Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
30 of its buildings are on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. The town, home to 3,815 people, lies in Co. Kildare.
A strong record with one exception. Police record less crime here than in most towns: violent crime runs at 2.2 per 1,000 residents a year, burglary and criminal damage at 3.1. Kilcullen’s overall grade of A+ puts it better than 98% of Irish towns, #4 of 14 in Co. Kildare. Add jobs & income to its strengths (A−): the unemployment rate is 6%, with 73% of 15 to 64s in work. What holds it back is walkability (D) — just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. It also trails on hazard risk — an estimated nearly a tenth of its homes exceed the radon reference level. The median sale, €363,000, comes to 5.5 times what the median household here earns.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
This town's Hazard risk Grade uses radon and landslides only: open LiDAR heights don't cover enough of its homes to measure flooding, so flood isn't counted for or against it.
The 3 things Kilcullen does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Kilcullen 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 →
2 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kilcullen.
More of the graded crimes in Kilcullen were assaults and harassment than anything else (2023–2025). In all, 28.6 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, lower than both Co. Kildare’s towns (44.1) 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 | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 3.1 | 4.2 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 2.2 | 4.1 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 28.6 | 44.1 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 6 | 11.1 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
By car: that was how 77% of commuters travelled at the census. Short trips: 37% under 15 minutes, above both Co. Kildare’s towns (28%) and Irish towns (31%). Of those in the labour force, 6.4% are unemployed.
| Census 2022 | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 37% | 28% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 73% | 71% | 68% |
| Average trip | 28.6 min | 33 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €66,459 | €75,277 | €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.
8% live in social housing, below Co. Kildare’s towns (11%) and Irish towns (13%) alike. Home ownership stands at 72% of households. The private rented sector houses nearly a fifth of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €416,300 | 114 |
| Second-hand homes | €330,000 | 147 |
| The last 12 months | €430,000 | 90 |
| Housing | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 8% | 11% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 72% | 70% | 61% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,483 | €1,602 | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €363K | €415K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Within 3 km of Kilcullen there are 3 schools (2 primary schools and 1 secondary school). For secondary school, the closest is Cross And Passion College, 0.2 km from the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Brigids N.S. Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 598 | Catholic |
| Cross And Passion CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 843 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 23% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 6% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 7% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −1% | +7% | +4% |
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.
63% of its homes sit in high-radon areas, higher than both Co. Kildare’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). The ground under Kilcullen carries no high landslide susceptibility. Low ground by water holds almost none of its homes.
| Share of homes | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 63% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Over twelve months, Kilcullen averages 9.8°C. November is the wettest month here, with 99 mm of rain on average. This Co. Kildare town is 0.3°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 1.9°C | 2.0°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.8°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 20.0°C | 20.1°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 912 mm | 851 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
74% of homes are within 400 m of green space, below Co. Kildare’s towns (79%) and Irish towns (92%) alike. 8 parks, 13 ha of green space: that is the measure of Kilcullen’s parkland.
| Outdoors | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 5.3% | 2.1% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 74% | 79% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.8 km per km² | 1.1 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0% | 0.5% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
A typical November day reaches 10°C and drops to 4°C at night: the forecast for Kilcullen is set against that. No rain is due today, though a breeze picks up to 21 km/h; the low is 5°C. Expect highs from 7°C to 11°C over the rest of the week, with Thursday the warmest.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 236 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 187 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 217 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 272 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.6%, below both Co. Kildare’s towns (1%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Children under 15 count for 24% of the people here. Foreign-born residents make up 16% of the population.
51.2% of Kilcullen’s residents are women
1,954 women and 1,861 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 23% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 10% | 9.9% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 9.4% | 6.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 35% | 33% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.8% | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 35% | 43% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Kildare and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Kildare County Council has no ruling majority: Fianna Fáil hold 12 of its 40 seats, short of the 21 needed. General election turnout: 58%, lower than Co. Kildare’s towns (60%) and near Irish towns (59%). In the Dáil, Kilcullen is part of Kildare South, which elects 4 TDs.
| Turnout | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 60% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 47% | 45% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The Sites and Monuments Record lists 2 sites here, below Co. Kildare’s towns (16) and Irish towns (11) alike. The pre-1919 share of homes is 2.1%. Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 30 buildings in Kilcullen, 2 of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 79 | 50 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 2 | 16 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Ages taken into account, Kilcullen counts 117 people in poor health for every 100 predicted. 91% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, near Co. Kildare’s towns (91%) and higher than Irish towns (88%). At the census, 1.8% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2022 | Kilcullen | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | 91% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 4.8% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2% |
| With a disability | 22% | 20% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Kilcullen. Best known first.
FortDún Ailinne1.5 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric houseHistoric houseHarristown House2.8 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumCurragh Military Museum5 km outside town, to the westHistoric siteHistoric siteKilcullen Round Tower1.4 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 30 buildings in Kilcullen, 2 of national or international importance. 2 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
2 notable people were born in Kilcullen; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Abraham Boulger: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Clare Daly: The Left, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Christy Moore: cybernoelie, CC BY 2.0
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
The median age in Kilcullen is 36.9, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
11% mostly work from home, and 37% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Kilcullen had 3,815 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,641 in 2016: 4.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Kildare
Kilcullen has 3,815 people, in the area of Kildare 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).