Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are 20% of the population. With 2,536 residents, it is a town in Co. Kerry.
Crime is low: 3.8 violent crimes and 2.3 burglaries and acts of criminal damage recorded per 1,000 residents a year. Castleisland grades A+ overall, better than 97% of Irish towns, and ranks #1 of 5 in Co. Kerry. Cost of living is another plus (A−) — prices run to a median €198,200, 4.3 times local household income. The trade-off is hazard risk: an estimated 9% of homes are above the radon reference level. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for health, B− for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA · health, work and commuting, CSO Census 2022.
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 Castleisland does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Castleisland 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 →
The record adds 5 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 5%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Castleisland.
In 2023–2025, assaults and harassment led the graded crimes in Castleisland. Every kind together came to 34.8 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Co. Kerry’s towns (55.9) and 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 | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.3 | 4.6 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 3.8 | 7.8 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 34.8 | 55.9 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 3.4 | 7.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Renting cost €1,078 a month on average, below Co. Kerry’s towns (€1,170) and Irish towns (€1,606) alike. 62% of households are owner-occupiers. No town in Co. Kerry costs less to buy into than Castleisland, at €198,200, the lowest of 5.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €196,000 | 95 |
| The last 12 months | €220,000 | 30 |
| Housing | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €198K | €269K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,078 | €1,170 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 18% | 27% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 62% | 53% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Since 2019/20, pupils changed +12%, above Co. Kerry’s towns (+8%) and Irish towns (+4%) alike. The nearest secondary, Meanscoil Phadraig Naofa, is 0.3 km away. Within 3 km of Castleisland there are 7 schools (4 primary schools and 3 secondary schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelscoil Naomh Aogain GaelscoilLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 179 | Catholic |
| Castleisland Community CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 452 | Multi-denominational |
| Muire Gan Smal DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 123 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 67% | 53% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 14% | 10% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +12% | +8% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 29% | 24% | 35% |
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.
Radon: 57% of homes are in high-radon areas, above both Co. Kerry’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). The ground under Castleisland carries no high landslide susceptibility. Only a handful of its homes, if any, sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 57% | 0% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 15% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
In January, overnight lows in Castleisland settle at 3.4°C. Here July highs average 19.7°C, in line with Co. Kerry’s towns (19.6°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). Day and night, summer and winter, Castleisland averages 10.8°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,339 mm | 1,411 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.8°C | 10.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.4°C | 3.8°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.7°C | 19.6°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Its paths and tracks come to 0.3 km per km², below both Co. Kerry’s towns (0.9 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). A park or green space is within 400 m for 77% of homes.
| Outdoors | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected nature within 5 km | 12% | 14% | 1.8% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.7% | 4.8% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 77% | 71% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | 0.9 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 4 mm for the day. Castleisland’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 12°C, nights 5°C. The forecast keeps rain away today, with a gentle wind of up to 19 km/h and a low of 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 409 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 6°C | 258 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 280 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 393 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
16% of residents were born abroad. Children under 15 make up 17%, about level with Co. Kerry’s towns (18%) and below Irish towns (20%). Graduates make up nearly a quarter of adults.
Women make up 51.9% of Castleisland
1,316 women and 1,220 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 14% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6% | 6.6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 24% | 32% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Kerry and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election, 65% of voters took part. Castleisland answers to one council, Kerry County Council; Ireland has no town tier. Kerry County Council has no ruling majority: Independent hold 11 of its 33 seats, short of the 17 needed.
| Turnout | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 63% | 60% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 65% | 65% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Scaled to its population, Castleisland has 43 inventory buildings per 10,000 people, below Co. Kerry’s towns (101) and Irish towns (48) alike. Archaeologists have recorded 5 sites here.
| Heritage | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 43 | 101 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 5 | 39 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
86% of Castleisland’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Co. Kerry’s towns (87%) and Irish towns (88%). Its share in bad or very bad health, 2.4%, is the second highest of the 5 towns in Co. Kerry. A disability affects a quarter of people in the town.
| Census 2022 | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 5% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2% |
| With a disability | 25% | 24% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Nearly half of trips took under 15 minutes, lower than Co. Kerry’s towns (53%) yet higher than Irish towns (31%). Home was the main workplace for 5.7% of workers at the census. Driving is how 79% of commuters got to work at the census.
| Census 2022 | Castleisland | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 49% | 53% | 31% |
| Average trip | 22.1 min | 21.4 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €46,428 | €41,482 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 12% | 9.2% |
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.
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Castleisland; with them, the best known within 40 km.
CathedralSt Mary's Cathedral Killarney20 km south
CastleRoss Castle22 km south
Cathedral · Office of Public WorksArdfert Cathedral24 km northwest
MuseumMuckross House, Gardens & Traditional Farms24 km south
Abbey or prioryMuckross Friary23 km southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
11 of Castleisland’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 1 rank of national or international importance. Archaeologists have recorded 5 sites here.
8 notable people were born in Castleisland.
Denis Mary Bradley: w:John Gilmary Shea is the author of the book., 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleisland | 2,536 | — | A+ | A− | A− | B |
| Tralee | 26,079 | 17 | C− | B | C− | C+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Castleisland is 42.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Castleisland had 2,536 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,490 in 2016: 1.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
6% mostly work from home, and 49% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Kerry
2,536 people live in Castleisland, 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) · 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).