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Maynooth, County KildarePhoto: William Murphy · CC BY-SA 2.0
A−Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Maynooth · EPA, GSI and OPW data

Low radon, steady ground, few homes by big water: Maynooth is light on natural hazards

With an estimated 1.9% of homes above the radon reference level, among the lower shares, Maynooth grades A− for hazard risk, #4 of 14 in County Kildare. Radon and landslide ground set it: its share of low-lying homes would have lifted the grade, and flood only ever counts against a town.

1.9%of homes over the radon level
In brief

What stands out about Maynooth’s hazards

From the EPA’s radon map, Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide map, the OPW’s flood relief schemes and our estimate of low-lying homes, below.

Few homes by big waterUnder 2% of homes stand low by a big river, lake or the sea. Small streams, drains and groundwater aren’t in that measure.Some radonAbout 1.9% of homes are estimated above the radon reference level, a lower share than in 71% of Irish towns; 0% of homes are in a High Radon Area.Steady groundNo home stands on ground rated high or moderately high for landslides; 36% of Irish towns have some homes on it.
By hazard

What Maynooth faces

Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.

Low-lying homes

0%of homes low by a big river, lake or the sea
None stand low by big water
About 0 homes

Radon

1.9%of homes estimated over the reference level
less radon than in 71% of Irish towns
0% of homes in a High Radon Area

Landslides

0%of homes on high or moderately high ground
No home on landslide-prone ground
Rated from the ground and its slope

Ground heights

100%of homes on detailed ground heights
Enough to measure flood (80% needed)
Of 5,455 homes counted
Not on this page: the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods (their licence doesn’t allow reuse here: see floodinfo.ie), groundwater and surface-water flooding, coastal erosion and industrial sites.
Hazard risk Grade

Maynooth grades A− for hazard risk

Radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes, each against Irish towns, then averaged.

Radon (1.9%)Better than 65% of Irish towns
Landslide ground (0%)Better than 57% of Irish towns
Low-lying homes (0%)Not counted: it would have raised the grade

Each figure is placed among Irish towns of 1,000 or more people; the grade averages the three, so a better place on each is a better grade.

Flood counts only against a town, never for it: Maynooth’s share of low-lying homes would have raised its grade, so it isn’t counted, and radon and landslide ground set it.

Its place: #4 of 14 in County Kildare and #57 of 321 Irish towns.

Less sure: The low-lying figure is our estimate from ground heights and the river map, not an official flood map. It can show a town is low-lying; it can’t show a town is safe.

Low-lying homes

Few of Maynooth’s homes stand low by a big river, lake or the sea

Low-lying homes, a TownRatings estimate from OPW and Geological Survey Ireland LiDAR ground heights and the EPA’s river map: not an official flood map. Smaller streams, drains and groundwater aren’t in this measure, so a low figure doesn’t mean a town never floods.

By a river, lake or estuary0%of homes within 5 m of the water’s level
Near the sea0%of homes below 4 m, within 2 km of the sea
Measured in detail100%of homes on detailed ground heights
Where Maynooth sits among 231 Irish towns
43%NoneMaynooth
6%Under 0.5%
4%0.5–1%
7%1–2%
8%2–5%
6%5–10%
8%10–20%
18%20% +

Share of each town’s homes standing low by big water, for the towns measured in detail. 43% have none; Maynooth has more than 21% of them.

Towns its size: 8th of 40, from the fewest low-lying homes
#TownPeopleLow-lying
1Crumlin Dublin19,2870%
2Mulhuddart Dublin19,2520%
3Esker Dublin19,1100%
…
6Stillorgan Dublin18,2120%
7Templeogue Dublin18,0760%
8Maynooth Kildare17,2590%
9Dundrum Dublin16,5700%
10Ballinteer Dublin16,0380%
…
39Corbally and King's Island Limerick14,21348%
40East Wall Dublin15,907100%

The 40 Irish towns nearest its size that are measured in detail.

5,455
homes counted
0
homes standing low by big water
3.2%
County Kildare’s median
0.7%
median of Irish towns

Low-lying homes across County Kildare’s towns · 12 towns measured in detail

Newbridge35%
Clane32%
Athy22%
Celbridge5.1%
Monasterevin4.5%
Sallins4.3%
Leixlip2.1%
Maynooth0%

Maynooth ranks 9th of County Kildare’s 12 towns measured in detail, counting from the most low-lying homes.

Homes: OpenStreetMap buildings of 30 m² or more, not tagged as non-residential, in the town’s Census 2022 Small Areas. Heights: GSI Open Topographic Data LiDAR (OPW, TII and GSI surveys). Water: EPA river network (rivers of Strahler order 5 or more), lakes, estuaries and coastal waters.

River levels

The River Ryewater at Leixlip peaked at 2.26 m in November 2002

Each winter’s highest level (October to September) at the OPW’s Leixlip gauge, 5.4 km from Maynooth on the same river, since 1979, in metres above the gauge’s zero. Nine days in ten it runs between 0.16 m and 0.77 m.

Each winter’s highest level, metres
Winter 1979–80: highest 1.58 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1980–81: highest 1.42 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 1981–82: highest 1.19 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 1982–83: highest 1.51 m · 50 days above the normal rangeWinter 1983–84: highest 1.62 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 1984–85: highest 1.56 m · 25 days above the normal rangeWinter 1985–86: highest 1.73 m on 26 August 1986 · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 1986–87: highest 1.48 m · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 1989–90: highest 1.62 m · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 1990–91: highest 1.36 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 1.60 m · 12 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 1.37 m · 59 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 1.48 m · 31 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 1.28 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 0.99 m · 17 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 1.16 m · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 1.29 m · 30 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.23 m · 18 days above the normal rangeWinter 2000–01: highest 2.19 m on 6 November 2000 · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 1.59 m · 23 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 2.26 m on 14 November 2002 · 34 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 1.31 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 1.85 m on 8 January 2005 · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 1.19 m · 14 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 1.55 m · 48 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 1.98 m on 17 August 2008 · 51 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 1.32 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 1.51 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 1.24 m · 25 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 1.38 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 1.58 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 2.08 m on 12 December 2015 · 63 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 0.92 m · 10 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 2.06 m on 22 November 2017 · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 1.18 m · 15 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 1.63 m · 43 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 1.31 m · 16 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 1.32 m · 31 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 1.50 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 1.12 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 1.69 m on 13 February 2026 · 41 days above the normal range’02–03’00–01’15–16Record 2.26 m, 2002Top of normal range
1979–802025–26
The highest days on record
  • 14 November 20022.26 m
  • 6 November 20002.19 m
  • 12 December 20152.08 m
  • 22 November 20172.06 m
  • 17 August 20081.98 m
  • 8 January 20051.85 m

Since 1979 the River Ryewater has run above its usual top on 1,218 days, most of them in the winters of 2015–16 and 1993–94.

Measured by its highest day, last winter (2025–26) was the 8th-highest of the 41 on record here.

Source: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data), Leixlip gauge (station 09001): daily maximum and mean levels, inspected and provisional data. The usual range is the 5th to 95th percentile of daily means, worked out by TownRatings. Live levels are on waterlevel.ie.

Warnings

Weather and flood warnings for Maynooth

Where to see the warnings in force, and what this page can’t count.

Met Éireann issues yellow, orange and red warnings for rain, wind and coastal flooding county by county; Maynooth is covered by County Kildare’s.

WarningWhat Met Éireann means by it
YellowWeather that isn’t unusual but can be dangerous in places: be aware.
OrangeInfrequent, dangerous weather that can put people and property at risk: be prepared.
RedRare, extremely dangerous weather: take action to protect yourself and your property.

Met Éireann doesn’t publish an open archive of past warnings, so how often warnings have covered Maynooth can’t be counted here.

Met Éireann warnings · OPW river levels (waterlevel.ie)

Flood scheme

No OPW flood relief scheme protects Maynooth

The Office of Public Works’ completed flood relief schemes and the areas each one benefits (OPW open data, CC BY 4.0).

Schemes
0
protect homes in Maynooth
Protected places in the county
1
Celbridge
Nearest protected place
5.3 km
Celbridge, as the crow flies
Low-lying homes
0%
the share a scheme would be built for

None of the OPW’s completed flood relief schemes has a benefiting area that takes in Maynooth’s homes. The OPW builds schemes where the risk to homes is greatest, so most towns have none.

In County Kildare, an OPW scheme also protects part of Celbridge.

The protected places nearest here
TownSchemeDesigned forHomes behind itAway
Celbridge KildareShinkeen Stream (Hazelhatch) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1002.6%5.3 km
Dunboyne MeathRiver Tolka (Clonee and Dunboyne) Scheme1 in 10014%8.7 km
Clonee MeathRiver Tolka (Clonee and Dunboyne) Scheme1 in 10057%10 km
Clonsilla DublinRiver Tolka (Clonee and Dunboyne) Scheme1 in 1000.5%11 km
Mulhuddart DublinRiver Tolka (Fingal) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 100under 0.1%13 km
Dublin DublinRiver Dodder (Tidal)1 in 501.9%21 km

Official flood maps and past floods: floodinfo.ie

Landslides

No home in Maynooth stands on landslide-prone ground

Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide susceptibility map (1:50,000), read at every home.

Homes on ground rated high or moderately high

MaynoothCounty Kildare’s medianmedian of Irish towns
High or moderately high0%
0%5%

Maynooth is among the 64% of Irish towns with no home on such ground.

GSI rates ground from low to high by its slope, soil and rock. Most Irish landslides are on steep upland slopes and peat after heavy rain; a town on flat ground has almost none.

High means the ground could slide under the right conditions, such as days of heavy rain on a steep, wet slope; it isn’t a forecast that it will.

GSI landslide susceptibility, high and moderately high classes, share of the town’s homes on mapped ground (CC BY 4.0).

Radon

An estimated 1.9% of Maynooth’s homes are above the radon reference level

The EPA’s radon map: for each 10 km square, the estimated share of homes above the national reference level of 200 Bq/m³.

1.2% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes1.9% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes1.7% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes7.5% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes0% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes3.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes2% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes6.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes3.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes2% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes1.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes29% of homes estimated above the reference level · Over 20% (High Radon Area)0% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes© OpenStreetMap contributors · EPA
Under 1% of homes1–5% of homes5–10% of homesOver 20% (High Radon Area)
Share of Irish towns in each band
Under 1% of homes17%
1–5% of homes · Maynooth38%
5–10% of homes26%
10–20% (High Radon Area)11%
Over 20% (High Radon Area)9%

A square where 10% or more of homes are estimated above the reference level is a High Radon Area; 0% of Maynooth’s homes are in one. The map is an estimate by area: two neighbouring houses can differ a lot.

0%
of homes in a High Radon Area
1.9%
County Kildare’s median
4%
median of Irish towns

A test is the only way to know a home’s level: two detectors, left for three months in a living room and a bedroom.

EPA radon map of Ireland (10 km grid), averaged over the town’s homes (CC BY 4.0).

Industrial sites

No EPA-licensed site within 5 km of Maynooth: the nearest is 5.0 km away

Factories, farms, power plants and waste sites that hold an EPA licence for their emissions, in Maynooth and around its centre.

0
licensed sites inside Maynooth
0
licensed sites within 5 km of the centre
5.0 km
to the nearest: HDS Energy Limited
The 5 nearest licensed sites
SiteLicence and activityAway
HDS Energy LimitedIPC licence5.0 km
Intel Ireland LimitedIndustrial Emissions licence · solvents and coatings5.1 km
General Paints LimitedIPC licence5.2 km
Enrich Environmental LimitedIndustrial Emissions licence · waste8.5 km
Padraig Thornton Waste Disposal LtdIndustrial Emissions licence · waste9.1 km
What the 5 licensed sites within 10 km do
ActivitySites
Not classed in the register2
Waste2
Solvents and coatings1

An EPA licence sets what a site may release to air, water and land; it doesn’t mark the site as an accident hazard.

Sites holding dangerous substances in bulk come under the COMAH (Seveso) rules, but the HSA’s list of them has no open licence, so upper- and lower-tier sites aren’t counted here.

Source: EPA registers of Industrial Emissions, IPC and waste licences, sites licensed on 31 October 2026; distances in a straight line from the town’s centre.

Neighbours

Hazards in the places around Maynooth

Low-lying homes, radon and landslide ground, town by town.

CelbridgeKilcockLeixlipStraffanDunboyneLucanCelbridgeKilcockLeixlipStraffanDunboyneLucanMaynooth
TownLow-lyingRadonLandslides
Maynooth0%1.9%0%
Celbridge
20,601 · 5.3 km		5.1%1.9%0%
Kilcock
8,674 · 5.7 km		0%5.8%0%
Leixlip
16,733 · 6.1 km		2.1%4.1%0%
Straffan
1,158 · 7.5 km		13%1.8%0%
Dunboyne
7,155 · 8.7 km		0%0%0%
Lucan
23,033 · 9.5 km		1.3%7.5%under 0.1%

Of the places around Maynooth, Straffan has the most homes standing low by big water (13%), 7.5 km away.

A dash under Low-lying: not measured there (too few homes with detailed ground heights), not none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Maynooth faces

What to do, and what to ask before you move.

When the river rises
  • Never walk or drive through floodwater: 30 cm of moving water can float a car.
  • Move valuables, papers and medicines upstairs.
  • Turn off gas, electricity and water if you’re told to.
Met Éireann warnings · floodinfo.ie
Radon
  • Test over three months, in a living room and a bedroom.
  • Above 200 Bq/m³, a small sump and fan usually fixes it.
  • The EPA sells radon test kits at radon.ie and lists registered contractors who fix high readings.
radon.ie
When a storm is forecast
  • Bring in or tie down bins, trampolines and anything the wind can lift.
  • Keep away from coastal paths and piers while an orange or red warning is in force.
  • Charge phones and keep a torch: fallen lines are the commonest storm damage.
  • After the storm, report a fallen line to ESB Networks and keep well clear of it.
ESB Networks PowerCheck
Before you buy or rent in Maynooth
  • Ask whether the home has ever flooded, and get a buildings insurance quote before you commit: flood cover isn’t always offered.
  • Ask the seller or landlord for a radon test result, or test in your first months there.
  • Check the address on floodinfo.ie: the OPW’s flood maps and its record of past floods.
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • An estimate, not a flood map. Low-lying homes is a TownRatings modelling step: each home’s ground height from LiDAR, against the level of the nearest big river (Strahler order 5 or more), lake or estuary within 1 km, or the sea within 2 km. A home within 5 m of the water’s level, or below 4 m near the sea, counts.
  • Flood counts only one way. A high share of low-lying homes lowers the Hazard risk Grade; a low share never raises it, because defences, small streams, culverts, groundwater and flash floods don’t show in ground heights. Below the national median a town scores as the median.
  • Defences aren’t counted. Flood defences aren’t taken off: the OPW scheme that protects the most homes is shown instead, with its design standard.
  • Measured where the heights are detailed. A town is measured, and counted, only where 80% of its homes stand on LiDAR heights. Elsewhere the page says flooding isn’t measured, never that the town is dry.
  • Radon is an estimate by area. The EPA’s radon map gives the estimated share of homes above 200 Bq/m³ for each 10 km square, averaged here over the town’s homes. It says where to test, not what one house holds.
  • The sea is measured by height. Homes count as low by the sea when their ground is under 4 m and within 2 km of coastal or estuary water; waves, surges and erosion aren’t modelled.
  • Landslide ground is a map of where slides could start. GSI’s susceptibility map rates the ground itself; it doesn’t record past slides or say when one will happen.
  • Bathing water is rated season by season. The EPA classes each identified bathing water from four seasons of samples; a rating says how clean the water has been, not how safe it is to swim.
  • One town, many streets. Risk is street by street. Check a specific address on floodinfo.ie before you buy or rent.

Check any address against the OPW’s official flood maps on floodinfo.ie

Questions about flooding and hazards in Maynooth

Does Maynooth flood?

Smaller streams, drains and groundwater aren’t in that measure, so it doesn’t mean the town never floods. For a single address, the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods are on floodinfo.ie.

Is radon a problem in Maynooth?

The EPA’s map estimates that about 1.9% of homes around Maynooth are above the radon reference level of 200 Bq/m³: a lower share than in 71% of Irish towns. 0% of its homes are in a High Radon Area. The only way to know a house is a three-month test.

Is Maynooth at risk of landslides?

No home in Maynooth stands on ground rated high or moderately high for landslides.

Is Maynooth at risk from the sea?

None of Maynooth’s homes stands below 4 m within 2 km of the sea, so the sea plays no part in its share of low-lying homes; 0% stand low by rivers, lakes and estuaries.

How does Maynooth compare with the places around it?

Radon estimates around Maynooth run from 0% in Dunboyne to 7.5% in Lucan; Maynooth’s own is 1.9%. Among the places measured in detail, Straffan has the largest share of homes standing low (13%).

How is Maynooth’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?

Maynooth grades A−: radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes are each placed among Irish towns, and the grade averages them.

Flood: TownRatings’ estimate from ground heights, not an official flood map. Contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the EPA) licensed under CC BY 4.0; Copernicus DEM © DLR e.V. and © Airbus, provided under COPERNICUS by the EU and ESA; © OpenStreetMap contributors. Radon and bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Landslide susceptibility: Geological Survey Ireland (CC BY 4.0).

Sources: low-lying homes: TownRatings’ estimate from GSI and OPW LiDAR, Copernicus GLO-30 and the EPA river network · radon: EPA radon map · landslides: GSI landslide susceptibility · river levels: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data) · industrial sites: EPA licence registers · the grade: TownRatings, from these figures. 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).