Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 175 buildings here. Some 5,991 people live in this town, in Co. Cork.
Kinsale’s strongest subject is safety: burglary and criminal damage run at 1.6 per 1,000 residents a year, violent crime at 2.7. What holds it back is cost of living: prices run to a median €465,000, 8.2 times local household income. Hazards are a real consideration (D−): an estimated 11% of its homes exceed the radon reference level. The overall grade lands at A, better than 89% of Irish towns. It ranks #36 of 320 Irish towns.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA.
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 Kinsale does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Kinsale 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 175 buildings on the National Inventory in Kinsale, 3 of them of national importance.
41 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Kinsale. Best known first.
MuseumDesmond Castle Kinsalein town
Castle · Office of Public WorksCharles Fort Military Fortress200 m outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumKinsale Museumin townChurchChurchSt Multose Churchin townAttractionAttractionDon & Barry’s Historic Strollin townArt galleryArt galleryEoin O Connorin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kinsale.
In all, 18.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, below Co. Cork’s towns (44.2) and Irish towns (54.3) alike. Of the graded crimes in Kinsale, assaults and harassment came up most often (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 | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 1.6 | 4.9 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 2.7 | 6 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 18.9 | 44.2 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 3.7 | 10.3 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
On high landslide susceptibility: 3.1% of homes, above both Co. Cork’s towns (0.4%) and Irish towns (0%). The nearest bathing water to Kinsale is Garrylucas, White Strand, 8.1 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Very few of its homes sit on low ground by water.
| Share of homes | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 82% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 3.1% | 0.4% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Private tenants account for 27% of households. Prices in Kinsale are up 66% since 2010: the typical sale went from €295K that year to €490K in 2025. Social housing holds one in ten households, below Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. This Co. Cork town is the second most expensive of the 54 towns in Co. Cork, at €465,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €485,000 | 169 |
| Second-hand homes | €427,500 | 326 |
| The last 12 months | €490,000 | 152 |
| Housing | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,911 | €1,255 | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €465K | €340K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 10% | 14% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 27% | 21% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Unemployment stood at 6%, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (8%) and Irish towns (9.2%). 72% of people aged 15 to 64 were in work at the census. Home was the main workplace for 16% of workers at the census.
| Census 2022 | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 51% | 33% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 6% | 8% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 23.3 min | 24.8 min | 27.6 min |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 72% | 69% | 68% |
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.
Pupil numbers changed +16% since 2019/20, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (+1%) and Irish towns (+4%). Families in Kinsale have 5 schools within 3 km to choose from: 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school. For secondary school, the closest is Kinsale Community School, 0.5 km from the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Naomh Eltin Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 401 | Catholic |
| Kinsale Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 1,450 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Chionn tSáile GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 145 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 44% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 20% | 9% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 40% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +16% | +1% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
Asked at the census, nine in ten residents of Kinsale said they were in good or very good health. At the census, 1.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Co. Cork’s towns (2%) and Irish towns (2%) alike. Ages taken into account, Kinsale counts 99 people with a disability for every 100 predicted.
| Census 2022 | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 2% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 23% | 24% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
A year brings 1,167 mm of rain, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (1,114 mm) and Irish towns (937 mm). Taken over the whole year, the average temperature in Kinsale is 10.9°C. Expect January lows of around 4.1°C locally.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.3°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 4.1°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.9°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 1,167 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Its paths and tracks come to 0.9 km per km², below both Co. Cork’s towns (1.8 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Within 5 km, 21% is sea, above Co. Cork’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%) alike.
| Outdoors | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 21% | 0% | 0% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.3% | 4.2% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 100% | 88% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.9 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.
Expect about 1 mm of rain with it today, the wind at 46 km/h and a low of 8°C. Plan indoor things for Tuesday, when about 23 mm of rain is forecast. The forecast for Kinsale beside its normal weather: a typical November day reaches 12°C and drops to 6°C at night.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 346 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 236 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 253 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 9°C | 332 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
20% are under 15, higher than Co. Cork’s towns (19%) and near Irish towns (20%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 18% of residents. Overseas births account for 27% of the people living here.
53.1% of Kinsale’s residents are women
3,181 women and 2,810 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 7% | 8.3% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 9.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 29% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.3% | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 48% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
54% voted at the last local elections. Cork County Council has no ruling majority: Fianna Fáil hold 19 of its 55 seats, short of the 28 needed. There is just one council for Kinsale, Cork County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government.
| Turnout | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 58% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 54% | 45% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Scaled to its population, that is 292 inventory buildings for every 10,000 people in Kinsale. There are 41 entries on the national archaeological record here.
| Heritage | Kinsale | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 292 | 100 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 41 | 9 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 9.6% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
175 of Kinsale’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 3 rank of national or international importance. 41 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
29 notable people were born in Kinsale.
Timothy McCarthy: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · William Napier, 9th Lord Napier: "courtesy of Lord Napier and Ettrick", Public domain · William Markham: Benjamin West, Public domain · Henry Gillman: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Edward Bowen: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Geraldine Scholastica Gibbons: Unknown photographer, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsale | 5,991 | — | A | D | A+ | A− |
| Inishannon | 1,043 | 12 | — | C+ | A+ | A |
| Carrigaline | 18,239 | 15 | A+ | C | A | A− |
| Bandon | 8,196 | 15 | A | B+ | A− | B− |
| Lehenagh | 4,154 | 18 | B+ | C− | B+ | A |
| Frankfield and Grange | 7,687 | 18 | A | C− | A | A |
| Inishkenny | 5,552 | 18 | A− | C− | A− | A− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Kinsale had 5,991 people at the 2022 census, up from 5,362 in 2016: 11.7% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Kinsale is 41.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Cork
Kinsale has 5,991 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).