Williamstown’s story
Williamstown: 1 building on the National Inventory
The record adds 1 archaeological site.
Homes built before 1919: 10%, against 3% across Irish towns.
- 1955Saint Therese's Catholic Church
WilliamstownCo. Galway
Some 198 people live in this town, in Co. Galway. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 8%.
Population
198
CSO, Census 2022 · Galway County Council
Median age
33.5
16% are 65+ · Co. Galway 12%
Degree level
15%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
5%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
Is Williamstown a good place to live?
Walking, cycling and public transport carry 5% of commuters. The median home sold for €144,400 from 2023 to 2025. 15% of residents 15 and over hold a degree.
Williamstown has no grades yet: Irish towns are graded from 1,000 residents up.
What makes Williamstown stand out
The 3 things Williamstown does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% walk, cycle or ride
Against 23% in the median of Irish towns
CSO, Census 2022
Median sale price
Housing
61% below the median of Irish towns, €372,600
Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025.
Degree or higher, residents 15+
Education
Against 36% in the median of Irish towns
CSO, Census 2022
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Williamstown.
Schools
More schools around Williamstown are in DEIS, the support scheme, than in Co. Galway’s towns or across Irish towns: 100%
Within 3 km of Williamstown there is one school. 110 pupils attend the one school within 3 km of the town.
1schools within 3 km
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croi Ronaofa Meascaithe DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 110 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 100% | 27% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 15% | 8% |
110
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
0.2 km
to the nearest primary school
7.8 km
to the nearest secondary school
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no results school by school, so these cards carry no letters or results.
Natural hazards
Radon is the hazard to test for in Williamstown: an estimated 19% of homes are above the reference level
97% of its homes sit in high-radon areas, near Co. Galway’s towns (100%) and higher than Irish towns (0%). The ground under Williamstown carries no high landslide susceptibility. Its homes mostly stand clear of low ground by water.
97%of homes in high-radon areas
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
In high-radon areas97%
On high landslide susceptibility0%
| Share of homes | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 97% | 100% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
19%
of homes over the radon level
155
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Climate
Winter nights bite in Williamstown: January lows of 2.0°C, colder than Co. Galway’s towns or Irish towns
Here July highs average 19.1°C, close to Co. Galway’s towns (19.3°C) and below Irish towns (19.9°C). Taken over the whole year, the average temperature in Williamstown is 9.6°C. The town gets 1,188 mm of rain a year.
19.1°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter8.2°C
Spring13.0°C
Summer18.6°C
Autumn13.5°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.6°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.0°C | 3.0°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.1°C | 19.3°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,188 mm | 1,261 mm | 937 mm |
19.1°C
July high
2.0°C
January low
1,188 mm
Rain a year
132 mm
Wettest month
36
Air frosts
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Health
Fewer people in Williamstown have a disability than its ages would predict: 70 per 100 expected, under Co. Galway’s towns and Irish towns
Weighed against its ages, bad health in Williamstown runs at 92 per 100 expected. 7.1% of residents give unpaid care to a relative or friend, above both Co. Galway’s towns (5%) and Irish towns (5.4%). A disability affects 15% of people here.
91%good or very good health
Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised
Bad health92
Disability70
Co. Galway110
Expected100
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 91%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2022 | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 7.1% | 5% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 91% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2% |
92
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Galway 110
70
disability per 100 expected · Co. Galway 106
84.5 · 79.7
life expectancy, women · men, the West region, 2016
34%
hold a medical card, HSE West and North West
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Housing
Williamstown’s median home sold for €173,000
Renting privately is how 36% of households live. 8% live in social housing, below Co. Galway’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. Owners make up 52% of households.
€173Kmedian sale price
Median sale price · Property Price Register, 2023–2025
Williamstown€173K
Co. Galway€373K
Irish towns€350K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €166,200 | 31 |
| Housing | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €173K | €373K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 36% | 36% | 22% |
| Households in social housing | 8% | 10% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 52% | 52% | 61% |
52%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
36%
rent privately · Irish towns 22%
€1,637
a month on new tenancies, County Galway
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Outdoors
Green space is close to home in Williamstown: 100% of homes are within 400 m of some, more than Co. Galway’s towns or Irish towns
Protected sites cover 9.6% of the land within 5 km, lower than Co. Galway’s towns (14%) yet higher than Irish towns (1.8%). Within 1 km, 4.2% of the land is woodland, above both Co. Galway’s towns (1.8%) and Irish towns (2.7%).
100%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Williamstown5.8 ha
Co. Galway5.5 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected nature within 5 km | 9.6% | 14% | 1.8% |
| Near a park | 100% | 80% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.0 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 4.2% | 1.8% | 2.7% |
100%
Near a park
5.8 ha
Green space
0 km
Footpaths
9.6%
Protected for nature
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Weather in Williamstown: 10 degrees and sunny today
For warmth, Thursday is the pick of the days ahead at 9°C; the chilliest afternoon gets to just 7°C. Williamstown’s forecast, set beside its normal weather: in November a typical day reaches 10°C, and nights drop to 4°C. A dry day with a stiff breeze lies ahead today: wind building to 22 km/h, then a low of 5°C.
10°C / 5°CToday
This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages
November10°C
December8°C
January8°C
February9°C
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 354 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 244 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 263 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 328 mm |
10°C / 5°C
Today
None
Rain, next 24 hours
14 km/h
Wind
95%
Humidity
9 h 15 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Williamstown than in Co. Galway’s towns or Irish towns: 5.2%
A trip to work takes 31.9 min on average. 90% of commuters drove, higher than both Co. Galway’s towns (60%) and Irish towns (66%). Working from home was the norm for 3.9% of workers at the census.
5%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van90%
Walk5%
| Census 2022 | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 77% | 68% | 68% |
| Average trip | 31.9 min | 23.8 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €50,430 | €54,305 | €57,760 |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 31% | 37% | 31% |
€50,430
household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Galway €59,641
4%
worked mainly from home, 2022
17%
trips of an hour or more
11,344
on the Live Register, County Galway, September 2026
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.
Who lives here
A town of families: 27% of people in Williamstown are under 15, more than in Co. Galway’s towns or Irish towns
16% of residents have reached 65. Daily Irish speakers outside school: 2.3%, about level with Co. Galway’s towns (2.3%) and above Irish towns (1.1%). Foreign-born residents make up nearly a quarter of the population.
33.5median age
WilliamstownCo. GalwayIreland
Ages · share of residents
16%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none15%
Lower secondary20%
Leaving Cert45%
Diploma or cert5%
Degree or higher15%
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 50.5% of Williamstown
100 women and 98 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 27% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 7.1% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 33% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 17% | 22% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 15% | 7.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 20% | 10% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 45% | 29% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.3% | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 15% | 47% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Galway and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
Williamstown votes in numbers: 66% turned out at the general election, above Co. Galway’s towns and Irish towns
51% of voters turned out at the last local elections, above both Co. Galway’s towns (45%) and Irish towns (46%). No party holds a majority on Galway County Council: Fine Gael lead with 13 of 39 seats, short of the 20 needed. Galway County Council is the council for Williamstown, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government.
13/39seats held by Fine Gael
Seats on Galway County · June 2024
Fine Gael13
Fianna Fáil11
Independent7
Independent Ireland6
Sinn Féin2
| Turnout | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 66% | 58% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 51% | 45% | 46% |
6
Councillors
13/39
Fine Gael seats on Galway County, the largest party
51%
turnout, June 2024
3
TDs elected for Roscommon-Galway
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
History
Williamstown keeps more of its old housing than Co. Galway’s towns or Irish towns: 9.6% built before 1919
Beneath and around the town lie 1 recorded archaeological sites. Scaled to its population, Williamstown has 51 inventory buildings per 10,000 people, higher than both Co. Galway’s towns (33) and Irish towns (48). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded one building in Williamstown, of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded one site here.
1inventory buildings
Buildings by NIAH rating · NIAH
International0
National0
Regional1
Among them
1
sites on the Sites and Monuments Record
1955
earliest dated inventory building
10%
homes built before 1919 · Irish towns 3%
| Heritage | Williamstown | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1919 | 9.6% | 1.7% | 3.4% |
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 51 | 33 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 1 | 19 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Glinsk Castle and 11 more within 40 km
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Williamstown; these are the best known within 40 km.
CastleGlinsk Castle10 km east
CathedralCathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary25 km southwest
MuseumCastlerea Railway Museum12 km northeast
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksBoyle Abbey38 km northeast
CastleRoscommon Castle26 km east
CastleFeartagar Castle27 km southwestPlaces: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0) · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Glinsk Castle: Hyacinth45 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: TuamRCCathedral.jpg : JohnArmagh derivative work: Rabanus Flavus, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castlerea Railway Museum: NearEMPTiness, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Boyle Abbey: Digital Eye, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Roscommon Castle: Irishrover1980, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Feartagar Castle: Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Williamstown
15pages on Williamstown
The big questions
Out and about
Famous people from around Williamstown
One notable person was born in Williamstown; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
M
Michael McGovernIrish poet · 1847–1933D
Douglas HydeFirst President of Ireland; historian, … · born in CastlereaJ
Jim HigginsIrish politician and MEP · born in Ballyhaunis · born 1945A
Aoife O'RourkeIrish boxer · born in Castlerea · born 1997S
Seán FlanaganIrish politician (1922–1993) · born in BallyhaunisB
Bill NaughtonIrish-born British playwright and autho… · born in BallyhaunisWilliamstown’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
CastlereaBallyhaunisWilliamstown
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 198 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Castlerea Roscommon | 2,348 | 12 | — | A+ | C | C+ |
| Ballyhaunis Mayo | 2,773 | 16 | B+ | A+ | B | C+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Williamstown
How do people in Williamstown get to work?
4% mostly work from home, and 31% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Is Williamstown growing?
Williamstown had 198 people at the 2022 census, up from 183 in 2016: 8.2% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
How old are the people of Williamstown?
The median age in Williamstown is 33.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
About Williamstown
Urban area in Co. Galway
Williamstown has 198 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)
- Population
- 198 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Galway
- Council
- Galway County Council
- Local electoral area
- Ballinasloe
- Dáil constituency
- Roscommon-Galway
- Name in Irish
- Baile Liam
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:27273
Sources: CSO, Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · Tailte Éireann, Urban Areas and Electoral Divisions 2022 (CC BY 4.0). 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).