Photo: J. Patrick Fischer · CC BY-SA 4.0Less burglary and damage is recorded per resident in Kenmare than in 97% of Irish towns
All told, Kenmare grades A for safety (#1 of 5 in Co. Kerry): less crime per resident than 85% of Irish towns, on incidents the Gardaí recorded in its station areas from 2023 to 2025. Here, violence, burglary and damage come to 6.1 per 1,000 residents a year, against 11.9 for Ireland. Typical years here bring 3.8 violent incidents plus 2.3 incidents of burglary and damage per 1,000 residents, against 5.7 plus 6.1 in the typical town its size.
Incidents per 1,000 residents (Census 2022) a year, 2023–2025 average, in the Garda station areas residents live in. Homicide and sexual offences aren’t published by station, so no figure here includes them.
What stands out about safety in Kenmare
Below the Irish rate
The station areas Kenmare’s residents live in record 6.1 incidents of violence, burglary and damage per 1,000 residents a year (2023–2025), against 11.9 across Ireland: 49% below the national rate. Safety Grade ↓
Less crime than most places its size
Among the 40 Irish towns closest in size, Kenmare ranks 3rd, counting from the least graded crime: lower than Castleisland, Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) and Baltinglass, higher than Blarney and Callan. Towns its size ↓
Written from CSO’s recorded crime by Garda station (CJA11) and Census 2022. Figures are incidents the Gardaí recorded, not convictions.
What’s behind Kenmare’s grade
How sure: The rate comes from Garda station areas, shared out by where residents live, not from crime inside the town’s own boundary.
The grade counts assaults and harassment, kidnapping, robbery, weapons offences, burglary and damage per resident, averaged over three years, and places the town among every Irish town and city neighbourhood of 1,000 people or more (the five city totals aren’t in it).
Its place: #1 of 5 in Co. Kerry and #23 of 320 Irish towns.
Violent crime, burglary and damage the Gardaí recorded per resident, 2023–2025, against Irish towns of 1,000 people or more.
3rd of 40: Kenmare among towns its size
| # | Town | People | Violent | Burglary & damage | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blarney Cork | 2,779 | 1.9 | 1.9 | A+ |
| 2 | Callan Kilkenny | 2,678 | 2.7 | 3.3 | A |
| 3 | Kenmare Kerry | 2,566 | 3.8 | 2.3 | A |
| 4 | Castleisland Kerry | 2,536 | 3.8 | 2.3 | A− |
| 5 | Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow | 2,945 | 3 | 3.2 | A− |
| 6 | Baltinglass Wicklow | 2,611 | 2.5 | 4 | A− |
| … | |||||
| 40 | Blackpool Cork | 3,124 | 13.7 | 9.7 | D |
The 40 Irish towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500+ people closest in population; the city totals are left out. Graded crime: violent crime, burglary and damage.
Graded crime per 1,000 residents a year, 2023 to 2025, counting from the least: towns ranked near Kenmare, and others in Co. Kerry.
Crime in Kenmare per 1,000 residents
Violence per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025
Burglary & damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025
A crime isn’t a victim: one person can report several, and crimes in a town centre often involve visitors rather than residents.
And about 2 burglaries or acts of criminal damage, plus 3 thefts, a year (2023–2025 average). Each dot is one resident; each coloured dot is one recorded incident.
What was recorded in Kenmare, year by year
Violent · per 1,000 residents
Burglary & damage · per 1,000 residents
Its highest year was 2025, at 7.6 per 1,000 residents, and its lowest 2016, at 2.1. Across Ireland the same rate went from 12 in 2016 to 11.6 in 2025. At about 16 graded incidents a year, a few cases move these figures a long way.
Every year as a table
| Year | Violent | Burglary & damage | Graded | Ireland | All recorded crime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.9 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 11.6 | 22.6 |
| 2024 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 5.7 | 12.1 | 20.5 |
| 2023 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 5 | 11.9 | 20.5 |
| 2022 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 6.9 | 11.6 | 22 |
| 2021 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.9 | 10.2 | 15.1 |
| 2020 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 10.6 | 19.7 |
| 2019 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 12.8 | 19.5 |
| 2018 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 12.4 | 22.4 |
| 2017 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 12.8 | 24.2 |
| 2016 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 12 | 19 |
CSO CJA11, recorded crime incidents by Garda station, 2016–2025, shared to the town by where its residents live. Every year is divided by the residents counted in 2022, so the line moves with recorded crime, not with population. CSO publishes recorded crime “under reservation”, its flag on the quality of Garda recording.
Violence, burglary and damage the Gardaí recorded each year in the station areas where Kenmare’s residents live, per 1,000 residents, against Ireland as a whole.
What was recorded, by type
Show as a table
| Category | In the grade | Per 1,000 | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road and traffic offences | not graded | 4.4 | 9.3 |
| Assaults and harassment | Violent | 3.5 | 4.8 |
| Public order offences | not graded | 3.4 | 5 |
| Theft | not graded | 2.6 | 11.6 |
| Dangerous or negligent acts | not graded | 2.5 | 5.3 |
| Drug offences | not graded | 1.7 | 3.1 |
| Damage to property | Burglary & damage | 1.6 | 4.4 |
| Burglary | Burglary & damage | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| Other offences | not graded | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Weapons and explosives | Violent | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Offences against justice | not graded | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| Robbery, extortion and hijacking | Violent | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Kidnapping | Violent | 0.1 | 0 |
The groups are CSO’s. Dangerous or negligent acts, drug offences, road and traffic offences and offences against justice count Garda checks more than victims; they, theft, public order and other offences are shown but not graded. Homicide and sexual offences aren’t published by station; fraud is left out.
Per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average. The tick on each bar is the typical (median) town among Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Station areas, not the town’s boundary. Crime is published by Garda station. Each station’s incidents are divided by the people living in its area (Census 2022), and Kenmare takes the rates of the areas its residents live in, weighted by how many live in each.
- Checks are shown, not graded. Road traffic, dangerous driving, drug and justice offences mostly record Garda activity: one rural station can book thousands of camera detections. The grade leaves them out, with theft and public order, and counts violence, burglary and damage.
- Each year, and one average. CSO publishes crime by station once a year. The chart follows every year since 2016; the grade averages 2023, 2024 and 2025, because a small station area’s count swings from year to year. There are no months.
- No streets. No street- or ward-level crime is published in Ireland: the finest grain is the Garda station area.
Questions about safety in Kenmare
Is Kenmare safe?
The Gardaí recorded about 3.8 violent incidents and 2.3 burglaries or acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year in the station areas Kenmare’s residents live in, averaged over 2023–2025. That earns an A for safety: less crime per resident than 85% of Irish towns.
What is the most common crime in Kenmare?
Road and traffic offences: about 11 a year (2023–2025 average). Next came assaults and harassment (9) and public order offences (9). That is mostly Garda enforcement (road checks and the like), not crime against residents, and it isn’t graded.
Is crime going up in Kenmare?
The recorded rate in the graded categories rose 266% from 2016 to 2025: 2.1 per 1,000 residents in 2016, 7.6 in 2025. In a town this size a few dozen cases move the figure, so the grade uses the three-year average.
How does Kenmare compare with Ireland as a whole?
The station areas Kenmare’s residents live in record 6.1 incidents of violence, burglary and damage per 1,000 residents a year (2023–2025). Across Ireland the figure is 11.9.
How sure is Kenmare’s Safety Grade?
The rate comes from Garda station areas, shared out by where residents live, not from crime inside the town’s own boundary.
Source: CSO, Recorded crime incidents by Garda station (CJA11), 2023–2025, and Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0); TownRatings calculation.
Sources: CSO, Recorded crime incidents by Garda station (CJA11), 2023–2025 · CSO, Census 2022 Small Areas and the 2011 Garda sub-districts · Safety Grade: TownRatings calculation. 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).