Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The population grew 9% between 2016 and 2022. The neighbourhood has 18,460 residents and lies in Dublin.
Some subjects shine; others lag. Its lowest grade is for safety — per 1,000 residents a year, gardaí record 15.5 violent crimes and 17.7 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. At C− overall, The Liberties is better than 21% of Irish towns and ranks #92 of 116 in Co. Dublin. Health is weaker too (C): for every 100 its ages would predict, 157 residents are in bad health and 107 have a disability. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy. just over two thirds of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). Prices run to a median €392,000, 6.9 times local household income.
Figures: commuting and health, 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.
The 3 things The Liberties does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares The Liberties 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 →
191 buildings on the National Inventory inside The Liberties, 8 of them of national importance.
The record adds 222 archaeological sites.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near The Liberties. Best known first.
MuseumDubliniain town
Church · Office of Public WorksSt Audoen's Churchin town
CathedralSt Patrick's Cathedral100 m outside town, to the east
Big drawMuseumNational Museum of Ireland1.1 km outside town, to the east · 783K visitors a yearChurchChurchJohn’s Lane Churchin townChurchChurchSaint Catherine's Churchin 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 The Liberties.
129 schools lie within 3 km of The Liberties: 80 primary schools, 35 secondary schools and 14 special schools. DEIS, the support scheme, covers 53% of them, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%). The nearest secondary, Presentation College, is 0.3 km away.
| 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 |
| Meanscoil Iognáid Rís DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 521 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 53% | 40% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +6% | +4% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 43% | 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.
The graded crime recorded most in The Liberties was damage to property (2023–2025). Per 1,000 residents, 132.2 crimes of all kinds are recorded a year. For its size, The Liberties records more crime per resident than 97% of the 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Thefts came to 41.1 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), above 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 | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 17.7 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 15.5 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 132.2 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 41.1 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Ages taken into account, The Liberties counts 107 people with a disability for every 100 predicted. Unpaid carers make up 3.2% of residents, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (5.3%) and Irish towns (5.4%). A disability affects just over a fifth of people in the town.
| Census 2022 | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 3.2% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2% |
| With a disability | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | 89% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
On average, the journey to work lasts 30.7 min. 17% of commuters drove, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (53%) and Irish towns (66%). The census counted 14% of workers working mainly from home.
| Census 2022 | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 65% | 71% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 19% | 23% | 31% |
| Median household income | €57,110 | €72,780 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 9.5% | 7.3% | 9.2% |
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.
Radon: an estimated 3.8% of homes in The Liberties are over the reference level. Its nearest bathing water is Sandymount Strand, 5.1 km away, rated sufficient in 2025. Landslides: none of The Liberties lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
| Share of homes | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 1.7% | 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.
In January, overnight lows in The Liberties settle at 3.2°C. The year’s mean temperature is 10.6°C, above both Co. Dublin’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). Also worth knowing: the nearest weather station is Phoenix Park, 5.4 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 10.6°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.2°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 754 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 20.0°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Green space comes to 0.9 ha per 1,000 people in The Liberties, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (7.6 ha) and Irish towns (4.1 ha). There are 15 parks locally; together its green space comes to 17 ha. A park or green space is within 400 m for 100% of homes.
| Outdoors | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 7.4 km per km² | 5.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.5% | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 0.9 ha | 7.6 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Near a park | 100% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 4 mm for the day. In The Liberties, the November norm is a high of 11°C and a low of 5°C. Around 1 mm of rain is due tomorrow, on a breeze of up to 23 km/h, with a low of 9°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 187 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
55% of adults hold a degree, above both Co. Dublin’s towns (44%) and Irish towns (36%). One measure of family life: 12% of residents are under 15. Foreign-born residents make up 43% of the population.
Women make up 49.7% of The Liberties
9,179 women and 9,281 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 19% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 43% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 18% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 7.5% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 10% | 8.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 8.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 23% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 3.8% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 55% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Just over a third of voters turned out at the last local elections. There is just one council for The Liberties, Dublin City Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government. With 11 of 63 seats, Fine Gael are the largest group on Dublin City Council, short of the 32 a majority needs.
| Turnout | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 49% | 57% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 35% | 42% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Its archaeology runs to 222 recorded sites. The Liberties has 103 inventory buildings for every 10,000 residents, above Co. Dublin’s towns (9) and Irish towns (48) alike. 25.4% of homes date from before 1919.
| Heritage | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 103 | 9 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 25.4% | 1.2% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 222 | 6 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
31% of households own their home, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (66%) and Irish towns (61%). The social rented sector houses 19% of households.
| Housing | The Liberties | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 48% | 19% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 31% | 66% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 19% | 10% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €392K | €454K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area D08, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
The Liberties’ built heritage counts 191 inventory entries; 8 carry national or international standing. Archaeologists have recorded 222 sites here.
4 notable people were born in The Liberties.
Máire Devine: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Liberties | 18,460 | — | C− | C+ | D− | C |
| Christchurch | 6,778 | 0.7 | C+ | B | D− | C+ |
| Temple Bar | 7,276 | 1 | D | C− | D− | B− |
| Dolphins Barn | 18,799 | 1 | C− | C+ | D− | C− |
| Portobello | 5,732 | 1.3 | C+ | C− | D− | B+ |
| Stoneybatter | 18,644 | 1.5 | C− | C | D− | C+ |
| O'Connell Street | 6,749 | 1.5 | C | C+ | D− | B |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The Liberties had 18,460 people at the 2022 census, up from 16,877 in 2016: 9.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in The Liberties is 32.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Dublin
The Liberties has 18,460 people, 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).