Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Co. Cork, this town has 638 residents. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 17%.
Prices run to a median €372,300, 6.6 times local household income. On the way to work, 9% walk, cycle or take the bus or train. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 37 buildings here. Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over.
There are no grades for Rosscarbery: Irish towns need 1,000 residents for them.
The 3 things Rosscarbery does most differently from other towns.
The register holds 37 buildings on the National Inventory in Rosscarbery, one of them of national importance.
16 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rosscarbery.
Families in Rosscarbery have 2 schools within 3 km to choose from: 1 primary school and 1 secondary school. For secondary school, the closest is Mount St Michael, 0.9 km from the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunscoil FachtnaLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 173 | Catholic |
| Mount St MichaelLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 403 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +21% | +1% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 44% | 39% |
| 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 · These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
The closest place to swim from Rosscarbery is Warren, Cregane Strand, 2 km away, rated good in 2025. By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred here has radon above the reference level. Few of its homes stand low beside water.
| Share of homes | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 11% | 0.4% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
A year brings 1,379 mm of rain to Rosscarbery. July afternoons reach 19.2°C here, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (20.0°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). Taken over the whole year, the average temperature locally is 11.1°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 4.5°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.2°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,379 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 11.1°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Unpaid carers make up 7.8% of residents, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (5.9%) and Irish towns (5.4%). Weighed against its ages, disability in Rosscarbery runs at 93 per 100 expected. 1.5% of residents report bad or very bad health.
| Census 2022 | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 7.8% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | 2% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | 88% | 88% |
| 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
Private renters make up nearly a fifth of households, below both Co. Cork’s towns (21%) and Irish towns (22%). Social housing holds 14% of households, near Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and higher than Irish towns (13%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €350,000 | 51 |
| Housing | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 65% | 60% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 19% | 21% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €372K | €350K | €350K |
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%). Green space in Rosscarbery works out at 16.9 ha per 1,000 people. Within 5 km, 6 waymarked trails and greenways set out.
| Outdoors | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 28% | 0% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.2 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 16.9 ha | 4.3 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Near a park | 100% | 90% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Around 1 mm of rain is due today, on a breeze of up to 38 km/h, with a low of 8°C. The heaviest rain of the week is due on Friday, around 6 mm. Rosscarbery’s averages for November set the scene: the usual high is 12°C, the usual low 7°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 5°C | 424 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 7°C | 268 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 291 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 9°C | 396 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
The car carried just over three quarters of commuters at the census. Just over two in five trips took under 15 minutes, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (33%) and Irish towns (31%). Unemployment stands at 5.4%.
| Census 2022 | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 8% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 41% | 33% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 73% | 69% | 68% |
| Average trip | 27 min | 24.8 min | 27.6 min |
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.
People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.8% of the town, below Co. Cork’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (12%) alike. Children under 15 make up 16% of residents. Degrees are held by nearly two in five adults.
52.2% of Rosscarbery’s residents are women
333 women and 305 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 24% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 7.8% | 8.1% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 13% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 34% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 39% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election, 64% of voters took part. Cork County Council has no ruling majority: Fianna Fáil hold 19 of its 55 seats, short of the 28 needed. Rosscarbery sits in the Skibbereen-West Cork local electoral area, which elects 5 councillors.
| Turnout | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 56% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
15.6% of homes date from before 1919. The archaeological record lists 16 sites here. Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 37 buildings in Rosscarbery, 1 of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Rosscarbery | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 580 | 103 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 15.6% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 16 | 11 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Rosscarbery. Best known first.
CathedralCathedral Church of St. Fachtnain town
Historic houseCoppinger's Court1.3 km outside town, to the west
CastleCastle Salem2.3 km outside town, to the northwestWater parkWater parkThe Lagoon Activity Centrein townHistoric houseHistoric houseMichael Collins Birthplace4.4 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumCottage Museum3.7 km 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 37 buildings in Rosscarbery, 1 of national or international importance. The national record lists 16 archaeological sites in and around the town.
12 notable people were born in Rosscarbery.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosscarbery | 638 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clonakilty | 5,112 | 11 | A− | B | A− | C− |
| Skibbereen | 2,903 | 16 | A | A− | B+ | C |
| Dunmanway | 1,964 | 17 | — | A+ | A | A− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Rosscarbery had 638 people at the 2022 census, up from 546 in 2016: 16.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Rosscarbery is 45.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Cork
638 people live in Rosscarbery, 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).