RathcooleCo. Cork

218 residents make their home in this town in Co. Cork.

Population

218

CSO, Census 2022 · Cork County Council

Median age

35.3

11% are 65+ · Co. Cork 15%

Degree level

27%

of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%

Walk, cycle, transit

of working residents · Irish towns 23%

Is Rathcoole a good place to live?

The median home here went for €249,800, 3.8 times the median household income. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 7% of commuters. The median home sold for €249,800 from 2023 to 2025. 15- to 24-year-olds are 17% of the population.

Rathcoole isn’t graded: grades for Irish towns begin at 1,000 residents.

What makes Rathcoole stand out

The 3 things Rathcoole does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Walk, cycle or public transport

Getting around

7% walk, cycle or ride

The median of Irish towns: 23%

CSO, Census 2022

Median sale price

Housing

33% below the median of Irish towns, €372,600

Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025.

Residents aged 15 to 24

Who lives here

17% are 15 to 24

The median of Irish towns: 12%

CSO, Census 2022

Rathcoole’s outline

Rathcoole’s story

Rathcoole has nothing on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage yet

Homes built before 1919: 3%, against 3% across Irish towns.

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rathcoole.

Natural hazards

Rathcoole has low radon and steady ground, but its flood exposure isn’t measured

Radon tests would find about 1.6% of Rathcoole’s homes above the reference level, by estimate. Landslides: none of Rathcoole lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Low ground by water holds almost none of its homes.

0%of homes in high-radon areas

Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes

In high-radon areas0%

On high landslide susceptibility0%

Share of homes	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
On high landslide susceptibility	0%	0.4%	0%
In high-radon areas	0%	0%	0%

homes mapped for these shares

Full pageRathcoole’s flood & hazards pageOpen the page

Low-lying homes0% of homes · Homes low beside water GroundHigh landslide susceptibility · Irish towns 0%Radon0% of homes in high-radon areas Be readyFlood warnings, radon tests and insurance

EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.

Climate

Rain is part of life in Rathcoole: 1,271 mm a year, more than Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns

Rathcoole’s year-round mean comes to 10.3°C. Here July highs average 19.6°C, below both Co. Cork’s towns (20.0°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). The coldest nights come in January, when Rathcoole averages a low of 2.9°C.

19.6°CJuly afternoon high

Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages

Winter9.2°C

Spring13.5°C

Summer19.2°C

Autumn14.3°C

Climate, 1991–2020	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
Rain a year	1,271 mm	1,114 mm	937 mm
July high	19.6°C	20.0°C	19.9°C
Average temperature over the year	10.3°C	10.8°C	10.3°C
January low	2.9°C	3.5°C	2.9°C

19.6°C

July high

2.9°C

January low

1,271 mm

Rain a year

148 mm

Wettest month

Full pageRathcoole’s climate pageOpen the page

Rain1,271 mm of rain a year · December is the wettest month, 148 mm At a glanceJuly highs 19.6°C, January lows 2.9°C The yearSummer highs 19.2°C, winter lows 3.0°C Weather station44 km to the weather station · Cork Airport

Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.

Health

Disability runs above what Rathcoole’s ages predict, at 129 per 100 expected, and above Co. Cork’s towns and Irish towns

Allowing for its ages, Rathcoole has 62 residents in bad health per 100 expected, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (107) and Irish towns (113). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 0.9% of the town. 91% of people in Rathcoole rate their own health good or very good.

91%good or very good health

Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised

Bad health62

Disability129

Co. Cork107

Expected100

General health, self-reported

Good or very good 91%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 1%

Census 2022	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
Unpaid carers	9.2%	5.9%	5.4%
Bad or very bad health	0.9%	2%	2%
Good or very good health	91%	88%	88%
With a disability	25%	24%	22%

bad health per 100 expected · Co. Cork 107

129

disability per 100 expected · Co. Cork 110

83.2 · 79.1

life expectancy, women · men, the South-West region, 2016

28%

hold a medical card, HSE South West

Full pageRathcoole’s health pageOpen the page

Health GradeBad health 62, disability 129 per 100 expected Getting care0% within 800 m of a pharmacy Census health91% in good or very good health The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.2, men 79.1

CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios

Housing

Most households in Rathcoole own their home: 75%, more than in Co. Cork’s towns or across Irish towns

17% of households are private tenants. Social housing holds 6% of households, below both Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (13%).

€250Kmedian sale price

Median sale price · Eircode area, 2023–2025

Rathcoole€250K

Co. Cork€350K

Irish towns€350K

Housing	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
Households owning their home	75%	60%	61%
Households in social housing	6%	14%	13%
Median sale price	€250K	€350K	€350K
Households renting privately	17%	21%	22%

75%

own their home · Irish towns 61%

17%

rent privately · Irish towns 22%

€1,542

a month on new tenancies, County Cork

Full pageRathcoole’s cost of living pageOpen the page

Owners and renters75% own their home Cost of livingMedian sale price €249,800 Renting€1,542 a month · Average rent on new tenancies

Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area P51, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.

Outdoors

More woodland lies at the edge of Rathcoole than Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns: 7.5% of the land within 1 km

For 100% of homes, green space is under 400 m away. Among the protected sites near Rathcoole is Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC. Within 5 km, 4.1% of the land is protected nature, above both Co. Cork’s towns (1.5%) and Irish towns (1.8%).

100%of homes near green space

Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents

Rathcoole6.2 ha

Co. Cork4.3 ha

Irish towns4.1 ha

Outdoors	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
Woodland within 1 km	7.5%	4.1%	2.7%
Paths per km² of town	0.0 km per km²	1.8 km per km²	2.1 km per km²
Near a park	100%	90%	92%
Protected nature within 5 km	4.1%	1.5%	1.8%

100%

Near a park

6.2 ha

Green space

4.1%

Protected for nature

7.5%

Woodland

Full pageRathcoole’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Protected nature4.1% of the land within 5 km · Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC Green space nearby100% of homes within 400 m Parks6.2 ha per 1,000 residents · 1 ha of green space, 0 parks Paths and trails0 km of paths · 0 trails and greenways within 5 km

OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.

Weather

What today holds for Rathcoole: light rain, up to 10 degrees

In November a normal day reaches 11°C and a normal night 5°C; the forecast for Rathcoole below sets each day against them. Only a trace of rain is due today, on a breeze of up to 21 km/h, with a low of 4°C. December follows with normal highs of 9°C and lows of 3°C.

10°C / 4°CToday

This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages

November11°C

December9°C

January9°C

February9°C

Season	High	Low	Rain
Winter	9°C	3°C	403 mm
Spring	13°C	5°C	260 mm
Summer	19°C	11°C	241 mm
Autumn	14°C	7°C	366 mm

10°C / 4°C

Today

0.3 mm

Rain, next 24 hours

12 km/h

Wind

98%

Humidity

9 h 25 min

Daylight

Full pageRathcoole’s weather pageOpen the page

Next 24 hours0.3 mm Rain, next 24 hours · Staying mostly dry The week ahead10°C / 4°C Today · A normal 4 November: 12°C / 6°C Warnings & more9 h 25 min Daylight · 07:36 to 17:02

Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020

Work & commute

Commuters in Rathcoole travel further than in Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns, 38.3 min on average

26% of trips took under 15 minutes, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (33%) and Irish towns (31%). The jobless rate is 6.5%. At the census, 85% of commuters went by car.

7%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2022

Car or van85%

Bus4%

Walk3%

Census 2022	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
Average trip	38.3 min	24.8 min	27.6 min
Unemployment rate	6.5%	8%	9.2%
Median household income	€64,970	€53,156	€57,760
Trips under 15 minutes	26%	33%	31%

€64,970

household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Cork €60,671

worked mainly from home, 2022

25%

trips of an hour or more

19,928

on the Live Register, County Cork, September 2026

Full pageRathcoole’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Unemployment6.5% unemployed · Irish towns: 9.2%Getting to work7% walk, cycle or take transit Median income€64,970 a year · Median household income, before tax Benefits over time19,928 on the Live Register · +4.6% on a year earlier

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.

Who lives here

Rathcoole skews young, with 17% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns

One measure of family life: 22% of residents are under 15. Just over one in ten residents are 65 or over, below both Co. Cork’s towns (15%) and Irish towns (14%). Graduates make up 27% of adults.

35.3median age

RathcooleCo. CorkIreland

Co. CorkIreland

Ages · share of residents

17%

Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education

Primary or none8%

Lower secondary13%

Leaving Cert40%

Diploma or cert13%

Degree or higher27%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 52.3% of Rathcoole

114 women and 104 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.

Ages and education in Rathcoole
	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
Under 15	22%	19%	20%
15–24	17%	12%	12%
25–44	28%	29%	29%
45–64	23%	25%	24%
65+	11%	15%	14%
Primary or none	8.2%	8.1%	9.7%
Lower secondary	13%	14%	14%
Leaving Cert	40%	34%	35%
Diploma or cert	13%	6%	5.8%
Degree or higher	27%	38%	36%

Full pageRathcoole’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages35.3 median age · 11% are 65 or over Households81 households · 2.8 people per household Where born22% born outside Ireland Irish speakers37% can speak Irish · 0.5% speak Irish daily outside school

CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+

Town hall

Rathcoole votes in numbers: 64% turned out at the general election, above Co. Cork’s towns and Irish towns

Rathcoole is run by Cork County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. 54% voted at the last local elections. There is no majority on Cork County Council; Fianna Fáil have the most seats, 19 of 55, short of 28.

19/55seats held by Fianna Fáil

Seats on Cork County · June 2024

Fianna Fáil19

Fine Gael18

Independent8

Independent Ireland4

Social Democrats3

Labour Party2

Sinn Féin1

Turnout	Rathcoole	Co. Cork	Ireland
General election, November 2024	64%	58%	59%
Local elections, June 2024	54%	45%	46%

Councillors

19/55

Fianna Fáil seats on Cork County, the largest party

54%

turnout, June 2024

TDs elected for Cork North-West

Full pageRathcoole’s town hall & politics pageOpen the page

How Rathcoole voted54% turned out · Local elections, June 2024 · Co. Cork towns 45%Who’s in chargeNo majority: Fianna Fáil lead with 19 of 55 (28 needed)Councillors4 councillors · Kanturk TDs3 TDs · Cork North-West

Department of Housing count sheets, 2024

Nearby attractions

Killarney National Park and 11 more within 40 km

Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Rathcoole; these are the best known within 40 km.

All attractions →

National parkNational park · National Parks and Wildlife ServiceKillarney National Park37 km west

CastleBlarney Castle and Gardens33 km southeast

CastleDrishane Castle5.4 km west

CathedralSt Mary's Cathedral Killarney37 km west

CastleRoss Castle39 km west

MuseumMuckross House, Gardens & Traditional Farms37 km west

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (5)

Blarney Castle and Gardens: Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Drishane Castle: Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
St Mary's Cathedral Killarney: Romeparis, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ross Castle: Dumphasizer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Muckross House, Gardens & Traditional Farms: Emmett.Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Rathcoole

15pages on Rathcoole

The big questions

SafetyHousing & costProperty pricesSchoolsHealthWork & commuteNatural hazards1.6% of homes in high-radon areas

Out and about

OutdoorsAttractionsClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 35.3 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Famous people from around Rathcoole

No notable person born in Rathcoole is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.

How we find them →

Pat O'CallaghanIrish athletics competitor (1905-1991) · born in Kanturk

Hanna Sheehy-SkeffingtonIrish feminist & nationalist (1877–1946) · born in Kanturk

John Philpot CurranIrish politician and lawyer (1750–1817) · born in Newmarket

D. D. SheehanIrish politician · born in Kanturk · 1873–1948

Timothy Joseph CarrollIrish Catholic priest · born in Millstreet · born 1940

Billy ColemanIrish racecar driver · born in Millstreet · born 1947

Photo credits

Pat O'Callaghan: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington: Underwood & Underwood, New York, Public domain · D. D. Sheehan: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain

Rathcoole’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.

MillstreetKanturkNewmarketRathcoole

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Rathcoole	218	—	—	—	—	—
Millstreet	1,722	6.9	—	B⁺	A	B⁺
Kanturk	2,803	11	A⁻	A	B⁺	C⁺
Newmarket	1,052	13	—	B⁺	B⁺	A⁻

People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Rathcoole

Is Rathcoole a young town or an old one?

The median age in Rathcoole is 35.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.

Is Rathcoole growing?

Rathcoole had 218 people at the 2022 census, up from 215 in 2016: 1.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.

About Rathcoole

Urban area in Co. Cork

218 people live in Rathcoole, 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)

Population: 218 (CSO, Census 2022)
County: Cork
Council: Cork County Council
Local electoral area: Kanturk
Dáil constituency: Cork North-West
Area: 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
CSO code: UA:18805

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).