Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 18 buildings here. The town has 1,846 residents and lies in Co. Galway.
Crime is low: gardaí record 2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, and 1.7 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. Add cost of living to its strengths — home prices sit at a median €298,000, which is 5.9 years of the town’s median household income. Hazard risk is its weak spot (D): an estimated 32% of its homes exceed the radon reference level. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA · health and work, CSO Census 2022. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Oughterard gets subject grades but no overall one among Irish towns.
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 Oughterard does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Oughterard with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Oughterard gets subject grades but no overall one among Irish towns.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The record adds 21 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 7%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Oughterard.
Thefts came to 1.5 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), below both Co. Galway’s towns (15.1) and Irish towns (15.3). Counting every kind of crime, the yearly rate is 25.7 per 1,000 residents. Also worth knowing: the commonest graded crime in Oughterard was assaults and harassment (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 | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 1.7 | 6.5 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 2 | 8.7 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 25.7 | 78.6 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 1.5 | 15.1 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
100% of its homes sit in high-radon areas, about level with Co. Galway’s towns (100%) and above Irish towns (0%). On high landslide susceptibility: 0.2% of homes, near both Co. Galway’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 14% | 4.3% | 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.
The private rented sector houses just over a fifth of households. Social housing holds 6% of households, lower than both Co. Galway’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €298,000 | 70 |
| Housing | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 70% | 52% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 6% | 10% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 21% | 36% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €298K | €373K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
July afternoons reach 19.2°C here, near Co. Galway’s towns (19.3°C) and lower than Irish towns (19.9°C). The nearest weather station is Claremorris, 38 km away. December is the wettest month in Oughterard, with 182 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,539 mm | 1,261 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.2°C | 19.3°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected nature near Oughterard includes Lough Corrib SAC. Within 5 km, 25% of the land is protected nature, higher than both Co. Galway’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (1.8%).
| Outdoors | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 53% | 80% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 25% | 14% | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.2 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Sea within 5 km | 0% | 21% | 0% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
There may be a drop or two today, little to measure, with wind freshening to 20 km/h and a low of 8°C. Dry weather holds for 5 of the following 6 days. In November a normal day reaches 11°C and a normal night 5°C; the forecast for Oughterard below sets each day against them.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 488 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 304 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 309 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 438 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Born abroad: 20% of residents, lower than both Co. Galway’s towns (26%) and Irish towns (22%). Over-65s are 17% of the population. Just over one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24.
Women make up 52.0% of Oughterard
959 women and 887 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 22% | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 9.4% | 7.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 9.7% | 10% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 33% | 29% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6% | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 43% | 47% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Galway and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Local government for Oughterard is Galway County Council alone; Ireland has a single tier. Galway County Council has no ruling majority: Fine Gael hold 13 of its 39 seats, short of the 20 needed. The town sits in the Conamara North local electoral area, which elects 4 councillors.
| Turnout | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 41% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 6.6% of the total, above both Co. Galway’s towns (1.7%) and Irish towns (3.4%). There are 21 entries on the national archaeological record here. Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 18 buildings in Oughterard, each of regional importance.
| Heritage | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 98 | 33 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 6.6% | 1.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 21 | 19 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Unemployment stood at 7.7%, lower than both Co. Galway’s towns (9.6%) and Irish towns (9.2%). Nearly three quarters of commuters took the car to work at the census. Getting to work takes 28.6 min on average.
| Census 2022 | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 28.6 min | 23.8 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 7.7% | 9.6% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 39% | 37% | 31% |
| Median household income | €50,728 | €54,305 | €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.
Weighed against its ages, bad health in Oughterard runs at 131 per 100 expected. 2.7% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, higher than both Co. Galway’s towns (1.9%) and Irish towns (2%). In the HSE West and North West health region, just over a third of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 7.5% | 5% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 1.9% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | 88% | 88% |
| With a disability | 24% | 22% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Since 2019/20, pupils changed +9%, higher than both Co. Galway’s towns (+2%) and Irish towns (+4%). 2 schools lie within 3 km of Oughterard: 1 primary school and 1 secondary school. The nearest secondary, St Pauls, is 0.6 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Chuimín & Caitríona DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 265 | Catholic |
| St PaulsLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 465 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Oughterard | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 15% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 31% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 27% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +9% | +2% | +4% |
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.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Oughterard. Best known first.
CastleAughnanure Castle900 m outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumGlengowla Mines & Family Farm Experience2.2 km outside town, to the westNatural landscapeNatural landscapeGalway Wind Park4.7 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 18 buildings in Oughterard, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 21 sites here.
3 notable people were born in Oughterard.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oughterard | 1,846 | — | — | B+ | A+ | B− |
| Maigh Cuilinn | 2,279 | 14 | — | C | A+ | A− |
| Headford | 1,235 | 15 | — | B | A+ | B |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Oughterard had 1,846 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,719 in 2016: 7.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Oughterard is 42, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 19% of residents are under 15 and 17% are 65 or over.
Urban area in Co. Galway
Oughterard has 1,846 people, in the area of Galway County Council. TownRatings uses the CSO’s 2022 Urban Areas as Ireland’s towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a county or a council area, so its figures cover the town itself.
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).