Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
15- to 24-year-olds are 16% of the population. Population 15,082: a neighbourhood in Galway.
Ballybane’s weakest is hazard risk: an estimated 30% of homes are above the radon reference level. Its overall C+ puts it #178 of 320 Irish towns. It comes out better than 45% of Irish towns. Crime is the sore point: violent crime runs at 7.3 per 1,000 residents a year, burglary and criminal damage at 5.4. The local economy does well (B): 67% of working-age residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 10%. Set against the median household income, the median home, at €259,000, costs 4.2 times as much.
Figures: work, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
The 2 things Ballybane does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Ballybane 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 →
30 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
0% 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 Ballybane. Best known first.
CastleMerlinpark Castlein town
CastleKilleen Castle, Castlegarin town
CathedralGalway Cathedral3.3 km outside town, to the west
MuseumGalway City Museum3.1 km outside town, to the west · 162K visitors a year (2011)
CastleOranmore Castle1.2 km outside town, to the southeast
GardenEyre Square2.7 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballybane.
100% of its homes sit in high-radon areas, about level with Co. Galway’s towns (100%) and above Irish towns (0%). The nearest bathing water to Ballybane is Ballyloughane Beach, 2.6 km away, rated good in 2025. Only a handful of its homes, if any, sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 5% | 0.5% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.2% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Of the graded crimes in Ballybane, assaults and harassment came up most often (2023–2025). Every kind together came to 67.8 per 1,000 residents a year, below Co. Galway’s towns (89.5) but above Irish towns (54.3).
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 | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 5.4 | 7.2 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 7.3 | 9.5 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 67.8 | 89.5 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 18.5 | 11.7 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Commutes averaged 22.9 min, about level with Co. Galway’s towns (24 min) and below Irish towns (27.6 min). Average household income comes to €61,320 a year before tax. The census found 67% of 15- to 64-year-olds in work.
| Census 2022 | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22.9 min | 24 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €61,320 | €53,360 | €57,760 |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 38% | 37% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 67% | 68% | 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.
Within 3 km of Ballybane there are 18 schools (11 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 4 special schools). Coláiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin College is the nearest secondary school, 0.3 km away. Pupil numbers changed +2% since 2019/20, about level with Co. Galway’s towns (+2%) and below Irish towns (+4%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Íosa Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 770 | Catholic |
| Calasanctius CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 906 | Catholic |
| Gaelscoil Dara GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 419 | Catholic |
| Coláiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 710 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 33% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 44% | 25% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 11% | 15% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
Disability touches a fifth of Ballybane’s population. 4.5% of residents give unpaid care to a relative or friend, lower than both Co. Galway’s towns (5.1%) and Irish towns (5.4%). In the HSE West and North West health region, 34% of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.5% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | 88% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Ballybane gets 1,245 mm of rain a year. The year’s mean temperature is 10.2°C, about level with both Co. Galway’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). It is 0.2°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.0°C | 19.3°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,245 mm | 1,265 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.2°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 5 km, 15% is sea, between Co. Galway’s towns (21%) and Irish towns (0%). Protected nature near Ballybane includes Galway Bay Complex SAC. 78% of homes have green space within 400 m.
| Outdoors | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected nature within 5 km | 12% | 15% | 1.8% |
| Sea within 5 km | 15% | 21% | 0% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.9% | 1.7% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 78% | 81% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 3 mm for the day. The forecast for Ballybane beside its normal weather: a typical November day reaches 11°C and drops to 5°C at night. A dry day with a stiff breeze lies ahead today: wind building to 22 km/h, then a low of 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 363 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 241 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 286 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 355 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
31% of residents have a birthplace overseas. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 16% of residents, above both Co. Galway’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (12%). Among adults, 41% have a degree.
50.6% of Ballybane’s residents are women
7,638 women and 7,444 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 16% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 35% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 21% | 24% |
| 65+ | 7.1% | 13% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 8.2% | 7.3% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 12% | 10% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 33% | 28% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.2% | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 41% | 49% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Galway and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Ballybane is run by Galway City Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. Independent lead Galway City Council with 4 of 18 seats, but no party has a majority: 10 are needed. In the Dáil, Ballybane is part of Galway West, which elects 5 TDs.
| Turnout | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 45% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Its archaeology runs to 30 recorded sites. For its size, Ballybane has 2 inventory buildings per 10,000 residents, below both Co. Galway’s towns (51) and Irish towns (48). The pre-1919 share of homes is 0.4%.
| Heritage | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 2 | 51 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 30 | 17 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 0.4% | 2.5% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Private tenants account for 36% of households. 20% live in social housing, above both Co. Galway’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €258,000 | 91 |
| Housing | Ballybane | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 20% | 10% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 43% | 52% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €259K | €373K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 36% | 35% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
3 of Ballybane’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 30 archaeological sites in and around the town.
One notable person was born in Ballybane; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballybane | 15,082 | — | C+ | B | C+ | C+ |
| Murrough | 2,909 | 1.5 | C+ | C+ | C− | B+ |
| Mervue | 4,126 | 2.1 | C | C+ | C− | C− |
| Castlegar | 4,315 | 3.1 | D− | C− | C− | D |
| Eyre Square | 6,801 | 3.4 | C | D | C− | B+ |
| Ballinfoile and Terryland | 5,851 | 4.1 | D | D | C− | B− |
| Woodquay and Nuns Island | 4,948 | 4.3 | C− | D | C− | B− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Ballybane is 34.1, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 20% of residents are under 15 and 7% are 65 or over.
Ballybane had 15,082 people at the 2022 census, up from 14,596 in 2016: 3.3% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
10% mostly work from home, and 38% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Neighbourhood in Galway
15,082 people live in Ballybane, in the area of Galway City Council. TownRatings splits Galway 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).