Photo: P L Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0Health in Athenry is close to what its ages would predict
At the 2022 Census, 104 people in Athenry reported bad or very bad health for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates, and 106 had a disability. Bad health and disability together give Athenry a Health Grade of B, #8 of 20 in Co. Galway and #138 of 321 Irish towns.
What stands out about health in Athenry
Fewer deaths in Co. Galway than in Ireland
Deaths are counted by county, not town: Co. Galway had 854 a year per 100,000 over 2020–2024 once its ages are allowed for, against 918 for the whole country. The wider area ↓
From the CSO: Census 2022 health set against Ireland’s rates at each age and sex, household income for 2022, and deaths by county.
Athenry grades B for health
Census 2022: each measure per 100 expected for the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates.
Per 100 expected · 2022
The grade averages the two, each ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents. Both measures beat the middle town’s, so neither holds Athenry back. Its place: #8 of 20 in Co. Galway and #138 of 321 Irish towns.
How sure: Both figures count every resident at the 2022 Census, not a sample, but chance still moves them in a small place.
How the grade works
A ratio of 100 means as many people as Ireland’s rates at each age and sex would predict for the town’s own residents; 120 means a fifth more, 80 a fifth fewer. Bad health is answering “bad” or “very bad” to the Census question on general health; disability is a long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great or some extent. Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded: too few people to judge.
Life expectancy in the West region: 84.5 for women, 79.7 for men
What Ireland publishes above the town: deaths by county and life expectancy by region.
Deaths in Co. Galway, 2020–2024
Deaths a year per 100,000, age-standardised · 2020–2024
Co. Galway is among the counties with the fewest deaths for their ages: 854 a year per 100,000, against 918 for Ireland, with a range of 814 to 894.
Every county
| County | Deaths per 100,000 | Bad health | Disability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meath | 849 | 90 | 96 |
| Galway | 854 | 91 | 95 |
| Laois | 862 | 112 | 106 |
| Kildare | 872 | 94 | 100 |
| Roscommon | 892 | 99 | 99 |
| Kilkenny | 892 | 88 | 98 |
| Wicklow | 901 | 94 | 106 |
| Dublin | 907 | 109 | 99 |
| Mayo | 907 | 93 | 94 |
| Ireland | 918 | 101 | 100 |
| Monaghan | 919 | 85 | 87 |
| Clare | 928 | 96 | 96 |
| Westmeath | 929 | 97 | 100 |
| Louth | 931 | 117 | 104 |
| Kerry | 931 | 85 | 95 |
| Donegal | 933 | 107 | 102 |
| Waterford | 935 | 99 | 104 |
| Cork | 950 | 89 | 102 |
| Tipperary | 952 | 103 | 103 |
| Cavan | 954 | 96 | 93 |
| Sligo | 962 | 94 | 101 |
| Wexford | 962 | 109 | 109 |
| Carlow | 964 | 118 | 108 |
| Longford | 972 | 126 | 98 |
| Limerick | 976 | 113 | 103 |
| Offaly | 984 | 117 | 104 |
| Leitrim | 1,012 | 96 | 100 |
Life expectancy by region, 2016
| Region | Life expectancy, women | Life expectancy, men |
|---|---|---|
| West | 84.5 | 79.7 |
| Mid-East | 84 | 80.3 |
| Border | 83.5 | 79.5 |
| Dublin | 83.4 | 80.1 |
| South-West | 83.2 | 79.1 |
| Midland | 83.2 | 80 |
| South-East | 83.1 | 79.3 |
| Mid-West | 82.5 | 79 |
Ireland doesn’t publish life expectancy, deaths, hospital waiting times or GP numbers for towns: life expectancy comes by region and only to 2016, and the HSE reports waits by hospital, not by where patients live. So Athenry is graded on what the Census counts for every town: bad health and disability for its ages.
Deaths: CSO MORT04, 2020–2024, by county, age-standardised. Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by NUTS 3 region. Not graded.
9% less bad health than towns with its income
Each dot is one of 321 Irish towns of 2,500 or more; the line is the trend.
Richer towns report less bad health for their ages: the line follows 321 Irish towns (correlation −0.74). It puts a town with Athenry’s household income, €60,705, at about 115 per 100 expected; Athenry is at 104. Income doesn’t change the grade.
Household income: CSO, 2022. Bad health: Census 2022. The ratios, the estimate for towns without their own income figure and the line are TownRatings calculations.
34% of people in HSE West and North West hold a medical card
Free care by health region, and how many homes have a car to reach it.
In HSE West and North West, 34% of people held a medical card in 2022 and 11% a GP visit card; across the six health regions the medical-card share runs from 27% to 34%.
Fewer homes here are without a car: 9.6% of households in Athenry, against 17% in the typical Irish town.
Medical and GP visit cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region. Cars: CSO Census 2022.
90% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2022, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 104 report bad health for every 100 expected, close to the national rate. 5.5% give regular unpaid care (5.4% in the typical Irish town), and 14% smoke (16%).
The town beside its county’s towns and all Irish towns
| Share of residents | Athenry | Towns in Co. Galway | Irish towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 88% | 89% |
| Fair health | 8.5% | 9.9% | 9.5% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 2% | 2% |
| Disability, to any extent | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Unable to work: illness or disability (15+) | 4.1% | 4.6% | 4.7% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.5% | 5.1% | 5.3% |
| Smokers | 14% | 17% | 16% |
Athenry comes 9th of 40 Irish towns its size for health
The 40 graded towns nearest its population, ordered by Health Grade. Bad health per 100 expected for each town’s ages.
| # | Town | People | Bad health | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballyboden Dublin | 5,246 | 63 | A+ |
| 2 | Glounthaune Cork | 5,000 | 54 | A |
| 3 | Lehenagh Cork | 4,154 | 52 | A |
| … | ||||
| 7 | Saggart Dublin | 4,573 | 132 | B+ |
| 8 | Tivoli Cork | 4,449 | 99 | B |
| 9 | Athenry Galway | 4,603 | 104 | B |
| 10 | Tramore Cork | 4,803 | 107 | B− |
| 11 | Chapelizod Dublin | 4,862 | 130 | B− |
| … | ||||
| 40 | Prospect and Newtown Pery Limerick | 4,122 | 284 | D− |
These towns run from 4,032 to 5,319 people, and their bad health from 52 to 284 per 100 expected; Athenry has 104.
Health in the places around Athenry
Bad health and disability per 100 expected for each place’s ages. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Bad health | Disability | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athenry | 4,603 | 104 | 106 | B |
| Craughwell 8.3 km | 1,034 | 80 | 93 | A |
| Oranmore 12.7 km | 5,819 | 68 | 89 | A |
| Baile Chláir 13.4 km | 1,632 | 48 | 90 | A+ |
| Ballybane 16.1 km | 15,082 | 147 | 106 | C+ |
| Loughrea 16.5 km | 6,322 | 104 | 110 | B− |
| Murrough 17.3 km | 2,909 | 87 | 106 | B+ |
Baile Chláir, 13.4 km away, reports less bad health for its ages: 48 for every 100 expected, against 104 in Athenry.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Adjusted for age. Each figure is people per 100 expected: the town’s own ages and sex at Ireland’s rates give the expected count, so an older town isn’t marked down for its age.
- Small areas, summed to the town. The Census counts are summed from the small areas (about 80 to 120 homes each) that make up the town.
- How sure. Bad health is rare (under 2% of people), so in a small town a few people move the figure; where its 90% range is wider than 50 points the grade is marked less sure. Disability counts are large enough never to be.
- Income and health. The income chart sets each town’s 2022 median gross household income against its bad-health ratio. Where no figure is published for a town, ours is built from the electoral divisions it covers, so it is approximate. The line is a trend, not a cause, and it isn’t part of the grade.
- Deaths by county. Ireland counts deaths by county, not town. The county rate is age-standardised, so an older county isn’t marked up for its age, and it covers five years, so one hard winter doesn’t swing it.
- Town and county. A county’s figure takes in its towns and the countryside around them. Taken together, Irish towns of 2,500 or more have 115 people in bad health per 100 expected, so a town can sit well above the county it belongs to.
- What Ireland doesn’t publish by town. Life expectancy (by region, to 2016), deaths, hospital waits and GP numbers aren’t published for towns, so they aren’t graded here.
- Different years. The Census ratios, medical cards and income are from 2022, deaths by county from 2020–2024, life expectancy from 2016.
Questions about health in Athenry
How healthy is Athenry?
At the 2022 Census, 104 people in Athenry reported bad or very bad health and 106 had a disability for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates; 90% said their health was good or very good. Athenry grades B for health (#8 of 20 in Co. Galway and #138 of 321 Irish towns).
How is Athenry’s Health Grade worked out?
From two Census 2022 measures, each set against the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates: bad or very bad health, and disability. Each is ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents and the grade averages the two; ranks start at 2,500 residents, and a county rank needs five graded towns.
What is the life expectancy in Athenry?
Ireland publishes life expectancy for eight regions, not for towns, and the latest is for 2016: in the West region it was 79.7 for men and 84.5 for women.
How many people die each year in Co. Galway?
Ireland publishes deaths by county rather than by town. Over 2020–2024, 854 people a year died per 100,000 in Co. Galway once its ages are allowed for; for Ireland the figure is 918.
Is Athenry healthier than its income would suggest?
Yes. Irish towns with a median household income of €60,705 typically have about 115 people in bad health per 100 expected; Athenry has 104.
How many people near Athenry have a medical card?
Cards are counted by health region only: 34% of people in HSE West and North West have a medical card, which covers GP visits and public hospital care, and 11% have a GP visit card, which covers GP visits alone.
Where is the nearest hospital or GP to Athenry?
This page doesn’t list hospitals or GP practices yet: the HSE publishes its services by hospital and health area, not by town, so the nearest ones aren’t matched to Athenry here. The HSE’s service finder lists them; in an emergency call 112 or 999.
Source: CSO, Census of Population 2022 (CC BY 4.0). Age-standardised ratios are TownRatings calculations against Ireland’s rates by age and sex (F4014, F4066). Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by region. Medical cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region.
Sources: CSO Census of Population 2022 (Small Area Population Statistics; F4014, F4066) · bad health and disability per 100 expected: TownRatings calculations, indirectly standardized by age and sex · CSO VSA31 (life expectancy, 2016) · HSE via CSO HHR03 (medical cards, 2022) · CSO MORT04 (deaths by county, age-standardised, 2020–2024) · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income in Ireland 2022 (GPIIA01, GPIIA02) · Health Grade: TownRatings, the live run. 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).