Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It skews young: 19% of residents are 15 to 24. With 4,032 residents, it is a neighbourhood in Galway.
Taken together, its subjects give Newcastle a D overall, better than 6% of Irish towns. In the ranking it comes #18 of 20 in Co. Galway. Homes are dear: it takes 9.2 years of the median household income to buy the median home, at €383,000. Its strongest subject is walkability — on the way to work, 46% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%.
Figures: commuting, CSO Census 2022 · 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 Newcastle does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Newcastle 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 →
3 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
1% 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 Newcastle. Best known first.
CathedralGalway Cathedral400 m outside town, to the southeast
MuseumGalway City Museum700 m outside town, to the southeast · 162K visitors a year (2011)
GardenEyre Square900 m outside town, to the east
ZooGalway Atlantaquaria1.4 km outside town, to the south
CastleLynch's Castle700 m outside town, to the southeast
MuseumJames Mitchell Museum100 m 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 Newcastle.
29% rent privately, between Co. Galway’s towns (36%) and Irish towns (22%). Owners make up 55% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €381,500 | 110 |
| The last 12 months | €410,000 | 34 |
| Housing | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 29% | 36% | 22% |
| Households in social housing | 15% | 10% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 55% | 52% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €383K | €373K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Burglary and damage came to 7.2 per 1,000 residents a year, above Co. Galway’s towns (5.8) and Irish towns (6.4) alike. Each year, 11.1 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Newcastle has more crime per resident than 78% of them. Recorded crime of every kind runs at 97.3 per 1,000 residents a year.
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 | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 11.1 | 7.9 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 97.3 | 67.8 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 28.3 | 11.7 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 7.2 | 5.8 | 6.4 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Newcastle’s nearest bathing water is Grattan Road Beach, 2.2 km away, rated sufficient in 2025. 100% of its homes sit in high-radon areas, about level with Co. Galway’s towns (100%) and above Irish towns (0%). No part of Newcastle is mapped as high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 13% | 3.7% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Getting to work takes 19.4 min on average. Short trips: 46% under 15 minutes, above Co. Galway’s towns (37%) and Irish towns (31%) alike. Unemployment runs at 12%.
| Census 2022 | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 56% | 68% | 68% |
| Average trip | 19.4 min | 24 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 46% | 37% | 31% |
| Median household income | €41,680 | €55,250 | €57,760 |
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 +1%, lower than both Co. Galway’s towns (+2%) and Irish towns (+4%). Coláiste Muire Máthair is the nearest secondary school, 0.9 km away. Within 3 km of Newcastle there are 31 schools (19 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 3 special schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh Gaeltacht schoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 643 | Catholic |
| Coláiste Einde DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 808 | Catholic |
| Coláiste na Coiribe Gaeltacht schoolTeaches through IrishPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 711 | Multi-denominational |
| Galway Community College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 395 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 16% | 14% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +1% | +2% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 29% | 25% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 33% | 29% | 39% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
4.5% of residents report bad or very bad health. Allowing for its ages, Newcastle has 102 residents with a disability per 100 expected, below Co. Galway’s towns (106) and Irish towns (106) alike. Self-reported good health: four fifths of the town’s residents. Also worth knowing: in the HSE West and North West health region, just over a third of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.5% | 1.8% | 2% |
| With a disability | 27% | 22% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 4.6% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
A January night in Newcastle drops to 3.1°C on average, close to Co. Galway’s towns (3.0°C) and above Irish towns (2.9°C). Over twelve months, Newcastle averages 10.5°C. The town sees July afternoons of 19.5°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,290 mm | 1,257 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.5°C | 19.2°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.5°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.1°C | 3.0°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Newcastle counts 10 parks, adding up to 58 ha of green space. Among the protected sites near Newcastle is Lough Corrib SAC. Within 5 km, 15% of the land is protected nature, above both Co. Galway’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (1.8%). Green space lies within 400 m of 100% of homes.
| Outdoors | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 29% | 20% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 5.4 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 15% | 14% | 1.8% |
| Near a park | 100% | 79% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Over the coming week, Tuesday looks wettest, with about 4 mm of rain. Newcastle’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 11°C, nights 5°C. The rain holds off today, but the wind gets up to 24 km/h, and the low is 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 380 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 6°C | 249 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 293 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 368 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Degrees are held by just over a third of adults, about level with Irish towns (36%) and below Co. Galway’s towns (49%). Children under 15 make up 9.2% of residents. 28% of residents are 65 or over.
52.8% of Newcastle’s residents are women
2,127 women and 1,905 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.2% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 19% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 20% | 22% | 24% |
| 65+ | 28% | 12% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 20% | 7.3% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 14% | 10% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 3.4% | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 35% | 49% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Galway and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Galway City Council has no ruling majority: Independent hold 4 of its 18 seats, short of the 10 needed. Newcastle is run by Galway City Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. 42% voted at the last local elections.
| Turnout | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 42% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Relative to its size, Newcastle keeps 7 buildings on the inventory per 10,000 residents. Homes from before 1919 make up 0.9% of the total, lower than both Co. Galway’s towns (2.5%) and Irish towns (3.4%).
| Heritage | Newcastle | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 7 | 51 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 3 | 21 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 0.9% | 2.5% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Newcastle has 3 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 1 of them rated of national or international importance. 3 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
No notable person born in Newcastle is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Séamus Brennan: Flickr user "Justsplit.com", CC BY 2.0 · Thomas Grady: Unknown author Unknown author, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 4,032 | — | D | D | C− | C+ |
| Dangan | 4,621 | 0.7 | D− | D | C− | C |
| Taylor's Hill | 3,141 | 0.9 | C− | D | B | C |
| Rahoon | 3,486 | 1.1 | C+ | D | B | B− |
| Woodquay and Nuns Island | 4,948 | 1.3 | C− | D | C− | B− |
| Claddagh | 2,755 | 1.6 | C | D | C− | B |
| Salthill | 5,445 | 1.8 | A | D | A | A |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Newcastle is 42.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
43% of working residents drive to work and 46% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%). 11% mostly work from home, and 46% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Newcastle had 4,032 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,807 in 2016: 5.9% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Galway
4,032 people live in Newcastle, 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).