Moville’s story
Moville has 54 buildings on the National Inventory
The record adds 3 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 17%, against 3% across Irish towns.
- 1500Bridge, Moville
- 1760Bridge, Malin Street, Moville
- 1770New Park
MovilleCo. Donegal
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 54 buildings here. In Co. Donegal, this town has 1,390 residents.
2 places within 19 kmMap →
Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,390
CSO, Census 2022 · Donegal County Council
Median age
44.8
24% are 65+ · Co. Donegal 16%
Degree level
27%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
15%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
Is Moville a good place to live?
Recorded crime is low: violent crime runs at 3.8 per 1,000 residents a year, burglary and criminal damage at 3. Homes are affordable: a typical home sold for €171,500, or 5.4 years of the town’s median household income. Its weakest subject is jobs & income — 65% of working-age residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 11%. Elsewhere it is close to typical: C+ for health, B− for walkability and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · work, health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA. An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Irish towns; Moville has its subject grades alone.
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.
What makes Moville stand out
The 3 things Moville does most differently from other towns.
Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents
History
54 buildings on the national inventory
8.1 times the median of Irish towns for its size, all of regional importance.
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Median sale price
Housing
€165,200 median home
56% below the median of Irish towns, €372,600
Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025.
Median gross household income
Income
Gross, a year (the median of Irish towns: €57,760)
CSO household income for the electoral division.
How Moville grades
Each subject compares Moville with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Irish towns; Moville has its subject grades alone.
Safety3 burglaries and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residentsA−Open →Cost of livingHomes are easier to afford than in most townsA−Open →Jobs & income65% of 15-to-64s in work; 11% unemployedCOpen →Health135 in bad health for every 100 its ages predict; 108 with a disability per 100 predictedC+Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carB−Open →Hazard riskRadon is barely a concern: almost no homes exceed the reference levelB−Open →
SchoolsNot graded in Ireland: schools’ exam results aren’t published school by school (Education Act 1998, s.53)–
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Moville.
SafetySafety A−
Moville records less crime per resident than 77% of Irish towns
Every kind together came to 14.4 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Co. Donegal’s towns (49.1) and Irish towns (54.3). Homes see 3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Also worth knowing: in 2023–2025, assaults and harassment led the graded crimes in Moville.
3.8violent incidents per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with towns its sizeFewer incidents against residents per 1,000 than 58% of the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Recorded by type · per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025
Assault3.6
Damage2.1
Theft2.1
Dangerous acts1.7
Public order1.4
Road traffic1.2
Burglary0.9
Other0.6
Drugs0.4
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 | Moville | 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 |
3.8
violent incidents per 1,000 a year
3
burglary and damage per 1,000 a year
78
incidents a year, Moville Garda area
6.8
against residents per 1,000, as graded
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
HousingCost of living A−
Social housing is more common in Moville than in Co. Donegal’s towns or across Irish towns, at 20% of households
Private renters make up 19% of households, below Co. Donegal’s towns (24%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. 59% of households are owner-occupiers.
€172Kmedian sale priceA−Cost of living Grade
Median sale price · Property Price Register, 2023–2025
Moville€172K
Co. Donegal€181K
Irish towns€350K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €171,500 | 58 |
| Housing | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €172K | €181K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 20% | 15% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 19% | 24% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 59% | 55% | 61% |
59%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
19%
rent privately · Irish towns 22%
€977
a month on new tenancies, County Donegal
4
times median household income, County Donegal
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Work & commuteJobs & income C
Household income in Moville, €31,880 a year, runs below Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
Walking, cycling and public transport carried 15% of commuters at the census. 57% of trips took under 15 minutes, about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (56%) and above Irish towns (31%). A trip to work takes 23.4 min on average.
15%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van72%
Walk12%
Bus3%
Bicycle0%
| Census 2022 | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 57% | 56% | 31% |
| Median household income | €31,880 | €39,838 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 23.4 min | 20.9 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 13% | 9.2% |
€31,880
household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Donegal €42,497
13%
worked mainly from home, 2022
9%
trips of an hour or more
6,785
on the Live Register, County Donegal, September 2026
B−
Walkability: better than 52% of Irish towns
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.
Schools
More schools around Moville teach through Irish than around Co. Donegal’s towns or Irish towns: 20%
Moville Community College is the nearest secondary school, 0.8 km away. Families locally have 5 schools within 3 km to choose from: 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school. Since 2019/20, pupils changed +7%, close to Co. Donegal’s towns (+7%) and above Irish towns (+4%).
5schools within 3 km
| 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 by ethos · Schools within 3 km
Catholic3
Church of Ireland1
Inter-denominational1
| Schools within 3 km | Moville | 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% |
1,100
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
+7%
pupils since 2019/20 · Irish towns +4%
0.1 km
to the nearest primary school
0.8 km
to the nearest secondary school
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.
Climate
Summers stay cool in Moville: July afternoons reach 18.0°C, below Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
January nights bottom out at 2.8°C in Moville, higher than Co. Donegal’s towns (2.5°C) and near Irish towns (2.9°C). Averaged across the seasons, Moville sits at 9.6°C. The town gets 1,292 mm of rain a year.
18.0°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter7.9°C
Spring11.9°C
Summer17.5°C
Autumn13.1°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.0°C | 18.6°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.6°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 1,292 mm | 1,316 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 2.8°C | 2.5°C | 2.9°C |
18.0°C
July high
2.8°C
January low
1,292 mm
Rain a year
143 mm
Wettest month
6
Air frosts
1,348 hrs
Sunshine
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Outdoors
Moville is on the coast
Its paths and tracks come to 0.4 km per km², close to Co. Donegal’s towns (0.4 km per km²) and below Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). One park and 7 ha of green space in all: that is Moville’s share. Within 400 m of green space: 69% of homes.
69%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Moville5.1 ha
Co. Donegal2.2 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 40% | 8.7% | 0% |
| Near a park | 69% | 54% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0% | 4.7% | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.4 km per km² | 0.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
69%
Near a park
5.1 ha
Green space
5 km
Footpaths
3.1%
Woodland
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Forecast for Moville: mostly sunny today and highs near 10 degrees
Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 5 mm for the day. It should stay dry today, with a fresh breeze of up to 28 km/h and a low near 7°C. In December, the normal shifts to highs of 8°C and lows of 3°C.
10°C / 7°CToday
This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages
November10°C
December8°C
January8°C
February8°C
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 381 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 5°C | 253 mm |
| Summer | 17°C | 11°C | 307 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 8°C | 352 mm |
10°C / 7°C
Today
None
Rain, next 24 hours
15 km/h
Wind
86%
Humidity
9 h 05 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Moville skews older, with 24% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
Born abroad: 28% of residents. The 15-to-24 age group: 10%, below Co. Donegal’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (12%) alike. Children under 15 count for 19% of the people here.
44.8median age
MovilleCo. DonegalIreland
Ages · share of residents
24%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none18%
Lower secondary16%
Leaving Cert32%
Diploma or cert8%
Degree or higher27%
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 50.7% of Moville
705 women and 685 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 24% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 18% | 14% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7.5% | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 27% | 29% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Donegal and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
Donegal County Council is one of the most divided councils: the largest party has 10 of 37 seats
At the last local elections, 53% of voters went to the polls. Donegal County Council is the council for Moville, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government. The town sits in the Cardonagh local electoral area, which elects 4 councillors.
10/37seats held by Fianna Fáil
Seats on Donegal County · June 2024
Fianna Fáil10
Sinn Féin10
Independent9
100% Redress4
Fine Gael3
Labour Party1
| Turnout | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 53% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 59% | 59% |
4
Councillors
10/37
Fianna Fáil seats on Donegal County, the largest party
53%
turnout, June 2024
5
TDs elected for Donegal
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
History
Heritage is thick on the ground in Moville: 388 inventory buildings per 10,000 residents, above Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
3 archaeological sites are on the record. 17.1% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (4.7%) and Irish towns (3.4%). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 54 buildings in Moville, each of regional importance.
54inventory buildings
Buildings by NIAH rating · NIAH
International0
National0
Regional53
Among them
- Bridge, Moville 1500
- Bridge, Malin Street, Moville 1760
- New Park 1770
- The Thatch 1780
3
sites on the Sites and Monuments Record
1500
earliest dated inventory building
17%
homes built before 1919 · Irish towns 3%
4
places pictured on the history page
| Heritage | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 388 | 105 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 17.1% | 4.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 3 | 18 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
HealthHealth C+
For the ages of its people, Moville has more residents in bad health than expected
3% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, above Co. Donegal’s towns (2.4%) and Irish towns (2%) alike. Weighed against its ages, disability in Moville runs at 108 per 100 expected. Asked at the census, 84% of residents of Moville said they were in good or very good health.
84%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised
Bad health135
Disability108
Co. Donegal128
Expected100
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2022 | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 84% | 86% | 88% |
| With a disability | 26% | 25% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.9% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
135
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Donegal 128
108
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
Natural hazardsHazard risk B−
The sea sets the flood risk in Moville: 3.6% of homes stand low near the coast, more than in both Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
1.5% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, above Co. Donegal’s towns (0.5%) and Irish towns (0%) alike. The closest place to swim from Moville is Stroove, 8.2 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Radon is rarely a worry in the town: under 1% of homes are estimated above the reference level.
0.3%of homes in high-radon areasB−Hazard risk Grade
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
Low-lying beside water3.6%
In high-radon areas0.3%
On high landslide susceptibility1.5%
Low-lying near a river0%
Low-lying near the coast3.6%
| Share of homes | Moville | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near the coast | 3.6% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 1.5% | 0.5% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 4.2% | 0.5% |
8.2 km
to Stroove bathing water (excellent)
787
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Northburgh Castle and 2 more in and around Moville
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Moville. Best known first.
CastleNorthburgh Castle3.4 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumInishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium2.7 km outside town, to the eastNatural landscapeNatural landscapeMagilligan Point View2.7 km outside town, to the northeastPlaces: 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 (1)
- Northburgh Castle: Corinna Schleiffer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Moville
15pages on Moville
The big questions
Out and about
Landmarks
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 54 buildings in Moville, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 3 sites here.
Famous people from Moville
3 notable people were born in Moville.
Moville’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
GreencastleCarndonaghMoville
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moville | 1,390 | — | — | A− | A− | C+ |
| Greencastle | 1,268 | 3.1 | — | B | A− | B |
| Carndonagh | 2,768 | 16 | B− | A+ | B− | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Moville
Has Moville grown?
Moville had 1,390 people at the 2022 census, down from 1,432 in 2016: 2.9% fewer, while the median of Irish towns grew 7.6%.
Is Moville a young town or an old one?
The median age in Moville is 44.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Do people in Moville drive to work?
13% mostly work from home, and 57% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
About Moville
Urban area in Co. Donegal
Moville has 1,390 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)
- Population
- 1,390 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Donegal
- Council
- Donegal County Council
- Local electoral area
- Carndonagh
- Dáil constituency
- Donegal
- Name in Irish
- Bun an Phobail
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi (1.7 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:33061
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).