Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a neighbourhood of 4,111 residents in Limerick. It grew by 18% between the 2016 and 2022 censuses.
A tough set of grades. Health is a weak point: for every 100 its ages would predict, 187 residents are in bad health and 127 have a disability. Rathbane’s overall D− puts it #15 of 15 in Co. Limerick. It comes out behind almost every Irish town. Safety lags: recorded crime comes to 9.9 violent offences and 11.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. The median home here went for €311,900, 5.8 times the median household income. Its best grade is for hazard risk: an estimated 1% of homes are above the radon reference level.
Figures: radon, EPA · health, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
This town's house price is the median for its whole Eircode routing key, town and countryside together: fewer than 30 sales in the town itself were recorded on the Property Price Register in 2023 to 2025, so its Cost Grade is less sure. 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 Rathbane does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Rathbane 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 →
33 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Rathbane. Best known first.
CathedralSt John's Cathedral1.1 km outside town, to the north
CathedralSaint Mary's Cathedral1.8 km outside town, to the north
MuseumThe Hunt Museum1.6 km outside town, to the north
Art galleryLimerick City Gallery of Art1.1 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumThe People's Museum of Limerick1.1 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rathbane.
27% of residents in Rathbane live with a disability. At the census, 83% of people in Rathbane called their health good or very good, below both Co. Limerick’s towns (87%) and Irish towns (88%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 3.3% of the town.
| Census 2022 | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 87% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2% |
| With a disability | 27% | 24% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.7% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
More of the graded crimes in Rathbane were damage to property than anything else (2023–2025). All told, 102.1 crimes per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. Thefts came to 28.8 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), near Co. Limerick’s towns (27.4) and higher than Irish towns (15.3).
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 | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 11.4 | 11.2 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 102.1 | 94 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 9.9 | 9.3 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 28.8 | 27.4 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
The private rented sector houses 6% of households. Owners make up nearly two thirds of households, above Co. Limerick’s towns (58%) and Irish towns (61%) alike.
| Housing | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 27% | 13% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 6% | 27% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 66% | 58% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area V94, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
The nearest secondary, Colaiste Mhichil, is 1.5 km away. DEIS, the support scheme, covers a third of them, lower than both Co. Limerick’s towns (46%) and Irish towns (35%). Within 3 km of Rathbane there are 52 schools (30 primary schools, 14 secondary schools and 8 special schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Moin A Lin Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 847 | Catholic |
| Castletroy CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 1,360 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh GaelcholáisteTeaches through IrishPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 606 | Inter-denominational |
| Ardscoil Mhuire DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 591 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 14% | 12% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 33% | 46% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +7% | +3% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 50% | 55% | 39% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
An estimated 1.4% of homes in Rathbane have radon above the reference level. 3.8% of homes stand low near a river, below Co. Limerick’s towns (9.8%) but above Irish towns (0.5%). Landslides: none of Rathbane lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
| Share of homes | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 3.8% | 9.8% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
The car carried nearly three quarters of commuters at the census. In work: 58% of residents aged 15 to 64, below Co. Limerick’s towns (62%) and Irish towns (68%) alike. The average trip to work takes 22.1 min.
| Census 2022 | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 58% | 62% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 14% | 11% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 22.1 min | 23 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 37% | 36% | 31% |
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.
July afternoons reach 20.0°C here, in line with Co. Limerick’s towns (19.9°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). The nearest weather station is Shannon Airport, 21 km away. December is the wettest month in Rathbane, with 111 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 20.0°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,006 mm | 1,038 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.5°C | 10.5°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Per 1,000 residents, Rathbane has 14.1 ha of green space. Among the protected sites near Rathbane is Lower River Shannon SAC. Protected sites cover 6% of the land within 5 km, lower than Co. Limerick’s towns (9.8%) yet higher than Irish towns (1.8%). This Co. Limerick town has 4 parks, with 58 ha of green space in all.
| Outdoors | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 74% | 96% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 6% | 9.8% | 1.8% |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 14.1 ha | 4.6 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.1% | 1.5% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Children under 15 make up 22%, above Co. Limerick’s towns (17%) and Irish towns (20%) alike. One in ten residents were born abroad. People aged 15 to 24 are 13% of the population.
51.0% of Rathbane’s residents are women
2,096 women and 2,015 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 15% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 18% | 10% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.3% | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 20% | 37% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Limerick and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election 55% voted, about level with Co. Limerick’s towns (55%) and below Irish towns (59%). The voters of Limerick City and County Council also elect its mayor directly: John Moran (Independent), since 7 June 2024. No party holds a majority on Limerick City and County Council: Fine Gael lead with 13 of 40 seats, short of the 21 needed.
| Turnout | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 55% | 55% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 48% | 48% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The archaeological record lists 33 sites here. 2.3% of its homes were built before 1919, below Co. Limerick’s towns (4.8%) and Irish towns (3.4%) alike.
| Heritage | Rathbane | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 15 | 31 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 33 | 10 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 2.3% | 4.8% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Rathbane’s built heritage counts 6 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 33 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rathbane | 4,111 | — | D− | C | D | D− |
| Prospect and Newtown Pery | 4,122 | 1 | D− | C | D | D− |
| Galvone | 5,412 | 1.2 | D− | C | D | D− |
| Garryowen | 5,428 | 1.7 | D | B | D | D |
| Dock | 6,258 | 1.8 | D | C | D | C− |
| Limerick City Centre | 3,434 | 2 | C− | C | D | B− |
| Ballinacurra | 3,719 | 2 | C | C | D | B− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Rathbane had 4,111 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,480 in 2016: 18.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Rathbane is 37.9, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
9% mostly work from home, and 37% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Neighbourhood in Limerick
Rathbane has 4,111 people, in the area of Limerick City and County Council. TownRatings splits Limerick into neighbourhoods made from the CSO’s Electoral Divisions, named from Tailte Éireann’s gazetteer, so each has figures of its own.
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).