Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
486 people live in this town in Co. Cork. Its population rose 9% from 2016 to 2022.
Prices run to a median €240,000, 5.2 times local household income. 9% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. 10 of its buildings are on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Homes here sold for a median €252,400 over 2023 to 2025.
There are no grades for Drimoleague: Irish towns need 1,000 residents for them.
The 3 things Drimoleague does most differently from other towns.
The record adds 6 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 18%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Drimoleague.
Families in Drimoleague have 3 schools within 3 km to choose from: 3 primary schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drimoleague Junior SchLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 54 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −14% | +1% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 37% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 9% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland doesn’t publish results for individual schools, so none of these carries a letter.
Radon is rarely a worry in Drimoleague: under 1% of homes are estimated above the reference level. Few of its homes stand low beside water.
| Share of homes | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Here July highs average 19.3°C, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (20.0°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). Midwinter nights in Drimoleague bottom out at 3.7°C on average. The annual mean here is 10.7°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,743 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.3°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 3.7°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.7°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Unpaid caring falls to 7.6% of Drimoleague’s residents. At the census, 2.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (2%) and Irish towns (2%). Disability touches 25% of the town’s population.
| Census 2022 | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 7.6% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 2% | 2% |
| With a disability | 25% | 24% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
57% of households own their home, near Co. Cork’s towns (60%) and lower than Irish towns (61%). The social rented sector houses 15% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €240,000 | 53 |
| Housing | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €240K | €350K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 25% | 21% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 57% | 60% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 15% | 14% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
A short walk to green space: 100% of homes, above both Co. Cork’s towns (90%) and Irish towns (92%). Every 1,000 residents of Drimoleague share 2.8 ha of green space. 11 waymarked trails and greenways begin within 5 km.
| Outdoors | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 0.4 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 100% | 90% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0% | 1.5% | 1.8% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.1% | 4.1% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
A typical November day reaches 11°C and drops to 6°C at night: the forecast for Drimoleague is set against that. Expect little more than a sprinkle today, wind picking up to 27 km/h, and a low of 8°C. By December, a normal day reaches 10°C and a normal night 4°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 560 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 337 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 344 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 502 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Households had €45,770 a year before tax, below both Co. Cork’s towns (€53,156) and Irish towns (€57,760). Driving is how 84% of commuters got to work at the census. Working from home was the norm for 6.6% of workers at the census.
| Census 2022 | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31.3 min | 24.8 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 8% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €45,770 | €53,156 | €57,760 |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 27% | 33% | 31% |
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.
28% of adults hold a degree, below both Co. Cork’s towns (38%) and Irish towns (36%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are nearly a tenth of the population. People 65 and over make up 18% of the town.
Women make up 52.9% of Drimoleague
257 women and 229 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 15% | 8.1% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.6% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 28% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election 64% voted, above both Co. Cork’s towns (58%) and Irish towns (59%). Cork County Council runs Drimoleague: Ireland has one tier of local government, with no town council below it. No party holds a majority on Cork County Council: Fianna Fáil lead with 19 of 55 seats, short of the 28 needed.
| Turnout | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 58% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 17.9% of the total, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (7.7%) and Irish towns (3.4%). 6 archaeological sites are on the record.
| Heritage | Drimoleague | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 206 | 103 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 17.9% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Drimoleague; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CastleCastle Donovan3.1 km outside town, to the north
CastleCarriganass Castle13 km northwest
CastleBallynacarriga Castle17 km east
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksTimoleague Abbey34 km east
CastleDunasead Castle21 km southwest
Historic houseCoppinger's Court17 km southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 10 buildings in Drimoleague, each rated of regional importance. 6 archaeological sites are on the record here.
2 notable people were born in Drimoleague; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Agnes Mary Clerke: Hayman Selig Mendelssohn (1847–1908), Public domain · Timothy Michael Healy: Lafayette, Dublin, Public domain · Emily Hegarty: Diplomatic Security Service from Washington, D.C., United States of America, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drimoleague | 486 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dunmanway | 1,964 | 12 | — | A+ | A | A− |
| Skibbereen | 2,903 | 12 | A | A− | B+ | C |
| Bantry | 2,929 | 13 | A− | A | B | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
7% mostly work from home, and 27% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Drimoleague had 486 people at the 2022 census, up from 446 in 2016: 9% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Drimoleague is 41.1, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 19% of residents are under 15 and 18% are 65 or over.
Urban area in Co. Cork
486 people live in Drimoleague, 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). 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).