Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 20 buildings here. A town in Co. Laois, home to 1,368 people.
Housing is within reach: a median €180,000 buys a home here, 3.9 years of what the median household earns. Walkability is a strength too (B+) — on the way to work, 18% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. Jobs & income is its weak spot: nearly two thirds of working-age residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 12%. Hazard risk is lower than in most Irish towns (A+). Radon is barely a concern: almost no homes exceed the reference level.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · commuting and work, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA. Rathdowney is graded subject by subject, but Irish towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
Rents for this town aren't published on their own, so its Cost Grade uses the county's average rent. Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level.
The 3 things Rathdowney does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Rathdowney 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 →
The record adds 4 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 12%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rathdowney.
Radon is rarely a worry in Rathdowney: under 1% of homes are estimated above the reference level. No part of Rathdowney is mapped as high landslide susceptibility. Only a handful of its homes, if any, sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 0% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Private renters make up 22% of households, about level with Irish towns (22%) and above Co. Laois’ towns (19%). 15% of households rent from a council or housing body.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €180,000 | 72 |
| Housing | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €180K | €251K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 22% | 19% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Household income came to €45,680 a year before tax, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (€52,817) and Irish towns (€57,760). The average trip to work takes 30.9 min. 5% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
| Census 2022 | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 43% | 37% | 31% |
| Median household income | €45,680 | €52,817 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 30.9 min | 30.4 min | 27.6 min |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 65% | 63% | 68% |
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.
Weighed against its ages, bad health in Rathdowney runs at 137 per 100 expected. At the census, 85% of people in Rathdowney called their health good or very good, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (87%) and Irish towns (88%). Ages taken into account, Rathdowney counts 124 people with a disability for every 100 predicted.
| Census 2022 | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 27% | 25% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 85% | 87% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.7% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
For secondary school, the closest is St Fergal's College, 1.1 km from the town. 50% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, above both Co. Laois’ towns (15%) and Irish towns (35%). Within 3 km of Rathdowney there are 2 schools (1 primary school and 1 secondary school).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Bhride DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 244 | Catholic |
| St Fergal's CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 383 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +21% | +10% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 15% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 0% | 8% |
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.
Across the year it averages 9.8°C, close to Co. Laois’ towns (9.9°C) and below Irish towns (10.3°C). Winter lows in Rathdowney average 2.0°C in January. Expect July highs of around 19.9°C here.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Rathdowney | 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 | 913 mm | 938 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Its paths and tracks come to 0.2 km per km², about level with Co. Laois’ towns (0.6 km per km²) and below Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). 81% of homes are within 400 m of green space.
| Outdoors | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 81% | 71% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.2 km per km² | 0.6 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.2% | 2.5% | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Over the coming week, highs run from 6°C to 10°C, with Friday the warmest. Rathdowney’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 10°C, nights 4°C. There may be a drop or two today, little to measure, on a gentle wind of 19 km/h at most; the low is 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 254 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 187 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 212 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 260 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
People 65 and over make up 17% of the town. Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.2%, close to Co. Laois’ towns (0.6%) and below Irish towns (1.1%). Born abroad: nearly a fifth of residents.
Women make up 50.0% of Rathdowney
684 women and 684 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 23% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | 10% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 16% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.1% | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 16% | 23% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Laois and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
With 6 of 19 seats, Fianna Fáil are the largest group on Laois County Council, short of the 10 a majority needs. One council serves Rathdowney: Laois County Council. Also worth knowing: in the Dáil, Rathdowney is part of Laois, which elects 3 TDs.
| Turnout | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 56% | 51% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Before 1919: that is when just over one in ten homes were built. 4 archaeological sites are on the record, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (14) and Irish towns (11). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 20 buildings in Rathdowney, each of regional importance.
| Heritage | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 146 | 79 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 12% | 5.1% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 4 | 14 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Among the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Rathdowney has more crime per resident than 84% of them. Every kind together came to 31.9 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (41.2) and Irish towns (54.3). Assaults and harassment topped the graded crimes in Rathdowney (2023–2025).
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 | Rathdowney | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 31.9 | 41.2 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 6.5 | 10.9 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 5 | 5.4 | 6.4 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Rathdowney; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CastleKilkenny Castle33 km southeast
CastleCullahill Castle9.2 km southeast
CastleLeap Castle24 km northwest
CathedralCathedral of the Assumption, Thurles24 km southwest
Abbey or prioryAghaboe Abbey9.2 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 20 buildings in Rathdowney, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 4 sites here.
15 notable people were born in Rathdowney.
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rathdowney | 1,368 | — | — | A | B− | C− |
| Urlingford Kilkenny | 1,196 | 15 | — | A | A− | C+ |
| Templemore Tipperary | 2,005 | 18 | — | A+ | C+ | C |
| Roscrea Tipperary | 5,542 | 18 | B | A+ | B− | D |
| Abbeyleix | 1,897 | 18 | — | A− | A+ | B+ |
| Mountrath | 2,070 | 18 | — | A | B− | C− |
| Ballyragget Kilkenny | 1,116 | 19 | — | A− | A | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Rathdowney had 1,368 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,269 in 2016: 7.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Rathdowney is 37.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 21% of residents are under 15 and 17% are 65 or over.
76% of working residents drive to work and 18% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%).
Urban area in Co. Laois
1,368 people live in Rathdowney, 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)
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).