Dalkey’s story
Old homes in Dalkey: 15% built before 1919
The record adds 38 archaeological sites.
Explore the history →
DalkeyDublin
Some 8,275 people live in this neighbourhood, in Dublin.
6 places within 19 kmMap →
Photo: Greatal386 at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5
Population
8,275
CSO, Census 2022 · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Median age
50.3
29% are 65+ · Co. Dublin 14%
Degree level
61%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
32%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
TownGrade
B
#142 of 320
Is Dalkey a good place to live?
A solid town with one catch. Its strongest subject is health (A): for every 100 its ages would predict, 59 residents are in bad health and 91 have a disability. Jobs & income is a strength too — 70% of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, and unemployment is 5%. The drawback is cost of living: the median home here went for €850,500, 11 times the median household income. Overall, that makes a B, good for #142 of 320 Irish towns. On that grade it does better than 56% of Irish towns. Hazards are a real consideration: an estimated 5% of homes are above the radon reference level.
Figures: health and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA.
What makes Dalkey stand out
The 3 things Dalkey does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
29% are 65 or over
Against 14% in the median of Irish towns
CSO, Census 2022
Cost of living
Cost of living
Behind 99%
of Irish towns on cost of living
Its cost of living grade: D−.
Median sale price
Housing
€668,400 median home
1.8 times the median of Irish towns, €372,600
Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025.
How Dalkey grades
Each subject compares Dalkey with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Cost of livingHomes are among the least affordable for local incomesD−Open →Health91 with a disability per 100 predictedAOpen →Hazard riskAmong the weakest of the towns comparedDOpen →Jobs & income5% unemployedA−Open →Walkability32% walk, cycle or take a bus or train to workB+Open →Safety4 violent crimes per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
SchoolsNot graded in Ireland: schools’ exam results aren’t published school by school (Education Act 1998, s.53)–
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre and 18 more in and around Dalkey
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Dalkey. Best known first.
CastleDalkey Castle & Heritage Centrein town
CastleArchbold's Castlein town
MuseumJames Joyce Museum400 m outside town, to the north · 40K visitors a year
CastleManderley Castle100 m outside town, to the south
MuseumNational Maritime Museum of Ireland1.6 km outside town, to the northwest
CastlePuck's Castle4.1 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: 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 (6)
- Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre: Palanitboy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Archbold's Castle: DDoghaus, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Joyce Museum: YvonneM, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Manderley Castle: Sergio, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Maritime Museum of Ireland: Hohenloh, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Puck's Castle: Suckindiesel, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dalkey.
HousingCost of living D−
Renting costs more in Dalkey than in Co. Dublin’s towns or across Irish towns: €2,886 a month
5% live in social housing, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%). Prices in Dalkey have outpaced Irish towns since 2010: the typical sale is up 125%, to €1.2M in 2025, against 77%. The owner-occupied share of households is 81%.
€851Kmedian sale priceD−Cost of living Grade
Median sale price · Property Price Register, 2023–2025
Dalkey€851K
Co. Dublin€450K
Irish towns€350K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €682,600 | 139 |
| Second-hand homes | €995,000 | 277 |
| The last 12 months | €995,000 | 109 |
| Housing | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €851K | €450K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €2,886 | €2,063 | €1,606 |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 66% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 5% | 10% | 13% |
81%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
12%
rent privately · Irish towns 22%
€2,886
a month on new tenancies, Dalkey
12
times median household income, County Dublin
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
HealthHealth A
For its ages, fewer people in Dalkey live with a disability than in Co. Dublin’s towns or Irish towns: 91 per 100 expected
Unpaid carers make up 7.6% of residents, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (5.3%) and Irish towns (5.4%). 90% of people in Dalkey rate their own health good or very good. In addition, a disability affects 25% of people in the town.
90%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised
Bad health59
Disability91
Co. Dublin103
Expected100
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 90%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2022 | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 7.6% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 25% | 21% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 90% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2% |
59
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Dublin 103
91
disability per 100 expected · Co. Dublin 99
83.4 · 80.1
life expectancy, women · men, the Dublin region, 2016
27%
hold a medical card, HSE Dublin and South East
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 D
Radon in Dalkey: an estimated 5.1% of homes are above the reference level
For a swim, the nearest bathing water is White Rock Beach, 1.2 km from Dalkey, rated excellent in 2025. 4.6% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). Very few of its homes sit on low ground by water.
0%of homes in high-radon areasDHazard risk Grade
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
Low-lying beside waterunder 0.1%
In high-radon areas0%
On high landslide susceptibility4.6%
Low-lying near a river0%
Low-lying near the coastunder 0.1%
| Share of homes | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 4.6% | 0% | 0% |
| Low-lying near the coast | under 0.1% | 0% | 0% |
1.2 km
to White Rock Beach bathing water (excellent)
3,276
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Work & commuteJobs & income A−
23% of workers in Dalkey worked mainly from home, more than in Co. Dublin’s towns and across Irish towns
Household income averages €77,370 a year before tax. 45% of commuters drove, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (53%) and Irish towns (66%). Of those in the labour force, 5.1% are unemployed.
32%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van45%
Train, DART or Luas19%
Bicycle6%
Walk5%
Bus1%
| Census 2022 | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 7.4% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 32.9 min | 31.1 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €77,370 | €72,400 | €57,760 |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 24% | 23% | 31% |
€77,370
household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Dublin €71,123
23%
worked mainly from home, 2022
11%
trips of an hour or more
48,940
on the Live Register, County Dublin, September 2026
B+
Walkability: better than 69% 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
6 of the secondary schools in and around Dalkey charge fees
Loreto Abbey Secondary School is the nearest secondary school, 0.9 km away. Irish-medium schools make up 2%, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (7%) and Irish towns (8%). 43 schools lie within 3 km of Dalkey: 26 primary schools, 12 secondary schools and 5 special schools.
43schools within 3 km
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Harold School Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 642 | Catholic |
| Loreto Abbey Secondary School GirlsLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 757 | Catholic |
| Gaelscoil Phadraig GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 118 | Catholic |
| Cabinteely Community School DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 512 | Inter-denominational |
Schools by ethos · Schools within 3 km
Catholic29
Multi-denominational7
Church of Ireland4
Inter-denominational2
Other1
| Schools within 3 km | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 2% | 7% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 50% | 40% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 28% | 40% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +5% | +4% | +4% |
12,331
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
+5%
pupils since 2019/20 · Irish towns +4%
0.6 km
to the nearest primary school
0.9 km
to the nearest secondary school
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No letters and no results: Ireland publishes none school by school.
Climate
Dalkey has milder winters than Co. Dublin’s towns or Irish towns: January lows of 3.6°C
The mean temperature over a year in Dalkey is 10.6°C. Here July highs average 19.6°C, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (19.9°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). This Co. Dublin town gets 750 mm of rain a year.
19.6°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter9.0°C
Spring12.8°C
Summer18.9°C
Autumn14.3°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3.6°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.6°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.6°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 750 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
19.6°C
July high
3.6°C
January low
750 mm
Rain a year
88 mm
Wettest month
33
Air frosts
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Outdoors
Dalkey is on the coast
Among the protected sites near Dalkey is Dalkey Islands SPA. Its 6 parks give Dalkey 68 ha of green space between them. Within 5 km, 60% is sea, above Co. Dublin’s towns (3.7%) and Irish towns (0%) alike.
94%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Dalkey8.2 ha
Co. Dublin7.6 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 60% | 3.7% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 2.6 km per km² | 5.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.5% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 94% | 100% | 92% |
94%
Near a park
8.2 ha
Green space
45 km
Footpaths
0.2%
Protected for nature
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Weather in Dalkey: 11 degrees and light showers today
Some 2 mm of rain falls today, driven by wind of up to 31 km/h; the low reaches 10°C. Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 6 mm for the day. In December, the normal shifts to highs of 9°C and lows of 4°C.
11°C / 10°CToday
This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages
November11°C
December9°C
January9°C
February9°C
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 4°C | 190 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 156 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 177 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 227 mm |
11°C / 10°C
Today
1.8 mm
Rain, next 24 hours
28 km/h
Wind
82%
Humidity
9 h 18 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Dalkey skews older, with 29% of residents 65 or over, more than in Co. Dublin’s towns and across Irish towns
Degrees are held by 61% of adults, above Co. Dublin’s towns (44%) and Irish towns (36%) alike. One measure of family life: 15% of residents are under 15. On top of that, just over one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24.
50.3median age
DalkeyCo. DublinIreland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none4%
Lower secondary6%
Leaving Cert24%
Diploma or cert5%
Degree or higher61%
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 53.6% of Dalkey
4,433 women and 3,842 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 29% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 3.5% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 5.9% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 24% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 61% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
Turnout in Dun Laoghaire was among the lowest at the 2024 local elections
43% of voters turned out at the last local elections, close to Co. Dublin’s towns (42%) and below Irish towns (46%). Dalkey spans more than one of the local electoral areas: 83% of its residents vote in Dun Laoghaire, most of the rest in Killiney-Shankill. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has no ruling majority: Fine Gael hold 16 of its 40 seats, short of the 21 needed.
16/40seats held by Fine Gael
Seats on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County · June 2024
Fine Gael16
Green Party6
Independent5
Fianna Fáil5
Labour Party5
People Before Profit–Solidarity2
Social Democrats1
| Turnout | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 43% | 42% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 57% | 59% |
7
Councillors
16/40
Fine Gael seats on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, the largest party
43%
turnout, June 2024
4
TDs elected for Dún Laoghaire
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
SafetySafety B−
Recorded crime per resident in Dalkey fell 44% from 2016 to 2025
Homes saw 5.8 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (7.5) and Irish towns (6.4). Damage to property topped the graded crimes in Dalkey (2023–2025). All told, 45.5 crimes per 1,000 residents are recorded each year.
4violent incidents per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with towns its sizeFewer incidents against residents per 1,000 than 63% of the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 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
Theft16.1
Against justice9
Public order4.9
Damage3.9
Assault3.2
Road traffic2.6
Burglary1.9
Drugs1.8
Dangerous acts1
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 | Dalkey | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 5.8 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 4 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 45.5 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
4
violent incidents per 1,000 a year
5.8
burglary and damage per 1,000 a year
2,060
incidents a year, Dun Laoghaire Garda area
9.8
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
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dalkey
15pages on Dalkey
Famous people from Dalkey
27 notable people were born in Dalkey.
N
Niamh CusackIrish actress · born 1959M
Margaret HassanBritish-Iraqi aid worker · 1945–2004Photo credits
Maeve Binchy: The original uploader was Jon Kay at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sinéad Cusack: The British Library, CC BY 3.0 · Carmel Snow: Zymurgy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maria Bailey: House of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0
Dalkey’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
SallynogginDún LaoghaireBallybrackKillineyCabinteelyFoxrockDalkey
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalkey | 8,275 | — | B | D− | B− | A |
| Sallynoggin | 13,245 | 2 | B+ | D | B− | B+ |
| Dún Laoghaire | 17,994 | 2.1 | B | D | B− | B+ |
| Ballybrack | 2,872 | 2.4 | B+ | C− | B | B+ |
| Killiney | 9,776 | 2.9 | C | D− | B− | B+ |
| Cabinteely | 15,864 | 3.4 | B+ | D− | B+ | A |
| Foxrock | 12,163 | 3.9 | A− | D− | B+ | A+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Dalkey
How old are the people of Dalkey?
The median age in Dalkey is 50.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Has Dalkey grown?
Dalkey had 8,275 people at the 2022 census, up from 8,189 in 2016: 1.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
About Dalkey
Neighbourhood in Dublin
Dalkey has 8,275 people, in the area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. TownRatings splits Dublin into neighbourhoods made from the CSO’s Electoral Divisions, named from Tailte Éireann’s gazetteer, so each has figures of its own.
Built from Tailte Éireann’s boundaries and the CSO’s Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0)
- Population
- 8,275 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Dublin
- Council
- Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
- Local electoral area
- Dún Laoghaire
- Dáil constituency
- Dún Laoghaire
- Name in Irish
- Deilginis
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi (3.5 km²)
- CSO code
- ED:DR:DALKEY
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).