Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The neighbourhood, home to 3,539 people, lies in Cork. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 13%.
The weak point is safety — 13.7 violent crimes and 9.7 burglaries and acts of criminal damage recorded per 1,000 residents a year. Health lags: for every 100 its ages would predict, 145 residents are in bad health and 113 have a disability. Its strongest is walkability (A+) — on the way to work, 59% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. It takes 7 years of the median household income to buy the median home, at €307,900. All told, that adds up to a C− overall and a rank of #261 of 320 Irish towns. That leaves it better than 19% of Irish towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for jobs & income and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: commuting, health and work, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA.
This town's house price is the median for its whole Eircode routing key, town and countryside together: fewer than 30 sales in the town itself were recorded on the Property Price Register in 2023 to 2025, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level.
The 3 things Shandon does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Shandon 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 →
196 buildings on the National Inventory inside Shandon, 5 of them of national importance.
The record adds 9 archaeological sites.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Shandon. Best known first.
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary & St. Annein town
MuseumCork Butter Museumin town
CathedralSt. Fin Barre's Cathedral800 m outside town, to the south
CastleMTU Blackrock Castle Observatory4.7 km outside town, to the east
Abbey or prioryRed Abbey700 m outside town, to the south
Art galleryCrawford Art Gallery100 m outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shandon.
St Vincent's Secondary School is the nearest secondary school, 0.4 km away. Within 3 km of Shandon there are 63 schools (34 primary schools, 22 secondary schools and 7 special schools). Pupil numbers changed −1% since 2019/20, below Co. Cork’s towns (+2%) and Irish towns (+4%) alike.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Naomh Antaine BoysLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 581 | 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 | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 52% | 35% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −1% | +2% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 46% | 44% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 8% | 9% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No letters, no results: Irish schools aren’t ranked one by one.
Of the graded crimes in Shandon, assaults and harassment came up most often (2023–2025). In all, 77.7 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, above Co. Cork’s towns (43.4) and Irish towns (54.3) alike.
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 | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 13.7 | 5.5 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 9.7 | 4.8 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 77.7 | 43.4 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 19.3 | 10.2 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
At the census, 86% of people in Shandon called their health good or very good, below Co. Cork’s towns (88%) and Irish towns (88%) alike. A disability affects just over a fifth of people in the town. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 2.1% of the town.
| Census 2022 | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 2.3% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 88% | 88% |
| With a disability | 22% | 24% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.1% | 2% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Owners make up 18% of households, below both Co. Cork’s towns (60%) and Irish towns (61%). 13% live in social housing, in line with Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (13%).
| Housing | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 18% | 60% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 67% | 21% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €308K | €360K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area T23, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
A January night in Shandon drops to 3.6°C on average, near Co. Cork’s towns (3.5°C) and higher than Irish towns (2.9°C). The annual mean in the town is 11.0°C. A year brings 1,084 mm of rain to Shandon.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 11.0°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 20.3°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 3.6°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,084 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Shandon has 5 parks, with 12 ha of green space in all. For 100% of homes, green space is under 400 m away. Within 1 km, 1.9% of the land is woodland, below both Co. Cork’s towns (4.2%) and Irish towns (2.7%).
| Outdoors | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 7.3 km per km² | 1.7 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 100% | 88% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.9% | 4.2% | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0.9% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Today brings about 1 mm of rain and a breeze of up to 27 km/h; the low is 6°C. The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 15 mm. Shandon’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 12°C, nights 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 325 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 6°C | 226 mm |
| Summer | 20°C | 12°C | 224 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 310 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Born abroad: 53% of residents, above both Co. Cork’s towns (19%) and Irish towns (22%). Nearly one in ten residents have reached 65. Graduates make up 48% of adults.
Women make up 48.2% of Shandon
1,706 women and 1,833 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.9% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 55% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 18% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 8.3% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 7.9% | 8.3% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 9.6% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 28% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.3% | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 48% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Cork City Council is the council for Shandon, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government. Fianna Fáil lead Cork City Council with 9 of 31 seats, but no party has a majority: 16 are needed. In the Dáil, Shandon is part of Cork North-Central, which elects 5 TDs.
| Turnout | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 42% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
A third of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (7.7%) and Irish towns (3.4%). The Sites and Monuments Record lists 9 sites here, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (12) and Irish towns (11). Shandon has 196 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 5 of them rated of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 554 | 100 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 33.2% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
The EPA’s radon map puts 4% of homes in Shandon above the reference level. Landslides: none of Shandon lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Low-lying near a river: 3.1% of homes, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (2.1%) and Irish towns (0.5%).
| Share of homes | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near the coast | 5.9% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0.4% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
28% of trips took under 15 minutes, below both Co. Cork’s towns (33%) and Irish towns (31%). The car carried 21% of commuters at the census. Income per household averages €44,240 a year, before tax.
| Census 2022 | Shandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 7.9% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €44,240 | €54,720 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 71% | 69% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 28% | 33% | 31% |
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.
Shandon has 196 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 5 of them rated of national or international importance. 9 archaeological sites are on the record here.
No notable person born in Shandon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shandon | 3,539 | — | C− | C+ | D | C− |
| Cork City Centre | 3,701 | 0.5 | D− | C− | D− | D |
| Blackpool | 3,124 | 0.7 | C | A | D | D |
| Gurranebraher | 4,502 | 0.7 | D | C+ | C | D |
| Farranree | 3,824 | 0.9 | D | B | D | D− |
| St Luke's | 4,278 | 1 | C+ | B− | D | B− |
| South Gate | 7,185 | 1.2 | D | C− | D− | D |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Shandon had 3,539 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,144 in 2016: 12.6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Shandon is 34.6, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 9% of residents are under 15 and 8% are 65 or over.
Neighbourhood in Cork
Shandon has 3,539 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).