sites.
| Heritage | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 259 | 100 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 15.1% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 17 | 9 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
The average trip to work takes 27.8 min. Unemployment stood at 7.7%, close to Co. Cork’s towns (8%) and below Irish towns (9.2%). Employment among 15- to 64-year-olds stood at 67% at the census.
| Census 2022 | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 27.8 min | 24.7 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 7.7% | 8% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 67% | 69% | 68% |
| Median household income | €57,991 | €51,591 | €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.
24% of residents have a disability, close to Co. Cork’s towns (24%) and above Irish towns (22%). Ages taken into account, Cobh counts 107 people in poor health for every 100 predicted. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 1.9% of the town.
| Census 2022 | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 24% | 24% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 2% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Rent averaged €1,265 a month, close to Co. Cork’s towns (€1,281) and below Irish towns (€1,606). Private tenants account for 17% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €425,000 | 31 |
| Housing | Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 71% | 59% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €392K | €340K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Households in social housing | 11% | 14% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Cobh has 367 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 1 of them rated of national or international importance. The national record lists 17 archaeological sites in and around the town.
42 notable people were born in Cobh.
Sonia O'Sullivan: Sean Kelly MEP from Ireland, CC BY 2.0 · Michael O'Connor: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Patrick Walsh: Peter Clarke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Francis Orpen Morris: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · James O'Connor: John Gilmary Shea is the author of the book, Public domain · Mary Ball: Studio Schroeder, Dublin, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobh | 14,148 | — | B | B− | A− | C+ |
| Passage West-Monkstown | 6,051 | 2.9 | A | B− | A+ | B+ |
| Crosshaven | 3,263 | 5.9 | A | C− | A+ | A |
| Whitegate | 1,248 | 6.1 | — | B− | A | A− |
| Aghada-Rostellan | 1,159 | 6.6 | — | C+ | A | A+ |
| Glounthaune | 5,000 | 7.1 | A− | C− | A | A |
| Carrigtwohill | 5,568 | 7.3 | A+ | B− | A | A− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Cobh had 14,148 people at the 2022 census, up from 13,142 in 2016: 7.7% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Cobh is 38.7, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 20% of residents are under 15 and 13% are 65 or over.
Urban area in Co. Cork
Cobh has 14,148 people, in the area of Cork 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).