Ballycolla’s story
Ballycolla: 1 building on the National Inventory
14% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
- 1880Ballacolla National School
BallycollaCo. Laois
In Co. Laois, this town has 133 residents.
5 places within 19 kmMap →
Photo: sarah777 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
133
CSO, Census 2022 · Laois County Council
Median age
45.3
26% are 65+ · Co. Laois 10%
Degree level
26%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
0%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
Is Ballycolla a good place to live?
The median sale, €277,300, comes to 4.8 times what the median household here earns. People aged 65 and over make up just over a quarter of residents. 59% of households own their home with no mortgage.
Ballycolla has no grades yet: Irish towns are graded from 1,000 residents up.
What makes Ballycolla stand out
The 2 things Ballycolla does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballycolla.
Natural hazards
Low radon and steady ground in Ballycolla; flooding isn’t measured here
Radon is rarely a worry in Ballycolla: under 1% of homes are estimated above the reference level. The ground under Ballycolla carries no high landslide susceptibility. Very few of its homes sit on low ground by water.
0%of homes in high-radon areas
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
In high-radon areas0%
On high landslide susceptibility0%
| Share of homes | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
79
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Climate
Midwinter lows in Ballycolla sink below those of 90% of Irish towns
A January night in Ballycolla drops to 2.0°C on average, close to Co. Laois’ towns (2.0°C) and below Irish towns (2.9°C). Across the year, Ballycolla averages 9.8°C. The nearest weather station is Oak Park, 36 km away.
19.9°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter8.4°C
Spring13.3°C
Summer19.4°C
Autumn13.9°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.8°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.0°C | 2.0°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.9°C | 20.1°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 902 mm | 938 mm | 937 mm |
19.9°C
July high
2.0°C
January low
902 mm
Rain a year
95 mm
Wettest month
35
Air frosts
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Health
Fewer people in Ballycolla have a disability than its ages would predict: 78 per 100 expected, under Co. Laois’ towns and Irish towns
Allowing for its ages, Ballycolla has 67 residents in bad health per 100 expected, below Co. Laois’ towns (154) and Irish towns (113) alike. A disability affects nearly a fifth of people locally. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 1.6% of the town.
86%good or very good health
Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised
Bad health67
Disability78
Co. Laois154
Expected100
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2022 | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 19% | 25% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 88% |
67
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Laois 154
78
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
More households own their home in Ballycolla than in Co. Laois’ towns or across Irish towns: 84%
Social housing holds 4% of households, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (16%) and Irish towns (13%). Private renters make up 8% of households.
€277Kmedian sale price
Median sale price · Eircode area, 2023–2025
Ballycolla€277K
Co. Laois€251K
Irish towns€350K
| Housing | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 84% | 63% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 4% | 16% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 8% | 19% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €277K | €251K | €350K |
84%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
8%
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
More homes in Ballycolla are a short walk from green space than in Co. Laois’ towns or Irish towns: 100%
Protected sites cover 8.9% of the land within 5 km, above Co. Laois’ towns (1.6%) and Irish towns (1.8%) alike. Every 1,000 residents of Ballycolla share 8.8 ha of green space. Walkers have 4 waymarked trails and greenways starting within 5 km.
100%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Ballycolla8.8 ha
Co. Laois1.4 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected nature within 5 km | 8.9% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Near a park | 100% | 71% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.1% | 2.5% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.0 km per km² | 0.6 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
100%
Near a park
8.8 ha
Green space
0 km
Footpaths
8.9%
Protected for nature
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Work & commute
Ballycolla is a driving town: 96% of commuters go by car, above Co. Laois’ towns and Irish towns
Unemployment stood at 10%, lower than Co. Laois’ towns (12%) yet higher than Irish towns (9.2%). Employment among 15- to 64-year-olds stood at 67% at the census. Getting to work takes 30.1 min on average.
0%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van96%
| Census 2022 | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 67% | 63% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 10% | 12% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 30.1 min | 30.4 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 34% | 37% | 31% |
€57,540
household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Laois €59,521
4%
worked mainly from home, 2022
15%
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
Older residents shape Ballycolla: 26% are 65 or over, above Co. Laois’ towns and Irish towns
13% were born abroad, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (21%) and Irish towns (22%). Aged 15 to 24: nearly one in ten residents. Children are 16% of the town.
45.3median age
BallycollaCo. LaoisIreland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none21%
Lower secondary17%
Leaving Cert33%
Diploma or cert4%
Degree or higher26%
Women and men · all residents
48.9% of Ballycolla’s residents are women
65 women and 68 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 23% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 9% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 26% | 10% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 21% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 17% | 17% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 33% | 41% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 3.9% | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 26% | 23% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Laois and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
Ballycolla turns out to vote: 56% at the last local elections, above Co. Laois’ towns and Irish towns
There is no majority on Laois County Council; Fianna Fáil have the most seats, 6 of 19, short of 10. Laois County Council is the council for Ballycolla, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government. In the Dáil, Ballycolla is part of Laois, which elects 3 TDs.
6/19seats held by Fianna Fáil
Seats on Laois County · June 2024
Fianna Fáil6
Fine Gael5
Independent5
Sinn Féin2
Labour Party1
| Turnout | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 56% | 51% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
6
Councillors
6/19
Fianna Fáil seats on Laois County, the largest party
56%
turnout, June 2024
3
TDs elected for Laois
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
History
Old homes shape Ballycolla: 13.7% were built before 1919, more than in Co. Laois’ towns and across Irish towns
Scaled to its population, Ballycolla has 75 inventory buildings per 10,000 people, below Co. Laois’ towns (79) but above Irish towns (48). One building in Ballycolla made the national inventory of architectural heritage, at regional importance.
1inventory buildings
Buildings by NIAH rating · NIAH
International0
National0
Regional1
Among them
0
sites on the Sites and Monuments Record
1880
earliest dated inventory building
14%
homes built before 1919 · Irish towns 3%
| Heritage | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1919 | 13.7% | 5.1% | 3.4% |
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 75 | 79 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 0 | 14 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Schools
The nearest secondary school to Ballycolla is 9.2 km away
Within 3 km of Ballycolla there is one school. The one school within 3 km of Ballycolla has 49 pupils.
1schools within 3 km
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naomh Pius X N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 49 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballycolla | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 15% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 0% | 8% |
49
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
0.1 km
to the nearest primary school
9.2 km
to the nearest secondary school
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.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Gardens at Castle Durrow and 2 more in and around Ballycolla
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Ballycolla. Best known first.
CastleGardens at Castle Durrow4.7 km outside town, to the southeastGardenGardenFruitlawn Garden3.9 km outside town, to the northeastGardenGardenDunmore Country School Kitchen Garden and Natural Beekeeping Classes3.7 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: 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 (1)
- Gardens at Castle Durrow: GunnerPoulsen~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ballycolla
15pages on Ballycolla
The big questions
Out and about
Famous people from around Ballycolla
2 notable people were born in Ballycolla; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
L
Liam HylandIrish politician · born 1933S
Stephen BerginIrish hurler · born 1995M
Mabel CahillIrish tennis player (1863-1905) · born in BallyraggetC
Claire ByrneIrish journalist · born in Mountrath · born 1975M
Mick DowlingIrish boxer · born in Castlecomer · born 1946R
Richard PhelanCatholic bishop (1828–1904) · born in BallyraggetBallycolla’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
AbbeyleixRathdowneyBallyraggetMountrathCastlecomerBallycolla
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballycolla | 133 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Abbeyleix | 1,897 | 7.8 | — | A− | A+ | B+ |
| Rathdowney | 1,368 | 10 | — | A | B− | C− |
| Ballyragget Kilkenny | 1,116 | 13 | — | A− | A | C |
| Mountrath | 2,070 | 13 | — | A | B− | C− |
| Castlecomer Kilkenny | 1,496 | 18 | — | A | A | D |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Ballycolla
Is Ballycolla a young town or an old one?
The median age in Ballycolla is 45.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Is Ballycolla growing?
Ballycolla had 133 people at the 2022 census, up from 130 in 2016: 2.3% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
About Ballycolla
Urban area in Co. Laois
Ballycolla has 133 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
- 133 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Laois
- Council
- Laois County Council
- Local electoral area
- Borris-in-Ossory-Mountmellick
- Dáil constituency
- Laois
- Name in Irish
- Baile Cholla
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:08173
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).