Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
546 residents make their home in this town in Co. Kerry.
Homes sell for a median €237,500, about 5.4 times what a household here earns in a year. Public transport, bikes and feet take one in ten commuters to work. 22% of adults have a degree. Homes here sold for a median €241,500 over 2023 to 2025.
Ballyheigue has no grades yet: Irish towns are graded from 1,000 residents up.
The 3 things Ballyheigue does most differently from other towns.
The record adds 3 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 10%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballyheigue.
DEIS, the support scheme, covers 50% of them, above both Co. Kerry’s towns (29%) and Irish towns (35%). 2 schools lie within 3 km of Ballyheigue: 2 primary schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Naomh Erc Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 129 | Catholic |
| Scoil Naomh Iosef DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 38 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −14% | +9% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 11% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 29% | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no school-by-school results, which is why these cards have no letters.
The closest place to swim from Ballyheigue is Ballyheigue, 0.7 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Radon is rarely a worry here: under 1% of homes are estimated above the reference level. No part of Ballyheigue is mapped as high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
A year brings 1,180 mm of rain, between Co. Kerry’s towns (1,339 mm) and Irish towns (937 mm). July afternoons in Ballyheigue average 18.8°C. Day and night, summer and winter, Ballyheigue averages 11.1°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.8°C | 19.6°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 4.6°C | 3.7°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 11.1°C | 10.9°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 1,180 mm | 1,339 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
At the census, 29% of people here had a disability, above Co. Kerry’s towns (24%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. 83% of people in Ballyheigue rate their own health good or very good. Family carers: 6.8% of the people in Ballyheigue look after someone without pay.
| Census 2022 | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 29% | 24% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 83% | 86% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 6.8% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Social housing holds 22% of households, above Co. Kerry’s towns (18%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. 65% of households own their home.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €235,000 | 37 |
| Housing | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 9% | 27% | 22% |
| Households in social housing | 22% | 18% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 65% | 53% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €238K | €232K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Within 5 km, 8.4% of the land is protected nature, below Co. Kerry’s towns (12%) but above Irish towns (1.8%). Among the protected sites near Ballyheigue is Akeragh. 2 waymarked trails and greenways start within 5 km.
| Outdoors | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Near a park | 53% | 77% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 6.7% | 2.4% | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 8.4% | 12% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
In November a normal day reaches 12°C and a normal night 7°C; the forecast for Ballyheigue below sets each day against them. No rain is due today, though a breeze picks up to 26 km/h; the low is 5°C. December follows with normal highs of 10°C and lows of 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 5°C | 359 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 7°C | 224 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 12°C | 248 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 9°C | 349 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Household income averages €44,010 a year before tax. 26% of trips took under 15 minutes, below Co. Kerry’s towns (53%) and Irish towns (31%) alike. On top of that, among people aged 15 to 64, 62% were working at the census.
| Census 2022 | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31.6 min | 21.7 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 26% | 53% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 62% | 67% | 68% |
| Median household income | €44,010 | €42,580 | €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.
21% of residents are 65 or over, above Co. Kerry’s towns (18%) and Irish towns (14%) alike. Aged 15 to 24: 9.3% of residents.
Women make up 50.9% of Ballyheigue
278 women and 268 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 17% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 37% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.3% | 6.5% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 22% | 31% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Kerry and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
The general election drew a turnout of 65%. There is no majority on Kerry County Council; Independent have the most seats, 11 of 33, short of 17. Kerry County Council is the council for Ballyheigue, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government.
| Turnout | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 62% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 65% | 65% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Ballyheigue has 37 inventory buildings for every 10,000 residents. 3 archaeological sites are on the record, lower than both Co. Kerry’s towns (19) and Irish towns (11). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 2 buildings in Ballyheigue, each of regional importance.
| Heritage | Ballyheigue | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 37 | 94 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 9.5% | 4.5% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 3 | 19 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Ballyheigue; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CastleBallyheigue Castlein town
Cathedral · Office of Public WorksArdfert Cathedral7.9 km southeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksListowel Castle24 km east
FortCaherconree22 km south
Abbey or prioryArdfert Abbey Friary8 km southeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksCarrigafoyle Castle30 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 2 buildings in Ballyheigue, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 3 sites here.
One notable person was born in Ballyheigue; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Robert D. FitzGerald: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · William Crean: Trocaire from Ireland, CC BY 2.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyheigue | 546 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tralee | 26,079 | 16 | C− | B | C− | C+ |
| Ballybunion | 1,618 | 17 | — | C+ | B | C− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
12% mostly work from home, and 26% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Ballyheigue had 546 people at the 2022 census, down from 563 in 2016: 3% fewer, while the median of Irish towns grew 7.6%.
The median age in Ballyheigue is 44, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Kerry
Ballyheigue has 546 people, in the area of Kerry 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). 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).