Photo: Kondephy · CC BY-SA 4.0Bad health in Schull is too rare a count to read against its ages with confidence
Schull is older than most: 26% of its people are 65 or over, against 14% in the typical Irish town, so for its ages 78 people report bad health for every 100 expected. Schull has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for a fair Health Grade; its Census figures are below.
What stands out about health in Schull
An older town, so raw shares mislead
26% of residents in Schull are 65 or over, against 14% in the typical Irish town, so more of them report bad health on age alone (2%). Set against its ages, the figure is 78 for every 100 expected. Census health ↓
More unpaid carers than most towns
7.2% of people in Schull give regular unpaid care to someone with a long illness or disability, against 5.4% in the typical Irish town. Census health ↓
More deaths in Co. Cork than in Ireland
Deaths are counted by county, not town: Co. Cork had 950 a year per 100,000 over 2020–2024 once its ages are allowed for, against 918 for the whole country. The wider area ↓
Healthier than its income predicts
Lower household incomes go with more bad health across Irish towns. Schull’s median household income is €37,480, against €57,760 in the typical Irish town, and on that income the trend gives about 168 people in bad health per 100 expected; Schull has 78. For its income ↓
From the CSO: Census 2022 health set against Ireland’s rates at each age and sex, household income for 2022, and deaths by county.
Schull has no Health Grade
The figures on this page are still its own.
54% less bad health than towns with its income
Each dot is one of 321 Irish towns of 2,500 or more; the line is the trend.
Richer towns report less bad health for their ages: the line follows 321 Irish towns (correlation −0.74). It puts a town with Schull’s household income, €37,480, at about 168 per 100 expected; Schull is at 78. Income doesn’t change the grade.
No income figure is published for Schull itself: its figure is our estimate from the electoral divisions it covers.
Household income: CSO, 2022. Bad health: Census 2022. The ratios, the estimate for towns without their own income figure and the line are TownRatings calculations.
Fewer people in Schull call their health good than across Irish towns
Census 2022, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Residents of Schull are older than in the typical Irish town (26% are 65 or over, against 14%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 78 report bad health for every 100 expected, fewer than the national rate. 7.2% give regular unpaid care (5.4% in the typical Irish town), and 16% smoke (16%).
The town beside its county’s towns and all Irish towns
| Share of residents | Schull | Towns in Co. Cork | Irish towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 89% | 89% |
| Fair health | 14% | 9.5% | 9.5% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2% | 1.9% | 2% |
| Disability, to any extent | 28% | 23% | 22% |
| Unable to work: illness or disability (15+) | 5.5% | 5.5% | 4.7% |
| Unpaid carers | 7.2% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| Smokers | 16% | 16% | 16% |
Life expectancy in the South-West region: 83.2 for women, 79.1 for men
What Ireland publishes above the town: deaths by county and life expectancy by region.
Deaths in Co. Cork, 2020–2024
Deaths a year per 100,000, age-standardised · 2020–2024
Co. Cork sits in the middle of the counties, with 950 deaths a year per 100,000 for its ages; Ireland’s figure is 918, and the county’s range runs from 921 to 980.
Every county
| County | Deaths per 100,000 | Bad health | Disability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meath | 849 | 90 | 96 |
| Galway | 854 | 91 | 95 |
| Laois | 862 | 112 | 106 |
| Kildare | 872 | 94 | 100 |
| Roscommon | 892 | 99 | 99 |
| Kilkenny | 892 | 88 | 98 |
| Wicklow | 901 | 94 | 106 |
| Dublin | 907 | 109 | 99 |
| Mayo | 907 | 93 | 94 |
| Ireland | 918 | 101 | 100 |
| Monaghan | 919 | 85 | 87 |
| Clare | 928 | 96 | 96 |
| Westmeath | 929 | 97 | 100 |
| Louth | 931 | 117 | 104 |
| Kerry | 931 | 85 | 95 |
| Donegal | 933 | 107 | 102 |
| Waterford | 935 | 99 | 104 |
| Cork | 950 | 89 | 102 |
| Tipperary | 952 | 103 | 103 |
| Cavan | 954 | 96 | 93 |
| Sligo | 962 | 94 | 101 |
| Wexford | 962 | 109 | 109 |
| Carlow | 964 | 118 | 108 |
| Longford | 972 | 126 | 98 |
| Limerick | 976 | 113 | 103 |
| Offaly | 984 | 117 | 104 |
| Leitrim | 1,012 | 96 | 100 |
Life expectancy by region, 2016
| Region | Life expectancy, women | Life expectancy, men |
|---|---|---|
| West | 84.5 | 79.7 |
| Mid-East | 84 | 80.3 |
| Border | 83.5 | 79.5 |
| Dublin | 83.4 | 80.1 |
| Midland | 83.2 | 80 |
| South-West | 83.2 | 79.1 |
| South-East | 83.1 | 79.3 |
| Mid-West | 82.5 | 79 |
Ireland doesn’t publish life expectancy, deaths, hospital waiting times or GP numbers for towns: life expectancy comes by region and only to 2016, and the HSE reports waits by hospital, not by where patients live. So Schull is graded on what the Census counts for every town: bad health and disability for its ages.
Deaths: CSO MORT04, 2020–2024, by county, age-standardised. Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by NUTS 3 region. Not graded.
28% of people in HSE South West hold a medical card
Free care by health region, and how many homes have a car to reach it.
In HSE South West, 28% of people held a medical card in 2022 and 11% a GP visit card; across the six health regions the medical-card share runs from 27% to 34%.
Fewer homes here are without a car: 12% of households in Schull, against 17% in the typical Irish town.
Medical and GP visit cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region. Cars: CSO Census 2022.
Health in the places around Schull
Bad health and disability per 100 expected for each place’s ages. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Bad health | Disability | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schull | 669 | 78 | 107 | — |
| Bantry 18.5 km | 2,929 | 125 | 114 | C |
Bantry, 18.5 km away, reports more bad health for its ages: 125 for every 100 expected, against 78 in Schull.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Adjusted for age. Each figure is people per 100 expected: the town’s own ages and sex at Ireland’s rates give the expected count, so an older town isn’t marked down for its age.
- Small areas, summed to the town. The Census counts are summed from the small areas (about 80 to 120 homes each) that make up the town.
- How sure. Bad health is rare (under 2% of people), so in a small town a few people move the figure; where its 90% range is wider than 50 points the grade is marked less sure. Disability counts are large enough never to be.
- Income and health. The income chart sets each town’s 2022 median gross household income against its bad-health ratio. Where no figure is published for a town, ours is built from the electoral divisions it covers, so it is approximate. The line is a trend, not a cause, and it isn’t part of the grade.
- Deaths by county. Ireland counts deaths by county, not town. The county rate is age-standardised, so an older county isn’t marked up for its age, and it covers five years, so one hard winter doesn’t swing it.
- Town and county. A county’s figure takes in its towns and the countryside around them. Taken together, Irish towns of 2,500 or more have 115 people in bad health per 100 expected, so a town can sit well above the county it belongs to.
- What Ireland doesn’t publish by town. Life expectancy (by region, to 2016), deaths, hospital waits and GP numbers aren’t published for towns, so they aren’t graded here.
- Different years. The Census ratios, medical cards and income are from 2022, deaths by county from 2020–2024, life expectancy from 2016.
Questions about health in Schull
How healthy is Schull?
At the 2022 Census, 78 people in Schull reported bad or very bad health and 107 had a disability for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates; 84% said their health was good or very good.
What is the life expectancy in Schull?
Ireland publishes life expectancy for eight regions, not for towns, and the latest is for 2016: in the South-West region it was 79.1 for men and 83.2 for women.
How many people die each year in Co. Cork?
Ireland publishes deaths by county rather than by town. Over 2020–2024, 950 people a year died per 100,000 in Co. Cork once its ages are allowed for; for Ireland the figure is 918.
Is Schull healthier than its income would suggest?
Yes. Irish towns with a median household income of €37,480 typically have about 168 people in bad health per 100 expected; Schull has 78.
How many people near Schull have a medical card?
Cards are counted by health region only: 28% of people in HSE South West have a medical card, which covers GP visits and public hospital care, and 11% have a GP visit card, which covers GP visits alone.
Where is the nearest hospital or GP to Schull?
This page doesn’t list hospitals or GP practices yet: the HSE publishes its services by hospital and health area, not by town, so the nearest ones aren’t matched to Schull here. The HSE’s service finder lists them; in an emergency call 112 or 999.
Source: CSO, Census of Population 2022 (CC BY 4.0). Age-standardised ratios are TownRatings calculations against Ireland’s rates by age and sex (F4014, F4066). Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by region. Medical cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region.
Sources: CSO Census of Population 2022 (Small Area Population Statistics; F4014, F4066) · bad health and disability per 100 expected: TownRatings calculations, indirectly standardized by age and sex · CSO VSA31 (life expectancy, 2016) · HSE via CSO HHR03 (medical cards, 2022) · CSO MORT04 (deaths by county, age-standardised, 2020–2024) · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income in Ireland 2022 (GPIIA01, GPIIA02). 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).