Bun Na Leaca’s story
Bun Na Leaca: 2 buildings on the National Inventory
Homes built before 1919: 2%, against 3% across Irish towns.
- 1850House, An Ghlaisigh Uachtarach [Glashagh Upper]
- 1850Teach Mhuiris
Bun Na LeacaCo. Donegal
569 people call this town in Co. Donegal home. The population grew 9% between 2016 and 2022.
Population
569
CSO, Census 2022 · Donegal County Council
Median age
45
22% are 65+ · Co. Donegal 16%
Degree level
29%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
6%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
Is Bun Na Leaca a good place to live?
Set against the median household income, the median home, at €203,300, costs 5.5 times as much. 6% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Irish is spoken daily outside school by 52% of residents. 71% of households own their home with no mortgage.
Bun Na Leaca is too small to grade: Irish towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.
What makes Bun Na Leaca stand out
The 3 things Bun Na Leaca does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% walk, cycle or ride
The median of Irish towns: 23%
CSO, Census 2022
Speak Irish daily, outside school
Who lives here
52% speak Irish daily
The median of Irish towns: 1%
CSO, Census 2022
Own outright
Housing
71% own outright
The median of Irish towns: 32%
CSO, Census 2022
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bun Na Leaca.
Schools
Irish-medium schooling is strong around Bun Na Leaca: 100% of schools, above Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
2 schools lie within 3 km of Bun Na Leaca: 1 primary school and 1 secondary school. DEIS, the support scheme, covers 100% of them, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (38%) and Irish towns (35%).
2schools within 3 km
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Adhamhnain Gaeltacht schoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 131 | Catholic |
| Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht schoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 414 | Inter-denominational |
Schools by ethos · Schools within 3 km
Catholic1
Inter-denominational1
| Schools within 3 km | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 100% | 7% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 100% | 38% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −8% | +7% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
545
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
−8%
pupils since 2019/20 · Irish towns +4%
2.9 km
to the nearest primary school
3 km
to the nearest secondary school
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Natural hazards
More homes in Bun Na Leaca stand on ground prone to landslides than in Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns: 4.9%
Bun Na Leaca’s nearest bathing water is Portarthur, Derrybeg, 2.7 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Under 1% of homes locally are estimated to have radon above the reference level. Low ground by water holds almost none of its homes.
0%of homes in high-radon areas
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
In high-radon areas0%
On high landslide susceptibility4.9%
| Share of homes | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 4.9% | 0.5% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
2.7 km
to Portarthur, Derrybeg bathing water (excellent)
406
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Climate
Bun Na Leaca has cooler summers than Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns: July highs of 17.5°C
January nights in Bun Na Leaca drop to 3.4°C on average. Across the year it averages 10.0°C, above Co. Donegal’s towns (9.7°C) but below Irish towns (10.3°C). A year brings 1,372 mm of rain to Bun Na Leaca.
17.5°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter8.5°C
Spring12.1°C
Summer17.2°C
Autumn13.3°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 17.5°C | 18.6°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,372 mm | 1,316 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 3.4°C | 2.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
17.5°C
July high
3.4°C
January low
1,372 mm
Rain a year
154 mm
Wettest month
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Health
Fewer people in Bun Na Leaca say their health is good than in Co. Donegal’s towns or across Irish towns: 85%
For its ages, Bun Na Leaca has 98 people in bad health for every 100 expected, below Co. Donegal’s towns (128) and Irish towns (113) alike. Ages taken into account, Bun Na Leaca counts 97 people with a disability for every 100 predicted. In the HSE West and North West health region, just over a third of people hold a medical card.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 2%
Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised
Bad health98
Disability97
Co. Donegal128
Expected100
| Census 2022 | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 86% | 88% |
| With a disability | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.1% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
98
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Donegal 128
97
disability per 100 expected · Co. Donegal 113
83.5 · 79.5
life expectancy, women · men, the Border region, 2016
34%
hold a medical card, HSE West and North West
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Housing
More households own their home in Bun Na Leaca than in Co. Donegal’s towns or across Irish towns: 88%
Private renters make up 7% of households, lower than both Co. Donegal’s towns (24%) and Irish towns (22%). 3% of households rent from a council or housing body.
€203Kmedian sale price
Median sale price · Eircode area, 2023–2025
Bun Na Leaca€203K
Co. Donegal€181K
Irish towns€350K
| Housing | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 88% | 55% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 3% | 15% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 7% | 24% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €203K | €181K | €350K |
88%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
7%
rent privately · Irish towns 22%
€977
a month on new tenancies, County Donegal
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area F92, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Outdoors
Protected nature surrounds Bun Na Leaca: 15% of the land within 5 km, more than Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns
Among the protected sites near Bun Na Leaca is Gweedore Bay. Woodland covers 0.2% of the land within 1 km, lower than both Co. Donegal’s towns (4.5%) and Irish towns (2.7%).
0%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Bun Na Leaca0.0 ha
Co. Donegal2.2 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 0% | 54% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 15% | 4.7% | 1.8% |
| Sea within 5 km | 45% | 8.7% | 0% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.2% | 4.5% | 2.7% |
3 km
Footpaths
15%
Protected for nature
45%
The sea
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Today in Bun Na Leaca: cloudy and 11 degrees at best
The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 6 mm. A settled, dry day lies ahead today: light wind up to 18 km/h, then a low of 8°C. In December, the normal shifts to highs of 9°C and lows of 4°C.
11°C / 8°CToday
This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages
November11°C
December9°C
January8°C
February9°C
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 4°C | 404 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 6°C | 247 mm |
| Summer | 17°C | 11°C | 315 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 8°C | 406 mm |
11°C / 8°C
Today
0.9 mm
Rain, next 24 hours
18 km/h
Wind
86%
Humidity
8 h 58 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Only 5.9% of commuters in Bun Na Leaca go to work without a car, fewer than in Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
Unemployment stood at 14%, above Co. Donegal’s towns (13%) and Irish towns (9.2%) alike. Driving is how 85% of commuters got to work at the census. A household here earns €36,900 a year before tax, on average.
6%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van85%
Walk5%
Bus1%
| Census 2022 | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 47% | 56% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 14% | 13% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 61% | 63% | 68% |
| Median household income | €36,900 | €39,838 | €57,760 |
€36,900
household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Donegal €42,497
10%
worked mainly from home, 2022
9%
trips of an hour or more
6,785
on the Live Register, County Donegal, September 2026
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.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Bun Na Leaca: 22% are 65 or over, above Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
Under-15s account for 19% of the population. 29% of adults hold a degree, about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (29%) and below Irish towns (36%). One measure of its mix: nearly a quarter of residents were born abroad.
45median age
Bun Na LeacaCo. DonegalIreland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none19%
Lower secondary21%
Leaving Cert27%
Diploma or cert4%
Degree or higher29%
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 49.4% of Bun Na Leaca
281 women and 288 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 19% | 14% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 27% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.2% | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 29% | 29% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Donegal and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
16 candidates stood for 6 seats in Glenties, one of the most contested ballots at the 2024 local elections
Turnout at the last local elections was 54%, close to Co. Donegal’s towns (53%) and above Irish towns (46%). Bun Na Leaca answers to one council, Donegal County Council; Ireland has no town tier. Donegal County Council has no ruling majority: Fianna Fáil hold 10 of its 37 seats, short of the 19 needed.
10/37seats held by Fianna Fáil
Seats on Donegal County · June 2024
Fianna Fáil10
Sinn Féin10
Independent9
100% Redress4
Fine Gael3
Labour Party1
| Turnout | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 54% | 53% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 59% | 59% |
6
Councillors
10/37
Fianna Fáil seats on Donegal County, the largest party
54%
turnout, June 2024
5
TDs elected for Donegal
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
History
The national inventory lists 2 buildings in Bun Na Leaca, each of regional importance
Scaled to its population, that is 35 inventory buildings for every 10,000 people in Bun Na Leaca.
2inventory buildings
Buildings by NIAH rating · NIAH
International0
National0
Regional2
Among them
0
sites on the Sites and Monuments Record
1850
earliest dated inventory building
2%
homes built before 1919 · Irish towns 3%
| Heritage | Bun Na Leaca | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 35 | 105 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 0 | 18 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 2% | 4.7% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Cnoc Fola and 4 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Bun Na Leaca; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Natural landscapeNatural landscapeCnoc Fola900 m outside town, to the north
National parkGlenveagh National Park20 km southeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksDoe Castle28 km east
CastleGlenveagh Castle23 km southeast
Historic houseGlebe House and Gallery28 km southeast
National parkGlenveagh National Park20 km southeastCastle · Office of Public WorksDoe Castle28 km eastCastleGlenveagh Castle23 km southeastHistoric houseGlebe House and Gallery28 km southeastPlaces: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0) · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Glenveagh National Park: Patrice78500, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Doe Castle: Original uploaded by Brendandh (Transfered by Lvova ), CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Glenveagh Castle: Chris Gunns, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glebe House and Gallery: Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bun Na Leaca
15pages on Bun Na Leaca
Landmarks
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 2 buildings in Bun Na Leaca, each of regional importance.
Questions about Bun Na Leaca
How do people in Bun Na Leaca get to work?
10% mostly work from home, and 47% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Is Bun Na Leaca growing?
Bun Na Leaca had 569 people at the 2022 census, up from 521 in 2016: 9.2% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Is Bun Na Leaca a young town or an old one?
The median age in Bun Na Leaca is 45, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
About Bun Na Leaca
Urban area in Co. Donegal
569 people live in Bun Na Leaca, in the area of Donegal 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)
- Population
- 569 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Donegal
- Council
- Donegal County Council
- Local electoral area
- Glenties
- Dáil constituency
- Donegal
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi (1.7 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:33108
Sources: CSO, Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · Tailte Éireann, Urban Areas and Electoral Divisions 2022 (CC BY 4.0). 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).