Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 13%. Home to 2,903 people, this town lies in Co. Cork.
Cheap to live in, with trade-offs. It does especially well on cost of living — set against the median household income, the median home, at €295,000, costs 8 times as much. Recorded crime is low: for every 1,000 residents, gardaí record 4.4 violent crimes and 3.1 burglaries or acts of criminal damage a year. The catch is health — bad health runs at 118 and disability at 118 per 100 expected for its ages. Put together, the subjects come to an A overall, ranking #9 of 54 in Co. Cork. Set against the rest, it does better than 89% of Irish towns.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · health, CSO Census 2022.
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 3 things Skibbereen does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Skibbereen 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 →
119 buildings on the National Inventory inside Skibbereen.
The record adds 5 archaeological sites.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Skibbereen.
0.7% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, about level with Co. Cork’s towns (0.4%) and above Irish towns (0%). The closest place to swim from Skibbereen is Tragumna, 5.2 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Under 1% of homes in the town are estimated to have radon above the reference level.
| Share of homes | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.7% | 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.
Private renters make up nearly a third of households. Social housing holds just over a fifth of households, above Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (13%) alike.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €287,000 | 179 |
| The last 12 months | €302,500 | 62 |
| Housing | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 43% | 60% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 22% | 14% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 32% | 21% | 22% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,047 | €1,291 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Recorded crime of every kind runs at 22 per 1,000 residents a year. Assaults and harassment topped the graded crimes in Skibbereen (2023–2025). Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Skibbereen has less crime per resident than 82% of them.
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 | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 3.1 | 4.9 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 22 | 44.2 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 2.6 | 10.3 | 15.3 |
| Violent crime | 4.4 | 6 | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
A disability affects 26% of people in Skibbereen. 86% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below both Co. Cork’s towns (88%) and Irish towns (88%). At the census, 2.3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2022 | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 26% | 24% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 2% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.5% | 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
Families in Skibbereen have 5 schools within 3 km to choose from: 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school. The nearest secondary, Skibbereen Community School, is 0.8 km away. Pupil numbers changed +6% since 2019/20, above both Co. Cork’s towns (+1%) and Irish towns (+4%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Patrick's Boys' National School Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 204 | Catholic |
| Skibbereen Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 956 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Dr M Ui Shuilleabhain GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 78 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 44% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 20% | 9% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 40% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +6% | +1% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No school here carries a letter or a result: Ireland publishes neither for individual schools.
On a January night, the temperature in Skibbereen falls to about 4.8°C. The year’s mean temperature is 11.3°C, above Co. Cork’s towns (10.8°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C) alike. The town sees July afternoons of 19.3°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 4.8°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,406 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 11.3°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.3°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Across its 2 parks, Skibbereen has 10 ha of green space. A park or green space is within 400 m for 75% of homes. Woodland covers 1.7% of the land within 1 km, below Co. Cork’s towns (4.2%) and Irish towns (2.7%) alike.
| Outdoors | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 75% | 91% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.5 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.7% | 4.2% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Long-term averages for Skibbereen put November days at 12°C and November nights at 7°C. It should stay dry today, with a fresh breeze of up to 28 km/h and a low near 8°C. Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 9 mm for the day.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 5°C | 439 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 7°C | 276 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 290 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 9°C | 401 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
People aged 15 to 24 are a tenth of the population. 17% of residents are 65 or over, above Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (14%) alike. One measure of family life: 21% of residents are under 15.
Women make up 53.1% of Skibbereen
1,542 women and 1,361 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 10% | 7.9% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7% | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 24% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
64% voted at the general election. One council serves Skibbereen: Cork County Council. Cork County Council has no ruling majority: Fianna Fáil hold 19 of its 55 seats, short of the 28 needed.
| Turnout | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 56% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 15.1% of the total, above both Co. Cork’s towns (7.7%) and Irish towns (3.4%). The Sites and Monuments Record holds 5 entries for the town. The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 119 buildings in Skibbereen, each rated of regional importance.
| Heritage | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 410 | 100 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 15.1% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 5 | 12 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
6.7% of workers worked mainly from home, below Co. Cork’s towns (11%) and Irish towns (11%) alike. A trip to work takes 20.7 min on average. Before tax, the average household brings in €37,096 a year.
| Census 2022 | Skibbereen | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 58% | 33% | 31% |
| Average trip | 20.7 min | 24.8 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €37,096 | €54,720 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 7.9% | 9.2% |
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.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Skibbereen. Best known first.
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 119 buildings in Skibbereen, each rated of regional importance. 5 archaeological sites are on the record here.
24 notable people were born in Skibbereen.
Agnes Mary Clerke: Hayman Selig Mendelssohn (1847–1908), Public domain · Emily Hegarty: Diplomatic Security Service from Washington, D.C., United States of America, Public domain · Kieron Moore: Warner Bros., Public domain · Gearóid O'Sullivan: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Don Wycherley: Dublin International Film Festival, CC BY 3.0 · Ellen Mary Clerke: Lady Huggins, CC BY-SA 4.0
Skibbereen had 2,903 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,568 in 2016: 13% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Skibbereen is 39.2, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Cork
2,903 people live in Skibbereen, 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) · 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).