Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 48 buildings here. 3,804 people call this neighbourhood in Cork home.
A town with more to fix than most. Where it falls short is health — 133 residents in bad health and 117 with a disability for every 100 its ages predict. It also trails on hazard risk (D): an estimated 4% of its homes exceed the radon reference level. Its strongest is walkability — on the way to work, 27% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. Homes sell for a median €314,500, about 5.7 times what a household here earns in a year. All told, that adds up to a C− overall and a rank of #44 of 54 in Co. Cork. On that grade it does better than a fifth of Irish towns.
Figures: commuting and health, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level. 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 2 things Shanakiel does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Shanakiel 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 2 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 14%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Shanakiel. Best known first.
CathedralSt. Fin Barre's Cathedral1.3 km outside town, to the east
CastleBlarney Castle and Gardens4.3 km outside town, to the northwest
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary & St. Anne1.7 km outside town, to the east
MuseumCork Butter Museum1.6 km outside town, to the east
Abbey or prioryRed Abbey1.9 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shanakiel.
Terence Mac Swiney Community College is the nearest secondary school, 0.6 km away. Single-sex secondaries: 53%, above Co. Cork’s towns (44%) and Irish towns (39%) alike. Families in Shanakiel have 52 schools within 3 km to choose from: 30 primary schools, 19 secondary schools and 3 special schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunscoil Chriost Ri Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 453 | Catholic |
| Christian Brothers College BoysLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 919 | Catholic |
| Gaelcholáiste Mhuire GaelcholáisteTeaches through IrishPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 690 | Catholic |
| Coláiste Éamann Rís DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 811 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 54% | 35% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 53% | 44% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +2% | +1% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 10% | 9% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Next to none of its homes lie low beside a river or the sea.
| Share of homes | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 2.4% | 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.
At the census, 24% of people here had a disability, about level with Co. Cork’s towns (24%) and above Irish towns (22%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 2.2% of the town. 87% of people in Shanakiel rate their own health good or very good.
| Census 2022 | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 24% | 24% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.2% | 2% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.4% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Burglary and damage came to 7.5 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (4.8) and Irish towns (6.4). Among the graded crimes in Shanakiel, the most frequent was damage to property (2023–2025). Violent crime runs at 6 per 1,000 residents a year.
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 | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 7.5 | 4.8 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 8.6 | 10.3 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
50% of households own their home. Private renters make up 24% of households, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (21%) and Irish towns (22%).
| Housing | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 25% | 14% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 50% | 60% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €315K | €360K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 24% | 21% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Midsummer afternoons in Shanakiel peak at about 19.8°C. Across the year it averages 10.5°C, lower than Co. Cork’s towns (10.8°C) and near Irish towns (10.3°C). The coldest nights come in January, when Shanakiel averages a low of 3.1°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| July high | 19.8°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,100 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 5 km, 0.1% of the land is protected nature, below both Co. Cork’s towns (1.6%) and Irish towns (1.8%). Shanakiel has 2 parks, with 23 ha of green space in all. Also worth knowing: 94% of homes are a short walk (400 m) from green space.
| Outdoors | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 5.3 km per km² | 1.7 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 5.7% | 4% | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0.1% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Near a park | 94% | 88% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
A passing shower is possible tomorrow, but barely measurable; the breeze reaches 21 km/h, and the low is 7°C. Of the days after that, Monday brings the most rain: about 4 mm. For Shanakiel, a normal November afternoon peaks at 11°C, and a normal night bottoms out at 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 328 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 227 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 230 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 315 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
18% were born abroad, below both Co. Cork’s towns (19%) and Irish towns (22%). Under 15: 18% of residents. Young adults of 15 to 24 are just over a tenth of the population.
Women make up 51.4% of Shanakiel
1,955 women and 1,849 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 35% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 14% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 12% | 7.9% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 35% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.6% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 32% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Cork City Council is the council for Shanakiel, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government. 42% of voters turned out at the last local elections, below both Co. Cork’s towns (45%) and Irish towns (46%). This Co. Cork town sits in the Cork City North West local electoral area, which elects 6 councillors.
| Turnout | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 42% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Before 1919: that is when 14.2% of homes were built. 2 archaeological sites are on the record, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (12) and Irish towns (11). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 48 buildings in Shanakiel, each of regional importance.
| Heritage | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 126 | 100 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 14.2% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 2 | 12 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Unemployment stood at 10%, above Co. Cork’s towns (7.9%) and Irish towns (9.2%) alike. 61% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Getting to work takes 26.6 min on average.
| Census 2022 | Shanakiel | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 25% | 33% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 10% | 7.9% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 26.6 min | 24.7 min | 27.6 min |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 67% | 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.
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 48 buildings in Shanakiel, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 2 sites here.
No notable person born in Shanakiel is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanakiel | 3,804 | — | C− | C+ | C | C− |
| Knocknaheeny | 5,592 | 1.1 | D | C+ | C | D− |
| Sunday's Well | 2,807 | 1.2 | C | C | C− | B |
| Gillabbey | 5,857 | 1.4 | D | C− | C− | C |
| Gurranebraher | 4,502 | 1.7 | D | C+ | C | D |
| Glasheen | 5,981 | 1.8 | C+ | C− | C | B− |
| Bishopstown | 14,529 | 2 | B+ | D | A− | B+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Shanakiel had 3,804 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,638 in 2016: 4.6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Shanakiel is 36.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Cork
Shanakiel has 3,804 people, in the area of Cork City Council. TownRatings splits Cork into neighbourhoods made from the CSO’s Electoral Divisions, named from Tailte Éireann’s gazetteer, so each has figures of its own.
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).