Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Co. Limerick, home to 273 people.
The median home sold for €222,700, 4.1 times the town’s median household income. On the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take the bus or train. Born outside Ireland: 9% of residents. 21% of adults have a degree.
Grades start at 1,000 residents for Irish towns, so Ardagh has none.
The 3 things Ardagh does most differently from other towns.
3 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ardagh.
Landslides: none of Ardagh lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Low ground by water holds almost none of its homes.
| Share of homes | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
A year brings 1,223 mm of rain to Ardagh. December is the wettest month here, with 149 mm of rain on average. Across the year it averages 10.3°C, in line with Co. Limerick’s towns (10.5°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C).
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.4°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,223 mm | 1,034 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.3°C | 10.5°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
At the census, 1.9% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, lower than both Co. Limerick’s towns (2.9%) and Irish towns (2%). Weighed against its ages, disability in Ardagh runs at 114 per 100 expected. Disability touches 28% of the town’s population.
| Census 2022 | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 28% | 25% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 2.9% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 4.8% | 5.5% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | 86% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Council and housing-body homes hold 21% of households. Households that own their home make up 63%.
| Housing | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 13% | 27% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €223K | €312K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 21% | 13% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 63% | 59% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area V42, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Its paths and tracks come to 0.4 km per km², below Co. Limerick’s towns (2.5 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²) alike. Woodland covers 1.3% of the land within 1 km, lower than both Co. Limerick’s towns (1.5%) and Irish towns (2.7%).
| Outdoors | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 0% | 91% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 12% | 9.6% | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.4 km per km² | 2.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.3% | 1.5% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Tuesday stands out as the wet day ahead, with roughly 4 mm. Judged by the averages, Ardagh sees November days reach 11°C and nights fall to 5°C. The rain holds off today, but the wind gets up to 20 km/h, and the low is 4°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 396 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 238 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 246 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 343 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Short trips: 47% under 15 minutes, higher than both Co. Limerick’s towns (37%) and Irish towns (31%). The car carried 86% of commuters at the census. Working from home was the norm for 4.7% of workers at the census.
| Census 2022 | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 47% | 37% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 67% | 61% | 68% |
| Average trip | 23.8 min | 23 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 11% | 9.2% |
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.
Overseas births account for nearly a tenth of the people living here. 18% are under 15, between Co. Limerick’s towns (17%) and Irish towns (20%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 12% of the town.
48.0% of Ardagh’s residents are women
131 women and 142 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 18% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.3% | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 21% | 31% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Limerick and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
General election turnout: 61%, above both Co. Limerick’s towns (55%) and Irish towns (59%). There is no majority on Limerick City and County Council; Fine Gael have the most seats, 13 of 40, short of 21. The voters of Limerick City and County Council also elect its mayor directly: John Moran (Independent), since 7 June 2024.
| Turnout | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 48% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | 55% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up just over a tenth of the total, above Co. Limerick’s towns (3.8%) and Irish towns (3.4%) alike. Archaeologists have recorded 3 sites here. 2 of Ardagh’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance.
| Heritage | Ardagh | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 73 | 15 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 10.9% | 3.8% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 3 | 10 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Ardagh; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Castle · Office of Public WorksDesmond Castle Newcastle West4.4 km outside town, to the south
CastleBunratty Castle28 km northeast
CathedralSt John's Cathedral36 km northeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksListowel Castle29 km west
CathedralSaint Mary's Cathedral36 km northeast
CastleGlenquin Castle13 km southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
2 of Ardagh’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 3 archaeological sites in and around the town.
No notable person born in Ardagh is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
William Travers: Photographer unidentified, Public domain
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardagh | 273 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newcastle West | 7,209 | 4.7 | A− | A | B+ | C |
| Rathkeale | 1,231 | 9 | — | B− | B− | D− |
| Askeaton | 1,236 | 13 | — | B | B− | D |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
5% mostly work from home, and 47% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Ardagh had 273 people at the 2022 census, up from 258 in 2016: 5.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Ardagh is 44.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Limerick
273 people live in Ardagh, in the area of Limerick City and 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). 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).