Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Co. Donegal has a population of 1,268. Its heritage includes 32 buildings on the national inventory.
Police record less crime here than in most towns: gardaí record 3.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, and 3 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. It is hard to get around without a car (D−). 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). Hazards are a real consideration: an estimated 10% of homes are above the radon reference level. Homes sell for a median €232,500, about 7 times what a household here earns in a year. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for health and B for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · commuting, health and work, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO. Greencastle is graded subject by subject, but Irish towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
Rents for this town aren't published on their own, so its Cost Grade uses the county's average rent. 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 Greencastle does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Greencastle with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Greencastle is graded subject by subject, but Irish towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The record adds 5 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 7%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Greencastle.
4.4% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (0.5%) and Irish towns (0%). The closest place to swim from Greencastle is Stroove, 5 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Only a handful of its homes, if any, sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 4.4% | 0.5% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 67% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Recorded crime of every kind runs at 14.4 per 1,000 residents a year. Of the graded crimes in Greencastle, assaults and harassment came up most often (2023–2025). Thefts came to 2.1 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), below both Co. Donegal’s towns (4.9) and Irish towns (15.3).
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 | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 14.4 | 49.1 | 54.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 3 | 5.4 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 3.8 | 8.2 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 2.1 | 4.9 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Families in Greencastle have 5 schools within 3 km to choose from: 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school. DEIS, the support scheme, covers two fifths of them, near Co. Donegal’s towns (38%) and higher than Irish towns (35%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Eoghan DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 212 | Catholic |
| Moville Community College DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 648 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Chois Feabhaill GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 75 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 20% | 7% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +7% | +7% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Without school-level results from Ireland, the cards show no letters.
A year brings 1,206 mm of rain, between Co. Donegal’s towns (1,316 mm) and Irish towns (937 mm). Greencastle’s year-round mean comes to 9.7°C. The nearest weather station is Malin Head, 29 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 17.9°C | 18.6°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,206 mm | 1,316 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.7°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.9°C | 2.5°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 5 km, 45% is sea, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (8.7%) and Irish towns (0%). Greencastle offers 1.6 ha of green space per 1,000 residents.
| Outdoors | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 25% | 54% | 92% |
| Sea within 5 km | 45% | 8.7% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.5 km per km² | 0.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.1% | 4.5% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
A dry day with a stiff breeze lies ahead today: wind building to 27 km/h, then a low of 9°C. Rain peaks later in the week on Saturday, at about 3 mm for the day. Greencastle’s November average makes a useful yardstick: afternoons reach 10°C, nights fall to 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 355 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 5°C | 234 mm |
| Summer | 17°C | 11°C | 288 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 8°C | 329 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
37% of adults hold a degree, higher than Co. Donegal’s towns (29%) and near Irish towns (36%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 9.9% of the town. Children under 15 count for 22% of the people here.
Women make up 49.4% of Greencastle
626 women and 642 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 11% | 14% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 15% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 31% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.7% | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 37% | 29% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Donegal and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
53% of voters turned out at the last local elections, about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (53%) and above Irish towns (46%). Donegal County Council is the one council for Greencastle; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. With 10 of 37 seats, Fianna Fáil are the largest group on Donegal County Council, short of the 19 a majority needs.
| Turnout | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 53% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 59% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The pre-1919 share of homes is 7.2%. The ground here holds 5 recorded archaeological sites. Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 32 buildings in Greencastle, each of regional importance.
| Heritage | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 252 | 105 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 7.2% | 4.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 5 | 18 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Disability, age-adjusted: 99 for every 100 expected in Greencastle. At the census, just over a fifth of people here had a disability, lower than Co. Donegal’s towns (25%) and near Irish towns (22%). In the HSE West and North West health region, 34% of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 8% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 22% | 25% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 88% | 86% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
5% live in social housing, below Co. Donegal’s towns (15%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. Private renters make up 17% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €232,500 | 40 |
| Housing | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 77% | 55% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 5% | 15% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €233K | €181K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 17% | 24% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
At the census, 6.8% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train. Households had €33,340 a year before tax, below Co. Donegal’s towns (€39,838) and Irish towns (€57,760) alike. Also worth knowing: of those in the labour force, 7.4% are unemployed.
| Census 2022 | Greencastle | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 57% | 56% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.4% | 13% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €33,340 | €39,838 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 71% | 63% | 68% |
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 Greencastle. Best known first.
CastleNorthburgh Castlein townMuseumMuseumInishowen Maritime Museum & Planetariumin townNatural landscapeNatural landscapeMagilligan Point View1 km outside town, to the northwestNatural landscapeNatural landscapeInishowen Head3.1 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 32 buildings in Greencastle, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 5 sites here.
No notable person born in Greencastle is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Gary Doherty: Nick from Bristol, UK, CC BY 2.0 · John Colgan: Emmanuel di Como, Public domain · John Wallace Crawford: Bennett and Brown photographers, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Public domain · Honoria Lawrence: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greencastle | 1,268 | — | — | B | A− | B |
| Moville | 1,390 | 3.1 | — | A− | A− | C+ |
| Carndonagh | 2,768 | 18 | B− | A+ | B− | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Greencastle had 1,268 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,230 in 2016: 3.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Greencastle is 41.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Donegal
Greencastle has 1,268 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) · 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).