Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 7,185 people, this neighbourhood lies in Cork. Its population rose 9% from 2016 to 2022.
More weak spots than strong ones. South Gate grades D overall and ranks #49 of 54 in Co. Cork. It comes out better than nearly a tenth of Irish towns. Its lowest grade is for safety: for every 1,000 residents, gardaí record 25.1 violent crimes and 13.6 burglaries or acts of criminal damage a year. Residents’ health trails most towns: 139 residents in bad health and 125 with a disability for every 100 its ages predict. Homes sell for a median €385,600, about 7.7 times what a household here earns in a year. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here. 52% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%).
Figures: commuting and health, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
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. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but much of it involves people who come in to work, shop or go out, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. 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 South Gate does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares South Gate 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 →
199 buildings on the National Inventory inside South Gate, 2 of them of national importance.
The record adds 16 archaeological sites.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near South Gate. Best known first.
Abbey or prioryRed Abbeyin town
FortElizabeth Fortin town
CathedralSt. Fin Barre's Cathedral100 m outside town, to the west
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary & St. Anne1 km outside town, to the north
CastleMTU Blackrock Castle Observatory4.3 km outside town, to the east
MuseumCork Butter Museum800 m outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in South Gate.
Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, South Gate has more crime per resident than 98% of them. Theft, shown but not graded, ran at 75.7 per 1,000 a year, above both Co. Cork’s towns (10.2) and Irish towns (15.3). Of the graded crimes in the town, assaults and harassment came up most often (2023–2025).
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 | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 25.1 | 5.5 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 75.7 | 10.2 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 215.4 | 43.4 | 54.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 13.6 | 4.8 | 6.4 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Unpaid carers make up 4.1% of residents, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (5.9%) and Irish towns (5.4%). South Gate ranks 39th of the 40 Irish towns nearest its size on the Health Grade, near the bottom. Also worth knowing: 86% of people in South Gate rate their own health good or very good.
| Census 2022 | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.1% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 26% | 24% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.2% | 2% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Since 2019/20, pupils changed −1%, below both Co. Cork’s towns (+2%) and Irish towns (+4%). Coláiste Éamann Rís is the nearest secondary school, 0.3 km away. Within 3 km of South Gate there are 75 schools (44 primary schools, 24 secondary schools and 7 special schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Nioclais Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 714 | 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 | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 47% | 35% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −1% | +2% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 50% | 44% | 39% |
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.
55% of households are private tenants. Social housing holds 14% of households, in line with Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (13%).
| Housing | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 55% | 21% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 30% | 60% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €386K | €340K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area T12, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Radon above the reference level is estimated in 4% of homes in South Gate. Landslides: none of South Gate lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Few of its homes stand low beside water.
| Share of homes | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 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.
South Gate sees July afternoons of 20.1°C on average. Across the year it averages 10.9°C, close to Co. Cork’s towns (10.8°C) and above Irish towns (10.3°C). On a January night, the temperature in South Gate falls to about 3.5°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 10.9°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.5°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 20.1°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,103 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Green space lies within 400 m of 100% of homes. Woodland covers 1% of the land within 1 km, below Co. Cork’s towns (4.2%) and Irish towns (2.7%) alike. South Gate has 10 parks, with 17 ha of green space in all.
| Outdoors | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 6.8 km per km² | 1.7 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1% | 4.2% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 100% | 88% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Expect roughly 1 mm of rain today, wind picking up to 26 km/h, and a low of 6°C. Plan indoor things for Tuesday, when about 15 mm of rain is forecast. South Gate’s November average makes a useful yardstick: afternoons reach 12°C, nights fall to 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 330 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 6°C | 229 mm |
| Summer | 20°C | 12°C | 228 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 315 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
People aged 15 to 24 make up 16% of the town, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (12%). Retirement age and beyond: nearly one in ten residents are 65 or older. 39% of residents have a birthplace overseas.
Women make up 49.5% of South Gate
3,557 women and 3,628 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.6% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 46% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 20% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 9.4% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 8.7% | 7.9% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 27% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.8% | 6% | 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 one council for South Gate; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. General election turnout: 60%, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (58%) and Irish towns (59%). Fianna Fáil lead Cork City Council with 9 of 31 seats, but no party has a majority: 16 are needed.
| Turnout | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 42% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 60% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
27.4% of its homes were built before 1919, above Co. Cork’s towns (7.7%) and Irish towns (3.4%) alike. 16 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie in and around the town. South Gate has 199 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 2 of them rated of national or international importance.
| Heritage | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 277 | 100 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 27.4% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 16 | 9 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Income per household averages €50,240 a year, before tax. Working mainly from home: 17% of workers, above both Co. Cork’s towns (11%) and Irish towns (11%). The commute to work averages 24.3 min.
| Census 2022 | South Gate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 24.3 min | 24.8 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €50,240 | €54,720 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 9.4% | 7.9% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 29% | 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.
South Gate has 199 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 2 of them rated of national or international importance. 16 archaeological sites are on the record here.
One notable person was born in South Gate; with them, the best known 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Gate | 7,185 | — | D | C− | D− | D |
| Cork City Centre | 3,701 | 0.8 | D− | C− | D− | D |
| Turner's Cross | 7,208 | 1.1 | C | C+ | D | C− |
| Shandon | 3,539 | 1.2 | C− | C+ | D | C− |
| Gillabbey | 5,857 | 1.3 | D | C− | C− | C |
| Knockrea | 5,228 | 1.4 | B− | C− | D− | B+ |
| Sunday's Well | 2,807 | 1.4 | C | C | C− | B |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
South Gate had 7,185 people at the 2022 census, up from 6,592 in 2016: 9% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in South Gate is 33.7, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 9% of residents are under 15 and 9% are 65 or over.
Neighbourhood in Cork
South Gate has 7,185 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).