Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 320 buildings here. In Dublin, this neighbourhood has 8,320 residents.
Safety is its weak spot — violent crime runs at 43.1 per 1,000 residents a year, burglary and criminal damage at 32.1. It also trails on cost of living — the median home here went for €515,800, 5.5 times the median household income. On jobs & income it is strong (A): the unemployment rate is 8%, with 77% of 15 to 64s in work. Add walkability to its strengths — just over two thirds of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. The overall grade lands at C+, #75 of 116 in Co. Dublin. Nationally, it does better than 39% of Irish towns.
Figures: work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
This town's house price is the median for its whole Eircode routing key, town and countryside together: fewer than 30 sales in the town itself were recorded on the Property Price Register in 2023 to 2025, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but much of it involves people who come in to work, shop or go out, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk.
Each subject compares Grand Canal Dock with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The 3 things Grand Canal Dock does most differently from other towns.
2 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Grand Canal Dock’s built heritage counts 320 inventory entries; 5 carry national or international standing. 2 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grand Canal Dock.
Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Grand Canal Dock has more crime per resident than 99% of them. Thefts came to 196 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (18.5) 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 | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 43.1 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 32.1 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 196 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 412.1 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
At the census, 68% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train. Working mainly from home: 17% of workers, above both Co. Dublin’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (11%). Also worth knowing: household income averages €94,090 a year before tax.
| Census 2022 | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €94,090 | €72,400 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 77% | 71% | 68% |
| Average trip | 27 min | 31.1 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 25% | 23% | 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.
Private renters make up 60% of households, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (19%) and Irish towns (22%). 16% of households rent from a council or housing body.
| Housing | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 22% | 66% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 60% | 19% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €516K | €450K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 16% | 10% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area D02, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Weighed against its ages, bad health in Grand Canal Dock runs at 98 per 100 expected. 17% of residents have a disability, below Co. Dublin’s towns (22%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. Self-reported good health: 92% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 3.4% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 92% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.2% | 1.9% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
43% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, above Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%) alike. C.B.S. Westland Row is the nearest secondary school, 0.7 km away. Of the 121 schools nearby, 18 take a multi-denominational ethos.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Christopher's NS DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 598 | Catholic |
| Belvedere College S.J BoysLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,011 | Catholic |
| S.N. Brighde GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 358 | Catholic |
| St Peters N.S. DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 409 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 5% | 7% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +8% | +4% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 43% | 40% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 43% | 40% | 39% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no school-by-school results, which is why these cards have no letters.
The closest place to swim from Grand Canal Dock is Sandymount Strand, 2.9 km away, rated sufficient in 2025. For radon, the estimate for Grand Canal Dock is 3.8% of homes above the reference level. A flood relief scheme, the South Campshires Flood Relief Scheme, protects parts of the town.
| Share of homes | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 50% | 0% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
July afternoons reach 20.0°C here, about level with both Co. Dublin’s towns (19.9°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). Over twelve months, Grand Canal Dock averages 10.7°C. A year brings 744 mm of rain to Grand Canal Dock.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3.5°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.7°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 744 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 20.0°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 1 km, 0.9% of the land is woodland, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (2.3%) and Irish towns (2.7%). Across its 12 parks, Grand Canal Dock has 21 ha of green space. 100% of homes are a short walk (400 m) from green space.
| Outdoors | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 6.6 km per km² | 5.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Sea within 5 km | 16% | 3.7% | 0% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 100% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Usually, November days warm to 11°C and nights cool to 6°C; Grand Canal Dock’s forecast is read against that. Expect roughly 1 mm of rain today, little wind (up to 13 km/h) and a low of 7°C. The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 5 mm.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 4°C | 182 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 156 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 186 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 220 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Children under 15 make up 12%, below Co. Dublin’s towns (17%) and Irish towns (20%) alike. 6.2% of residents are 65 or over. Foreign-born residents make up 48% of the population.
50.7% of Grand Canal Dock’s residents are women
4,215 women and 4,105 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 54% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 17% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 6.2% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 5% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 5.1% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 14% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 3.2% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 73% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
One council serves Grand Canal Dock: Dublin City Council. A third of voters turned out at the last local elections, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (42%) and Irish towns (46%). No party holds a majority on Dublin City Council: Fine Gael lead with 11 of 63 seats, short of the 32 needed.
| Turnout | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 48% | 57% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 33% | 42% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Per 10,000 residents, Grand Canal Dock counts 385 inventory buildings, above Co. Dublin’s towns (9) and Irish towns (48) alike. Homes built before 1919 account for nearly a tenth of the housing. 2 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie in and around the town.
| Heritage | Grand Canal Dock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 385 | 9 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 8.8% | 1.2% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 2 | 7 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Grand Canal Dock. Best known first.
MuseumNumber Twenty Nine: Georgian House Museumin town
Big drawMuseumNational Museum of Ireland500 m outside town, to the west · 783K visitors a year
MuseumNational Library of Ireland500 m outside town, to the west
Historic houseLeinster House500 m outside town, to the west
CathedralSt Patrick's Cathedral1.4 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
No notable person born in Grand Canal Dock is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Liam Cunningham: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Garret FitzGerald: Christian Lambiotte, CC BY 4.0 · George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence: Lucas Cornelisz de Kock (1495-1552), Public domain · Dunbar Barton: Leslie Ward, Public domain · William Henry Gregory: James Tissot, Public domain
Neighbourhood in Dublin
8,320 people live in Grand Canal Dock, in the area of Dublin City 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)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canal Dock | 8,320 | — | C+ | D | D− | A− |
| St Stephen's Green | 5,319 | 0.6 | D | D | D− | C+ |
| East Wall | 15,907 | 1 | C | C | D− | C+ |
| Ballsbridge | 12,743 | 1 | B+ | D− | C+ | A+ |
| Summerhill | 11,911 | 1.6 | C− | B | D− | B− |
| O'Connell Street | 6,749 | 1.7 | C | C+ | D− | B |
| Temple Bar | 7,276 | 1.9 | D | C− | D− | B− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Grand Canal Dock had 8,320 people at the 2022 census, up from 7,004 in 2016: 18.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Grand Canal Dock is 32.1, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
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).