Ballybrittas’ story
Nothing in Ballybrittas is on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Explore the history →
BallybrittasCo. Laois
A town in Co. Laois, home to 435 people. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 19%.
6 places within 19 kmMap →
Photo: Sarah777 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
435
CSO, Census 2022 · Laois County Council
Median age
36
8% are 65+ · Co. Laois 10%
Degree level
40%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
8%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
Is Ballybrittas a good place to live?
Set against the median household income, the median home, at €277,300, costs 3.3 times as much. On the way to work, 8% walk, cycle or take the bus or train. Just over a tenth of people here were born outside Ireland. Few residents are of retirement age: 8% are 65 or over.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Ballybrittas falls below the line for grades among Irish towns.
What makes Ballybrittas stand out
The 3 things Ballybrittas does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% walk, cycle or ride
Against 23% in the median of Irish towns
CSO, Census 2022
Born outside Ireland
Who lives here
11% were born abroad
Against 22% in the median of Irish towns
CSO, Census 2022
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
Only 8% are 65 or over
Against 14% in the median of Irish towns
CSO, Census 2022
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballybrittas.
Natural hazards
Ballybrittas has low radon, steady ground and few homes standing low by a big river or the sea
In Ballybrittas, an estimated 1.5% of homes exceed the radon reference level. No part of Ballybrittas is mapped as high landslide susceptibility. Its homes mostly stand clear of low ground by water.
0%of homes in high-radon areas
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
Low-lying beside water0%
In high-radon areas0%
On high landslide susceptibility0%
Low-lying near a river0%
Low-lying near the coast0%
| Share of homes | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 0% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
182
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Climate
Summer runs warm in Ballybrittas: July highs of 20.7°C, above Co. Laois’ towns and Irish towns
January nights bottom out at 1.7°C in Ballybrittas, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (2.0°C) and Irish towns (2.9°C). Across the year, Ballybrittas averages 10.0°C. This Co. Laois town is 0.3°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
20.7°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter8.8°C
Spring13.7°C
Summer20.1°C
Autumn14.4°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 20.7°C | 20.1°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 1.7°C | 2.0°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 883 mm | 938 mm | 937 mm |
20.7°C
July high
1.7°C
January low
883 mm
Rain a year
93 mm
Wettest month
35
Air frosts
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Health
Bad health runs low in Ballybrittas for a town of its ages, at 34 per 100 expected, less than in Co. Laois’ towns or Irish towns
At the census, 0.5% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Allowing for its ages, Ballybrittas has 123 residents with a disability per 100 expected, about level with Co. Laois’ towns (126) and above Irish towns (106). Self-reported good health: 94% of Ballybrittas’ residents.
94%good or very good health
Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised
Bad health34
Disability123
Co. Laois154
Expected100
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 94%Fair 5%Bad or very bad 1%
| Census 2022 | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 94% | 87% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 0.5% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.7% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 23% | 25% | 22% |
34
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Laois 154
123
disability per 100 expected · Co. Laois 126
83.2 · 80
life expectancy, women · men, the Midland region, 2016
28%
hold a medical card, HSE Dublin and Midlands
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Housing
Most households in Ballybrittas own their home: 90%, more than in Co. Laois’ towns or across Irish towns
Private renters make up 6% of households, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (19%) and Irish towns (22%). 2% of households live in social housing.
€277Kmedian sale price
Median sale price · Eircode area, 2023–2025
Ballybrittas€277K
Co. Laois€251K
Irish towns€350K
| Housing | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 90% | 63% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 2% | 16% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 6% | 19% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €277K | €251K | €350K |
90%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
6%
rent privately · Irish towns 22%
€1,235
a month on new tenancies, County Laois
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area R32, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Outdoors
Woodland runs close to Ballybrittas: 15% of the land within 1 km, more than Co. Laois’ towns or Irish towns
Its paths and tracks come to 0.0 km per km², below Co. Laois’ towns (0.6 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²) alike. Within 5 km, 1.5% of the land is protected nature, below both Co. Laois’ towns (1.6%) and Irish towns (1.8%).
0%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Ballybrittas0.0 ha
Co. Laois1.4 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 0% | 71% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 15% | 2.5% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.0 km per km² | 0.6 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 0.0 ha | 1.4 ha | 4.1 ha |
0 km
Footpaths
1.5%
Protected for nature
15%
Woodland
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Ballybrittas’ weather tomorrow: cloudy, with a high of 11 degrees
No rain is due tomorrow, though a breeze picks up to 20 km/h; the low is 5°C. Wednesday should be the warmest of the days ahead, at 11°C, and the coolest reaches only 7°C. Set beside Ballybrittas’ forecast, a normal November runs from 4°C at night to 11°C by day.
11°C / 5°CTomorrow
This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages
November11°C
December9°C
January9°C
February9°C
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 2°C | 234 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 4°C | 181 mm |
| Summer | 20°C | 10°C | 215 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 254 mm |
11°C / 5°C
Tomorrow
None
Rain, next 24 hours
15 km/h
Wind
90%
Humidity
9 h 19 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Ballybrittas walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Co. Laois’ towns or Irish towns: 8.2%
78% of commuters drove, close to Co. Laois’ towns (77%) and above Irish towns (66%). Home was the main workplace for 13% of workers at the census. The average household earns €83,970 a year before tax.
8%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van78%
Bus3%
Train, DART or Luas3%
Walk2%
| Census 2022 | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €83,970 | €52,817 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.3% | 12% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 33 min | 30.4 min | 27.6 min |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 70% | 63% | 68% |
€83,970
household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Laois €59,521
13%
worked mainly from home, 2022
17%
trips of an hour or more
3,032
on the Live Register, County Laois, September 2026
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.
Who lives here
Most of Ballybrittas was born here: only 11% come from abroad, fewer than in Co. Laois’ towns and Irish towns
25% are under 15, above both Co. Laois’ towns (23%) and Irish towns (20%). Among adults, 40% have a degree. People 65 and over make up 8.3% of the town.
36median age
BallybrittasCo. LaoisIreland
Ages · share of residents
13%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none6%
Lower secondary11%
Leaving Cert32%
Diploma or cert11%
Degree or higher40%
Women and men · all residents
49.9% of Ballybrittas’ residents are women
217 women and 218 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 25% | 23% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 8.3% | 10% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 5.7% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 11% | 17% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 32% | 41% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 11% | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 40% | 23% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Laois and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
6 councillors on Laois County Council and 3 TDs speak for Ballybrittas
There is just one council for Ballybrittas, Laois County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government. Laois County Council has no ruling majority: Fianna Fáil hold 6 of its 19 seats, short of the 10 needed. 51% of voters turned out at the last local elections, near Co. Laois’ towns (51%) and higher than Irish towns (46%).
6/19seats held by Fianna Fáil
Seats on Laois County · June 2024
Fianna Fáil6
Fine Gael5
Independent5
Sinn Féin2
Labour Party1
| Turnout | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 51% | 51% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
6
Councillors
6/19
Fianna Fáil seats on Laois County, the largest party
51%
turnout, June 2024
3
TDs elected for Laois
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Schools
Schools around Ballybrittas have lost ground: pupils −11% since 2019, below Co. Laois’ towns and Irish towns
2 schools lie within 3 km of Ballybrittas: 2 primary schools.
2schools within 3 km
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Naomh EoinLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 374 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballybrittas | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −11% | +10% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 15% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 0% | 8% |
568
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
−11%
pupils since 2019/20 · Irish towns +4%
2.6 km
to the nearest primary school
6.2 km
to the nearest secondary school
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Results by school aren’t published in Ireland, so the cards carry none.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Emo Court and 13 more within 40 km
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Ballybrittas; with them, the best known within 40 km.
Museum · Office of Public WorksEmo Court3.7 km outside town, to the west
CastleLea Castle4.9 km outside town, to the north
CastleRock of Dunamase10 km southwest
CastleCarlow Castle33 km southeast
CastleBallyloughan Castle39 km southeast
Historic houseRussborough House and Parklands38 km eastPlaces: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0) · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Emo Court: AnTuisealGinideach, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lea Castle: Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rock of Dunamase: Meinirland.eu, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carlow Castle: Age Bosma, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ballyloughan Castle: VisionsofthePast, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Russborough House and Parklands: Ramón, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ballybrittas
15pages on Ballybrittas
Famous people from Ballybrittas
5 notable people were born in Ballybrittas.
Ballybrittas’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
MonasterevinPortarlingtonStradballyMountmellickPortlaoiseRathanganBallybrittas
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballybrittas | 435 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Monasterevin Kildare | 5,307 | 6.3 | B+ | A− | B | C |
| Portarlington | 9,288 | 6.5 | C | A | C+ | D |
| Stradbally | 1,404 | 11 | — | A− | B− | D |
| Mountmellick | 4,905 | 13 | C+ | A | B− | D− |
| Portlaoise | 23,494 | 13 | C− | B+ | D | C− |
| Rathangan Kildare | 3,263 | 16 | A+ | A | A | B |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Ballybrittas
Is Ballybrittas growing?
Ballybrittas had 435 people at the 2022 census, up from 367 in 2016: 18.5% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
How old are the people of Ballybrittas?
The median age in Ballybrittas is 36, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
About Ballybrittas
Urban area in Co. Laois
Ballybrittas has 435 people, in the area of Laois 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)
- Population
- 435 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Laois
- Council
- Laois County Council
- Local electoral area
- Graiguecullen-Portarlington
- Dáil constituency
- Laois
- Name in Irish
- Baile Briotáis
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:08161
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).