Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 9,831: a neighbourhood in Dublin. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage lists 20 of its buildings.
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. Residents are healthier than most (A): bad health runs at 55 and disability at 94 per 100 expected for its ages. It is strong on jobs & income as well: unemployment is 6%, and 73% of 15 to 64s have a job. What holds it back is cost of living: home prices sit at a median €775,000, which is 8.9 years of the town’s median household income. Overall, that makes an A−, good for #52 of 320 Irish towns. That leaves it better than 84% of Irish towns.
Figures: health and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
The 3 things Monkstown does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Monkstown 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 →
15 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
14% 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 Monkstown. Best known first.
MuseumJames Joyce Museum2.5 km outside town, to the east · 40K visitors a year
CastleManderley Castle3.6 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumNational Maritime Museum of Ireland1.3 km outside town, to the east
Castle · Office of Public WorksMonkstown Castle100 m outside town, to the east
CastleDalkey Castle & Heritage Centre3.3 km outside town, to the east
CastleArchbold's Castle3.3 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Monkstown.
63% of the secondaries are single-sex, above Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (39%) alike. Within 3 km of Monkstown there are 57 schools (31 primary schools, 19 secondary schools and 7 special schools). For secondary school, the closest is Rockford Manor Secondary School, 0.3 km from the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Harold School Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 642 | Catholic |
| Blackrock College BoysLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,041 | Catholic |
| Coláiste Eoin GaelcholáisteTeaches through IrishPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 517 | Catholic |
| Cabinteely Community School DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 512 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 11% | 40% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 63% | 40% | 39% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland doesn’t publish results for individual schools, so none of these carries a letter.
3% live in social housing, below Co. Dublin’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. In 2010 the typical home in Monkstown sold for €434K; by 2025 it was €935K, 116% more. Renting privately is how 18% of households live.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €750,000 | 181 |
| The last 12 months | €833,800 | 90 |
| Housing | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €775K | €450K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 3% | 10% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 77% | 66% | 61% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €2,201 | €2,063 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Unpaid carers make up 6.5% of residents, above both Co. Dublin’s towns (5.3%) and Irish towns (5.4%). 92% of people in Monkstown rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 1.3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2022 | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 6.5% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 92% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.3% | 1.9% | 2% |
| With a disability | 23% | 21% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
37% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Household income came to €87,170 a year before tax, above Co. Dublin’s towns (€72,400) and Irish towns (€57,760) alike. Unemployment stands at 5.7%.
| Census 2022 | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €87,170 | €72,400 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 7.4% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 19% | 23% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 73% | 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.
Counting every kind of crime, the yearly rate is 39 per 1,000 residents. Violence came to 3.3 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (5.3) and Irish towns (5.7). Burglary and damage come to 4.9 per 1,000 residents a year. More of the graded crimes in Monkstown were damage to property than anything else (2023–2025).
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 | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 4.9 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 3.3 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 39 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Across the year, Monkstown averages 10.6°C. 782 mm of rain falls in a year, about level with Co. Dublin’s towns (770 mm) and below Irish towns (937 mm). November is the wettest month locally, with 94 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3.5°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.6°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 782 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected nature near Monkstown includes South Dublin Bay SAC. There are 9 parks in the town; together its green space comes to 45 ha. The sea makes up 38% of the area within 5 km, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (3.7%) and Irish towns (0%).
| Outdoors | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 38% | 3.7% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 4.2 km per km² | 5.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.8% | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 100% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Some 2 mm of rain falls today, driven by wind of up to 31 km/h; the low reaches 10°C. Of the days after that, Tuesday brings the most rain: about 6 mm. December follows with normal highs of 9°C and lows of 4°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 4°C | 203 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 165 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 178 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 236 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
A fifth of residents were born outside the country. People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (14%). The share of residents under 15 is 17%.
53.2% of Monkstown’s residents are women
5,234 women and 4,597 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 3.7% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 6% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 21% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.2% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 65% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Turnout at the last local elections was 45%, between Co. Dublin’s towns (42%) and Irish towns (46%). No party holds a majority on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council: Fine Gael lead with 16 of 40 seats, short of the 21 needed. Monkstown sits in the Blackrock local electoral area, which elects 6 councillors.
| Turnout | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 45% | 42% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 57% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The pre-1919 share of homes is 13.6%. The Sites and Monuments Record lists 15 sites here, above Co. Dublin’s towns (6) and Irish towns (11) alike.
| Heritage | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 20 | 9 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 13.6% | 1.2% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 15 | 6 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Monkstown’s nearest bathing water is Seapoint, 1 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Low-lying near the coast: 0.6% of homes, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Monkstown | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near the coast | 0.6% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.3% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Monkstown’s built heritage counts 20 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 15 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
5 notable people were born in Monkstown.
Liam Ó Maonlaí: Biguana, CC BY 2.0 · Tim Pat Coogan: Sinn Féin, CC BY 2.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monkstown | 9,831 | — | A− | D− | B+ | A |
| Blackrock | 12,816 | 1.2 | A | D− | A− | A+ |
| Sallynoggin | 13,245 | 2 | B+ | D | B− | B+ |
| Dún Laoghaire | 17,994 | 2 | B | D | B− | B+ |
| Foxrock | 12,163 | 2.4 | A− | D− | B+ | A+ |
| Stillorgan | 18,212 | 2.6 | A | D− | B+ | A+ |
| Booterstown | 8,505 | 3 | A | D− | B | A+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Monkstown had 9,831 people at the 2022 census, up from 9,467 in 2016: 3.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Monkstown is 43, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Dublin
Monkstown has 9,831 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)
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).