Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Co. Kerry, this town has 546 residents.
The median sale, €222,500, comes to 5 times what the median household here earns. Over-65s are 31% of the population. On the way to work, 12% walk, cycle or take the bus or train. Mortgage-free owners make up just over three in five households.
Irish towns are graded from 1,000 residents, which leaves Tarbert out for now.
The 3 things Tarbert does most differently from other towns.
1 archaeological site are on the record here too.
17% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Tarbert.
Tarbert’s nearest bathing water is Cappagh Pier, Kilrush, 11 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Under 1% of homes in the town are estimated to have radon above the reference level. No part of Tarbert is mapped as high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Tarbert | 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.
January nights bottom out at 3.4°C in Tarbert, below Co. Kerry’s towns (3.7°C) but above Irish towns (2.9°C). In July, daytime highs in Tarbert average 19.5°C. Across the year, Tarbert averages 10.7°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,155 mm | 1,339 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.5°C | 19.6°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.7°C | 10.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.4°C | 3.7°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
86% of Tarbert’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, near Co. Kerry’s towns (86%) and lower than Irish towns (88%). Weighed against its ages, disability in the town runs at 100 per 100 expected. Unpaid caring falls to nearly a tenth of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 8.8% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 26% | 24% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 86% | 88% |
| 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
Private renters make up 7% of households, below Co. Kerry’s towns (27%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. 13% of households live in social housing.
| Housing | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 7% | 27% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 78% | 53% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €223K | €232K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 13% | 18% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area V31, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Within 1 km, 4.3% of the land is woodland, above both Co. Kerry’s towns (2.4%) and Irish towns (2.7%). Among the protected sites near Tarbert is Lower River Shannon SAC. Walkers have 5 waymarked trails and greenways starting within 5 km.
| Outdoors | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 34% | 77% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 33% | 12% | 1.8% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 4.3% | 2.4% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.1 km per km² | 0.6 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 4 mm. Tarbert’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 12°C, nights 6°C. It should stay dry today, with a fresh breeze of up to 21 km/h and a low near 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 354 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 6°C | 215 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 253 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 333 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Households had €44,100 a year before tax, about level with Co. Kerry’s towns (€42,580) and below Irish towns (€57,760). Of those in the labour force, 12% are unemployed. On average, the journey to work lasts 25 min.
| Census 2022 | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 51% | 53% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 12% | 11% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 25 min | 21.7 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €44,100 | €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.
14% of residents have a birthplace overseas. Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
51.3% of Tarbert’s residents are women
280 women and 266 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 9.2% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 31% | 18% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 12% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.9% | 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+
Local government for Tarbert is Kerry County Council alone; Ireland has a single tier. 65% voted at the general election. With 11 of 33 seats, Independent are the largest group on Kerry County Council, short of the 17 a majority needs.
| Turnout | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 62% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 65% | 65% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
16.9% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Co. Kerry’s towns (4.5%) and Irish towns (3.4%). The archaeological record lists 1 sites here. 7 of Tarbert’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists one archaeological site in and around the town.
| Heritage | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 128 | 94 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 16.9% | 4.5% | 3.4% |
| 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
The nearest secondary, Tarbert Comprehensive School, is 0.7 km away. Families in the town have 2 schools within 3 km to choose from: 1 primary school and 1 secondary school. Since 2019/20, pupils changed +6%, between Co. Kerry’s towns (+9%) and Irish towns (+4%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarbert National School DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 133 | Catholic |
| Tarbert Comprehensive SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Comprehensive | Post-primary · Comprehensive | 546 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Tarbert | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 67% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 11% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 29% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +6% | +9% | +4% |
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.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Tarbert. Best known first.
CastleGlin Castle4.4 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseTarbert House600 m outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
7 of Tarbert’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists one archaeological site in and around the town.
2 notable people were born in Tarbert; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
John B. Keane: Gotfryd, Bernard, photographer, Public domain · Richard Alphonsus O'Connor: Hopkins, J. Castell (John Castell), 1864-1923 and Cochrane, William, 1831-1898, Public domain · Ned O'Sullivan: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
The median age in Tarbert is 47.7, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Tarbert had 546 people at the 2022 census, down from 549 in 2016: 0.5% fewer, while the median of Irish towns grew 7.6%.
Urban area in Co. Kerry
Tarbert 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).