Doirí Beaga’s story
Doirí Beaga has 1 building on the National Inventory
Homes built before 1919: 4%, against 3% across Irish towns.
- 1855Bunbeg Community Centre
Doirí BeagaCo. Donegal
794 people live in this town in Co. Donegal.
1 place within 19 kmMap →
Photo: Caoimhebreathnach · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
794
CSO, Census 2022 · Donegal County Council
Median age
48.3
28% are 65+ · Co. Donegal 16%
Degree level
21%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
9%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
Is Doirí Beaga a good place to live?
Half the homes sold for more than €203,300, a price of 4.9 times what the median household earns. Walking, cycling and public transport carry nearly one in ten commuters. 57% of residents speak Irish every day outside school. 28% of residents are 65 or over.
Doirí Beaga isn’t graded: grades for Irish towns begin at 1,000 residents.
What makes Doirí Beaga stand out
The 3 things Doirí Beaga does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% walk, cycle or ride
The median of Irish towns: 23%
CSO, Census 2022
Speak Irish daily, outside school
Who lives here
57% speak Irish daily
The median of Irish towns: 1%
CSO, Census 2022
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
28% are 65 or over
The median of Irish towns: 14%
CSO, Census 2022
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Doirí Beaga.
Schools
100% of schools around Doirí Beaga get DEIS support, above Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair is the nearest secondary school, 2.3 km away. 100% of the schools teach through Irish, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (7%) and Irish towns (8%). Families in Doirí Beaga have 4 schools within 3 km to choose from: 3 primary schools and 1 secondary school.
4schools 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 |
| S.N. Chonaill Gaeltacht schoolTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 107 | Catholic |
| Scoil Mhuire B&C Gaeltacht schoolIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 97 | Catholic |
Schools by ethos · Schools within 3 km
Catholic3
Inter-denominational1
| Schools within 3 km | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 100% | 7% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 100% | 38% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −6% | +7% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
749
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
−6%
pupils since 2019/20 · Irish towns +4%
0.6 km
to the nearest primary school
2.3 km
to the nearest secondary school
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Natural hazards
More homes in Doirí Beaga stand on ground prone to landslides than in Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns: 1.3%
Portarthur, Derrybeg, 2.8 km from Doirí Beaga, is the closest bathing water; it was rated excellent in 2025. Radon is rarely a worry here: under 1% of homes are estimated 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 susceptibility1.3%
| Share of homes | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 1.3% | 0.5% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
2.8 km
to Portarthur, Derrybeg bathing water (excellent)
621
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Climate
Doirí Beaga has cooler summers than Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns: July highs of 17.8°C
1,412 mm of rain falls in a year, above Co. Donegal’s towns (1,316 mm) and Irish towns (937 mm) alike. Taken over the whole year, the average temperature in Doirí Beaga is 10.1°C. Expect January lows of around 3.4°C here.
17.8°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter8.6°C
Spring12.2°C
Summer17.4°C
Autumn13.4°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 17.8°C | 18.6°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,412 mm | 1,316 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 3.4°C | 2.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.1°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
17.8°C
July high
3.4°C
January low
1,412 mm
Rain a year
159 mm
Wettest month
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Health
Fewer people in Doirí Beaga say their health is good than in Co. Donegal’s towns or across Irish towns: 80%
Family carers: 7.1% of the people in Doirí Beaga look after someone without pay. 30% of residents have a disability, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (25%) and Irish towns (22%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 3.2% of the town.
80%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2022 | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 86% | 88% |
| With a disability | 30% | 25% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 7.1% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2% |
122
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Donegal 128
115
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
Few households rent privately in Doirí Beaga: 8%, fewer than in Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
21% live in social housing, above Co. Donegal’s towns (15%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. Owners make up 69% of households.
€203Kmedian sale price
Median sale price · Eircode area, 2023–2025
Doirí Beaga€203K
Co. Donegal€181K
Irish towns€350K
| Housing | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 8% | 24% | 22% |
| Households in social housing | 21% | 15% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 69% | 55% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €203K | €181K | €350K |
69%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
8%
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 Doirí Beaga: 23% of the land within 5 km, more than Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns
Within 1 km, 0.4% of the land is woodland, below Co. Donegal’s towns (4.5%) and Irish towns (2.7%) alike. Protected nature near Doirí Beaga includes Gweedore Bay.
0%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Doirí Beaga2.1 ha
Co. Donegal2.2 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 0% | 54% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 23% | 4.7% | 1.8% |
| Sea within 5 km | 24% | 8.7% | 0% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.4% | 4.5% | 2.7% |
2.1 ha
Green space
3 km
Footpaths
23%
Protected for nature
24%
The sea
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Doirí Beaga, today: mostly sunny, and the thermometer reaches 10 degrees
Little rain is due later in the week: 5 of the next 6 days stay dry. A typical November day reaches 11°C and drops to 6°C at night: the forecast for Doirí Beaga is set against that. Expect a dry, breezy day today, the wind reaching 24 km/h and the temperature dipping to 8°C.
10°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 | 9°C | 4°C | 415 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 6°C | 256 mm |
| Summer | 17°C | 11°C | 323 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 8°C | 418 mm |
10°C / 8°C
Today
None
Rain, next 24 hours
19 km/h
Wind
80%
Humidity
9 h 06 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Work & commute
62% of trips to work from Doirí Beaga take under 15 minutes, more than in Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns
Household income came to €41,480 a year before tax, about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (€39,838) and below Irish towns (€57,760). Getting to work takes 21.8 min on average. At the census, 8.8% of commuters got to work without a car.
9%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van80%
Walk5%
Bicycle2%
Bus2%
| Census 2022 | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 62% | 56% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 15% | 13% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 21.8 min | 20.9 min | 27.6 min |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 63% | 63% | 68% |
€41,480
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
Irish is an everyday language in Doirí Beaga: 57% speak it daily, above Co. Donegal
16% of residents are children under 15. Degrees are held by 21% of adults, below Co. Donegal’s towns (29%) and Irish towns (36%) alike. Foreign-born residents make up nearly a quarter of the population.
48.3median age
Doirí BeagaCo. DonegalIreland
Ages · share of residents
28%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none21%
Lower secondary17%
Leaving Cert34%
Diploma or cert7%
Degree or higher21%
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 52.5% of Doirí Beaga
417 women and 377 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 28% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 21% | 14% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 34% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7.3% | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 21% | 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
Doirí Beaga is run by Donegal County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. Local elections drew 54% of voters to the polls last time. No party holds a majority on Donegal County Council: Fianna Fáil lead with 10 of 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 | Doirí Beaga | 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 one building in Doirí Beaga
Per 10,000 residents, Doirí Beaga counts 13 inventory buildings, below both Co. Donegal’s towns (105) and Irish towns (48). Homes from before 1919 make up 3.9% of the total, lower than Co. Donegal’s towns (4.7%) yet higher than Irish towns (3.4%). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded one building in Doirí Beaga, of regional importance.
1inventory buildings
Buildings by NIAH rating · NIAH
International0
National0
Regional1
Among them
0
sites on the Sites and Monuments Record
1855
earliest dated inventory building
| Heritage | Doirí Beaga | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 13 | 105 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 0 | 18 | 11 |
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 6 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Doirí Beaga; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Natural landscapeNatural landscapeCnoc Fola4.2 km outside town, to the north
National parkGlenveagh National Park17 km southeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksDoe Castle28 km east
CastleGlenveagh Castle21 km east
Historic houseGlebe House and Gallery26 km east
MuseumDonegal County Museum38 km east
National parkGlenveagh National Park17 km southeastCastle · Office of Public WorksDoe Castle28 km eastCastleGlenveagh Castle21 km eastHistoric houseGlebe House and Gallery26 km eastMuseumDonegal County Museum38 km eastPlaces: 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 (5)
- 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
- Donegal County Museum: DevelopedMadness at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Doirí Beaga
15pages on Doirí Beaga
Famous people from around Doirí Beaga
No notable person born in Doirí Beaga is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
P
Peadar O'DonnellIrish republican, socialist activist, p… · born in An Clochán LiathM
Maighréad Nic MhaicínIrish translator · born in An Clochán Liath · 1899–1983H
Harry CannonIrish footballer (1897-1944) · born in An Clochán LiathJ
John O'DonnellIrish Gaelic footballer · born in An Clochán Liath · 1910–1954Doirí Beaga’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
An Clochán LiathDoirí Beaga
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doirí Beaga | 794 | — | — | — | — | — |
| An Clochán Liath | 1,247 | 15 | — | B+ | C | C− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Doirí Beaga
Is Doirí Beaga a young town or an old one?
The median age in Doirí Beaga is 48.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
How do people in Doirí Beaga get to work?
80% of working residents drive to work and 9% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%).
Is Doirí Beaga growing?
Doirí Beaga had 794 people at the 2022 census, up from 769 in 2016: 3.3% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
About Doirí Beaga
Urban area in Co. Donegal
794 people live in Doirí Beaga, 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
- 794 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Donegal
- Council
- Donegal County Council
- Local electoral area
- Glenties
- Dáil constituency
- Donegal
- Name in Irish
- Doirí Beaga
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:33109
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).