Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A neighbourhood of 5,732 in Dublin. Its architectural heritage runs to 408 buildings on the national inventory.
The picture is mixed. Where it falls short is safety: gardaí record 39.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, and 31.1 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. Portobello grades C+ overall, better than 43% of Irish towns. That places it #183 of 320 Irish towns. Cost of living is weaker too (C−) — a typical home sold for €640,000, or 9.5 years of the town’s median household income. It is easy to get around without a car: on the way to work, 67% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. Jobs and pay hold up well (A−): unemployment is 9%, and 77% of 15 to 64s have a job.
Figures: commuting and work, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
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. Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level.
The 3 things Portobello does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Portobello 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 408 buildings on the National Inventory in Portobello, 5 of them of national importance.
10 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Portobello. Best known first.
MuseumMuseum of Literature Irelandin town
Big drawMuseumNational Museum of Ireland500 m outside town, to the northeast · 783K visitors a year
CathedralSt Patrick's Cathedral400 m outside town, to the northwest
MuseumNational Library of Ireland600 m outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseLeinster House500 m outside town, to the northeast
Garden · Office of Public WorksSaint Stephen's Green100 m outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Portobello.
Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Portobello has more crime per resident than 99% of them. Theft, shown but not graded, ran at 168.7 per 1,000 a year, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (18.5) and Irish towns (15.3). Assaults and harassment topped the graded crimes in Portobello (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 | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 39.5 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 31.1 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 168.7 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 370.3 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Renting cost €1,876 a month on average, below Co. Dublin’s towns (€2,066) but above Irish towns (€1,606). Households that own their home make up 18%. The social rented sector houses 10% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €646,500 | 74 |
| Housing | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 18% | 66% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 71% | 19% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €640K | €450K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,876 | €2,066 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Just over a fifth of trips took under 15 minutes, near Co. Dublin’s towns (23%) and lower than Irish towns (31%). At the census, 17% of workers worked mainly from home. Employment among 15- to 64-year-olds stood at 77% at the census.
| Census 2022 | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 77% | 71% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 22% | 23% | 31% |
| Median household income | €67,410 | €72,780 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 28.9 min | 31.1 min | 27.6 min |
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.
Since 2019/20, pupils changed +8%, above Co. Dublin’s towns (+4%) and Irish towns (+4%) alike. Christian Brothers, Synge St. is the nearest secondary school, 0.4 km away. 29,104 pupils attend the 110 schools within 3 km of Portobello.
| 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 | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +8% | +4% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 46% | 40% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 6% | 7% | 8% |
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.
2.9% of residents in Portobello care, unpaid, for a relative or friend. At the census, 16% of people here had a disability, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (22%) and Irish towns (22%). Weighed against its ages, bad health locally runs at 124 per 100 expected.
| Census 2022 | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 2.9% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 90% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.7% | 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
The EPA estimates that 3.8% of homes in Portobello are above the radon reference level. No part of Portobello is mapped as high landslide susceptibility. Low ground by water holds almost none of its homes.
| Share of homes | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 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.
Across the year it averages 10.6°C, above Co. Dublin’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C) alike. Midwinter nights in Portobello bottom out at 3.4°C on average. This Co. Dublin town is 0.2°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3.4°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.6°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 753 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
The sea makes up 8.8% of the area within 5 km, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (3.7%) and Irish towns (0%). Across its 8 parks, Portobello has 21 ha of green space. Within 400 m of green space: 100% of homes.
| Outdoors | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 7.2 km per km² | 5.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Sea within 5 km | 8.8% | 3.7% | 0% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.2% | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 100% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Judged by the averages, Portobello sees November days reach 11°C and nights fall to 6°C. Today brings about 2 mm of rain and a breeze of up to 24 km/h; the low is 10°C. Tuesday stands out as the wet day ahead, with roughly 5 mm.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 186 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 158 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 187 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 222 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Children are 15% of the town. 69% of adults hold a degree, above Co. Dublin’s towns (44%) and Irish towns (36%) alike. The 65-and-over age group makes up 7.6% of residents.
45.8% of Portobello’s residents are women
2,628 women and 3,104 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 49% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 19% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 7.6% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 4.7% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 6.2% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 16% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.4% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 69% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Dublin City Council runs Portobello: Ireland has one tier of local government, with no town council below it. General election turnout: 48%, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (57%) and Irish towns (59%). In the Dáil, Portobello is part of Dublin Bay South, which elects 4 TDs.
| Turnout | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 48% | 57% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 33% | 42% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
43.5% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (1.2%) and Irish towns (3.4%). Per 10,000 residents, Portobello counts 712 inventory buildings. 10 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
| Heritage | Portobello | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 712 | 9 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 43.5% | 1.2% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Portobello’s built heritage counts 408 inventory entries; 5 carry national or international standing. 10 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
2 notable people were born in Portobello; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Arthur Shields: film screenshot, Public domain · Maureen O'Hara: USMC Archives from Quantico, USA, CC BY 2.0 · George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence: Lucas Cornelisz de Kock (1495-1552), Public domain
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portobello | 5,732 | — | C+ | C− | D− | B+ |
| Christchurch | 6,778 | 0.7 | C+ | B | D− | C+ |
| Temple Bar | 7,276 | 1.2 | D | C− | D− | B− |
| Rathmines West | 22,667 | 1.3 | A | C | C+ | A |
| The Liberties | 18,460 | 1.3 | C− | C+ | D− | C |
| St Stephen's Green | 5,319 | 1.5 | D | D | D− | C+ |
| Rathmines East | 16,923 | 1.6 | B+ | D | C+ | A+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Portobello had 5,732 people at the 2022 census, up from 5,122 in 2016: 11.9% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Portobello is 33.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Dublin
5,732 people live in Portobello, 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)
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).