Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 730: a town in Co. Donegal.
Homes sell for a median €165,200, about 5 times what a household here earns in a year. 11 of its buildings are on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. 17% of adults have a degree.
Castlefinn has no grades yet: Irish towns are graded from 1,000 residents up.
The 3 things Castlefinn does most differently from other towns.
2 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Castlefinn.
4 schools lie within 3 km of Castlefinn: 4 primary schools. 100% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (38%) and Irish towns (35%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's National School DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 155 | Catholic |
| SN Naomh Samhthann DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 40 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 100% | 38% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −14% | +7% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 7% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
Radon: 100% of homes are in high-radon areas, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). Landslides: none of Castlefinn lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
| Share of homes | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0.5% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0.2% | 4.2% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Castlefinn gets 1,151 mm of rain a year. The year’s mean temperature is 9.8°C, about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (9.7°C) and below Irish towns (10.3°C). Midwinter nights in Castlefinn bottom out at 2.2°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.2°C | 18.6°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 2.2°C | 2.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,151 mm | 1,316 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.8°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
3% of residents report bad or very bad health. Allowing for its ages, Castlefinn has 153 residents in bad health per 100 expected, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (128) and Irish towns (113). Asked at the census, 83% of residents of Castlefinn said they were in good or very good health. In the HSE West and North West health region, just over a third of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 86% | 88% |
| With a disability | 29% | 25% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
54% of households own their home, near Co. Donegal’s towns (55%) and lower than Irish towns (61%). Private renters make up just over a fifth of households.
| Housing | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 23% | 15% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €165K | €181K | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 54% | 55% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 21% | 24% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area F93, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Protected nature near Castlefinn includes River Finn SAC. Within 1 km, 0.1% of the land is woodland, below Co. Donegal’s towns (4.5%) and Irish towns (2.7%) alike. This Co. Donegal town offers 0.4 ha of green space per 1,000 residents.
| Outdoors | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 31% | 54% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.1% | 4.5% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.1 km per km² | 0.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Sea within 5 km | 0% | 8.7% | 0% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
What counts as normal for Castlefinn in November: highs come to 10°C and lows to 4°C. A quiet day is due today: no rain, a light wind peaking at 13 km/h, and 2°C overnight. Later in the week, highs run between 6°C and 10°C, peaking on Thursday.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 359 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 231 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 250 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 312 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Workers spend 23.9 min getting to work, on average. Nearly a fifth of the labour force were unemployed, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (13%) and Irish towns (9.2%). A household here earns €33,160 a year before tax, on average.
| Census 2022 | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 19% | 13% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 55% | 63% | 68% |
| Median household income | €33,160 | €39,838 | €57,760 |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 42% | 56% | 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.
Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.3%, lower than both Co. Donegal’s towns (1.2%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Over-65s are 16% of the population. Under 15: a fifth of residents.
52.1% of Castlefinn’s residents are women
380 women and 350 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 27% | 14% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 26% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 3.9% | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 17% | 29% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Donegal and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Donegal County Council is the council for Castlefinn, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government. Local elections drew 53% of voters to the polls last time. Fianna Fáil lead Donegal County Council with 10 of 37 seats, but no party has a majority: 19 are needed.
| Turnout | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 53% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 59% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The archaeological record lists 2 sites here. Homes built before 1919 account for 6.2% of the housing.
| Heritage | Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 151 | 105 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 2 | 18 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 6.2% | 4.7% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Castlefinn; these are the best known within 40 km.
National parkGlenveagh National Park38 km northwest
Castle · Office of Public WorksDonegal Castle37 km southwest
CathedralSt Eunan's Cathedral7.7 km north
CastleBurt Castle25 km north
MuseumDonegal County Museum19 km northwest
CastleGlenveagh Castle35 km northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
11 of Castlefinn’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 2 archaeological sites in and around the town.
One notable person was born in Castlefinn; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Frances Browne: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Joseph Barclay Pentland: Carlo Ernesto Liverati, CC BY 4.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlefinn | 730 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lifford | 1,613 | 7.3 | — | A | C+ | D− |
| Raphoe | 1,161 | 7.5 | — | A | A− | D− |
| Convoy | 1,702 | 8 | — | A− | B | D |
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar | 5,406 | 12 | C+ | A | C+ | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Castlefinn had 730 people at the 2022 census, up from 715 in 2016: 2.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Castlefinn is 39.1, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
76% of working residents drive to work and 14% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%). 9% mostly work from home, and 42% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Donegal
Castlefinn has 730 people, 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)
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).