Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Co. Cork has a population of 4,096. The population grew 11% between 2016 and 2022.
Macroom’s strongest subject is safety (A): burglary and criminal damage run at 1.9 per 1,000 residents a year, violent crime at 4.2. Overall, Macroom earns an A: better than 93% of Irish towns, and #24 of 320 Irish towns. At a median €312,000, a home costs 6.2 times the town’s median household income. The drawback is walkability — 14% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for health and B for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · commuting, health and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
The 2 things Macroom does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Macroom 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 12 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 7%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Macroom.
Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Macroom has less crime per resident than 92% of them. More of the graded crimes locally were assaults and harassment than anything else (2023–2025). Counting every kind of crime, the yearly rate is 42.6 per 1,000 residents.
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 | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 1.9 | 4.9 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 5.1 | 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
A buyer in Macroom paid 100% more for a typical home in 2025 than in 2010: €335K against €168K. 17% live in social housing, above Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (13%) alike.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €345,000 | 132 |
| Second-hand homes | €270,000 | 227 |
| The last 12 months | €355,500 | 110 |
| Housing | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 17% | 14% | 13% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,209 | €1,291 | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €312K | €360K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
DEIS, the support scheme, covers 17% of them, below Co. Cork’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%) alike. The nearest secondary, De La Salle College, is 0.1 km away. Within 3 km of Macroom there are 6 schools (3 primary schools and 3 secondary schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macroom Convent N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 306 | Catholic |
| St Mary'S Secondary School GirlsLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 431 | Catholic |
| McEgan College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 289 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +18% | +1% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 9% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 17% | 40% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 33% | 44% | 39% |
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.
Under 1% of homes in Macroom are estimated to have radon above the reference level. Low-lying near a river: 1.9% of homes, lower than Co. Cork’s towns (2.6%) yet higher than Irish towns (0.5%).
| Share of homes | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 4.9% | 0.4% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 1.9% | 2.6% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
January nights bottom out at 3.1°C in Macroom, lower than Co. Cork’s towns (3.5°C) yet higher than Irish towns (2.9°C). A July afternoon in Macroom typically reaches 19.7°C. Averaged across the seasons, Macroom sits at 10.5°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,367 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.7°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.5°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.1°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Walkers have 0.4 km per km² of paths and tracks, below both Co. Cork’s towns (1.8 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Protected nature near Macroom includes The Gearagh SAC. Also worth knowing: 93% of homes are a short walk (400 m) from green space.
| Outdoors | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 0.4 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 4.9% | 4% | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 3.9% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| Near a park | 93% | 88% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 12 mm for the day. Set beside Macroom’s forecast, a normal November runs from 5°C at night to 11°C by day. Expect little more than a sprinkle today, wind picking up to 25 km/h, and a low of 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 439 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 5°C | 277 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 260 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 391 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Children under 15 make up 22%, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (19%) and Irish towns (20%). Born abroad: just over a quarter of residents. 31% of adults hold a degree.
Women make up 50.4% of Macroom
2,065 women and 2,031 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 14% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 7.9% | 8.3% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.3% | 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+
Macroom answers to one council, Cork County Council; Ireland has no town tier. General election turnout was 64%. Fianna Fáil lead Cork County Council with 19 of 55 seats, but no party has a majority: 28 are needed.
| Turnout | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 55% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
7.3% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than Co. Cork’s towns (7.7%) yet higher than Irish towns (3.4%). The Sites and Monuments Record lists 12 sites here, above both Co. Cork’s towns (9) and Irish towns (11). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 48 buildings in Macroom, 1 of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 117 | 100 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 7.3% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
38% of trips took under 15 minutes, above both Co. Cork’s towns (33%) and Irish towns (31%). The census counted nearly one in ten workers working mainly from home. By car: that was how 76% of commuters travelled at the census.
| Census 2022 | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 38% | 33% | 31% |
| Median household income | €50,693 | €54,720 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 26.9 min | 24.7 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 8% | 7.9% | 9.2% |
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.
Disability, age-adjusted: 110 for every 100 expected in Macroom. Self-reported good health: 89% of the town’s residents. At the census, 24% of people here had a disability, near Co. Cork’s towns (24%) and higher than Irish towns (22%).
| Census 2022 | Macroom | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.6% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | 88% | 88% |
| With a disability | 24% | 24% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Macroom. Best known first.
CastleMacroom Castlein town
CastleCarrigaphooca Castle2.7 km outside town, to the westArt galleryArt galleryArt on Main Streetin townHistoric siteHistoric siteBealick Mill300 m outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 48 buildings in Macroom, 1 of national or international importance. 12 archaeological sites are on the record here.
25 notable people were born in Macroom.
Bambie Thug: Arkland, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michael Creed: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 2.0 · Michael John O'Leary: photographer not identified. UK Govt., Public domain · Aindrias Moynihan: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0 · Colette Kelleher: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0 · T. C. Murray: Cornelius Weygandt, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macroom | 4,096 | — | A | B+ | A | B− |
| Millstreet | 1,722 | 18 | — | B+ | A | B+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Macroom had 4,096 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,692 in 2016: 10.9% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Macroom is 38.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
9% mostly work from home, and 38% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Cork
4,096 people live in Macroom, 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).