Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 18,608 residents in Co. Dublin.
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. People here tend to be in good health: for every 100 its ages would predict, 47 residents are in bad health and 81 have a disability. With an A overall, Malahide is better than 91% of Irish towns and ranks #8 of 116 in Co. Dublin. Recorded crime is low: recorded crime comes to 2.4 violent offences and 3.6 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. What counts against it is cost of living (D−): buying the median home, at €720,000, takes 7.4 times the town’s median household income.
Figures: health, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
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 Malahide does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Malahide 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 register holds 46 buildings on the National Inventory in Malahide, 4 of them of national importance.
21 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Malahide. Best known first.
CastleMalahide Castlein town
MuseumCasino Model Railway Museumin town
CastleSwords Castle2.2 km outside town, to the northwestHistoric siteHistoric siteSaint Sylvester's Wellin townMuseumMuseumMalahide Historical Society Museumin townZooZooThe Butterfly Housein townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Malahide.
At the census, 0.9% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (1.9%) and Irish towns (2%). Malahide ranks 1st of the 40 Irish towns nearest its size on the Health Grade. Self-reported good health: 93% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 93% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 0.9% | 1.9% | 2% |
| With a disability | 18% | 22% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 6% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Social housing holds 2% of households, below Co. Dublin’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. Renting privately is how 16% of households live. Also worth knowing: in 2010 the typical home in Malahide sold for €400K; by 2025 it was €760K, 90% more.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €925,000 | 155 |
| Second-hand homes | €679,000 | 710 |
| The last 12 months | €780,300 | 286 |
| Housing | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €720K | €450K | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 66% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 2% | 10% | 13% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €2,386 | €2,063 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Among the graded crimes in Malahide, the most frequent was damage to property (2023–2025). In all, 19.6 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, below Co. Dublin’s towns (59.2) and Irish towns (54.3) alike.
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 | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 3.6 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 19.6 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 2.4 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 7 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
A household here earns €97,168 a year before tax, on average. At the census, 25% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Co. Dublin’s towns (36%) but above Irish towns (23%). 4.8% of the labour force are out of work.
| Census 2022 | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €97,168 | €72,400 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 34.6 min | 31.1 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 7.4% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 72% | 71% | 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.
In Malahide, an estimated 1.6% of homes exceed the radon reference level. The nearest bathing water to Malahide is Portmarnock, Velvet Strand Beach, 3.2 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Only a handful of its homes, if any, sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | under 0.1% | 0% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
8% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%). Within 3 km of Malahide there are 24 schools (17 primary schools and 7 secondary schools). Malahide Community School is the nearest secondary school, 1.1 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Oliver Plunkett Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 838 | Catholic |
| Malahide Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 1,250 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelscoil an Duinninigh GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 380 | Catholic |
| St Finians Community College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 671 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 8% | 40% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 14% | 40% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 4% | 7% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +7% | +4% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No letters, no results: Irish schools aren’t ranked one by one.
Malahide sees July afternoons of 19.7°C on average. Across the year it averages 10.5°C, about level with both Co. Dublin’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). On a January night, the temperature in Malahide falls to about 3.2°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 733 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.7°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 3.2°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.5°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Malahide has 8 parks, with 210 ha of green space in all. Green space comes to 11.3 ha per 1,000 people here, above Co. Dublin’s towns (7.6 ha) and Irish towns (4.1 ha) alike. Among the protected sites near Malahide is Malahide Estuary SAC.
| Outdoors | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 32% | 3.7% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 2.4 km per km² | 5.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 11.3 ha | 7.6 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.4% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Judged by the averages, Malahide sees November days reach 11°C and nights fall to 5°C. Today brings about 1 mm of rain and a breeze of up to 34 km/h; the low is 11°C. Tuesday looks like the wettest of the days that follow, with about 6 mm of rain.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 175 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 154 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 188 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 216 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
18% were born abroad, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (23%) and Irish towns (22%). Those 65 and older account for 17% of residents. The under-15s are 20% of the population here.
51.0% of Malahide’s residents are women
9,494 women and 9,114 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 3.7% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 7.9% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 27% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.6% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 56% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
45% voted at the last local elections. There is no majority on Fingal County Council; Independent have the most seats, 7 of 40, short of 21. In the Dáil, Malahide is part of Dublin Fingal East, which elects 3 TDs.
| Turnout | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | 57% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 45% | 42% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
21 archaeological sites are on the record, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (6) and Irish towns (11). Before 1919: that is when 2.3% of homes were built. Malahide has 46 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 4 of them rated of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Malahide | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 25 | 9 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 21 | 6 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Malahide has 46 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 4 of them rated of national or international importance. The national record lists 21 archaeological sites in and around the town.
13 notable people were born in Malahide.
Darragh O'Brien: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0 · Alan Farrell: OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pat Ingoldsby: Emanuel Stoica, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Milo Talbot: Artist William Carter (1863-1939), Public domain · Ruth Durlacher: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Roger Doyle: StPaul353, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malahide | 18,608 | — | A | D− | A | A+ |
| Kinsealy-Drinan | 7,526 | 2.6 | A | D | A− | A− |
| Portmarnock | 10,750 | 2.8 | A+ | D− | A | A+ |
| Swords | 40,776 | 4.7 | A− | C | B− | A− |
| Belmayne | 15,047 | 4.7 | B | C | C | B+ |
| Clongriffin | 7,438 | 4.8 | B− | C+ | C | C+ |
| Donabate | 9,669 | 5.1 | A− | C− | B− | A |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Malahide had 18,608 people at the 2022 census, up from 17,365 in 2016: 7.2% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Malahide is 42, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Dublin
Malahide has 18,608 people, in the area of Fingal 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).