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Rathkeale High StreetPhoto: Barry Hunter · CC BY-SA 2.0
CHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Rathkeale · EPA, GSI and OPW data

Beside the River Deel, 21% of Rathkeale’s homes stand on low ground

Rathkeale grades C for hazard risk. Radon, landslide ground and its low-lying homes all count, and the low-lying homes pull it down.

21%of homes low-lying5.8%of homes over the radon level
In brief

What stands out about Rathkeale’s hazards

From the EPA’s radon map, Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide map, the OPW’s flood relief schemes and our estimate of low-lying homes, below.

A river town21% of homes stand low beside the River Deel: a higher share than in 82% of Irish towns.Some radonAbout 5.8% of homes are estimated above the radon reference level, a higher share than in 65% of Irish towns; 0% of homes are in a High Radon Area.Steady groundNo home stands on ground rated high or moderately high for landslides; 36% of Irish towns have some homes on it.
By hazard

What Rathkeale faces

Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.

Low-lying homes

21%of homes low by a big river, lake or the sea
a higher share than in 82% of Irish towns
About 180 homes

Radon

5.8%of homes estimated over the reference level
more radon than in 65% of Irish towns
0% of homes in a High Radon Area

Landslides

0%of homes on high or moderately high ground
No home on landslide-prone ground
Rated from the ground and its slope

Ground heights

100%of homes on detailed ground heights
Enough to measure flood (80% needed)
Of 888 homes counted
Not on this page: the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods (their licence doesn’t allow reuse here: see floodinfo.ie), groundwater and surface-water flooding, coastal erosion and industrial sites.
Hazard risk Grade

Rathkeale grades C for hazard risk

Radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes, each against Irish towns, then averaged.

Radon (5.8%)Better than 37% of Irish towns
Landslide ground (0%)Better than 57% of Irish towns
Low-lying homes (21%)Better than 16% of Irish towns · counted against it

Each figure is placed among Irish towns of 1,000 or more people; the grade averages the three, so a better place on each is a better grade.

Flood counts only against a town, and Rathkeale’s share of low-lying homes is high enough to lower its grade.

Less sure: The low-lying figure is our estimate from ground heights and the river map, not an official flood map. It can show a town is low-lying; it can’t show a town is safe.

Low-lying homes

21% of Rathkeale’s homes stand low beside the River Deel

Low-lying homes, a TownRatings estimate from OPW and Geological Survey Ireland LiDAR ground heights and the EPA’s river map: not an official flood map.

By a river, lake or estuary21%of homes within 5 m of the water’s level
Near the sea0%of homes below 4 m, within 2 km of the sea
Measured in detail100%of homes on detailed ground heights
Where Rathkeale sits among 231 Irish towns
43%None
6%Under 0.5%
4%0.5–1%
7%1–2%
8%2–5%
6%5–10%
8%10–20%
18%20% +Rathkeale

Share of each town’s homes standing low by big water, for the towns measured in detail. 43% have none; Rathkeale has more than 82% of them.

888
homes counted
~180
homes standing low by big water
11%
County Limerick’s median
0.7%
median of Irish towns

Low-lying homes across County Limerick’s towns · 15 towns measured in detail

Corbally and King's Island48%
Ballinacurra39%
Newcastle West23%
Annacotty18%
Caherdavin15%
Dooradoyle15%
Limerick City Centre15%

Homes: OpenStreetMap buildings of 30 m² or more, not tagged as non-residential, in the town’s Census 2022 Small Areas. Heights: GSI Open Topographic Data LiDAR (OPW, TII and GSI surveys). Water: EPA river network (rivers of Strahler order 5 or more), lakes, estuaries and coastal waters.

River levels

The River Deel at Rathkeale peaked at 3.74 m in December 1973

Each winter’s highest level (October to September) at the OPW’s Rathkeale gauge, in Rathkeale, since 1972, in metres above the gauge’s zero. Nine days in ten it runs between 0.33 m and 1.71 m.

Each winter’s highest level, metres
Winter 1972–73: highest 2.89 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 1973–74: highest 3.74 m on 1 December 1973 · 44 days above the normal rangeWinter 1974–75: highest 3.02 m · 19 days above the normal rangeWinter 1975–76: highest 3.07 m · 11 days above the normal rangeWinter 1976–77: highest 2.60 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1977–78: highest 3.11 m · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 1978–79: highest 3.26 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 1979–80: highest 3.14 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 1980–81: highest 3.65 m on 2 November 1980 · 46 days above the normal rangeWinter 1981–82: highest 2.79 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1982–83: highest 3.25 m · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 1983–84: highest 3.33 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 1984–85: highest 2.74 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1985–86: highest 3.31 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1986–87: highest 2.93 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 1987–88: highest 3.20 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 1988–89: highest 3.59 m on 22 October 1988 · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 1989–90: highest 3.44 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 1990–91: highest 3.12 m · 34 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 2.68 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 3.53 m on 26 January 1995 · 56 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 3.39 m · 31 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 3.37 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 3.23 m · 37 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 3.70 m on 30 December 1998 · 48 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 3.41 m · 44 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 3.28 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 2.98 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 2.99 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.90 m · 41 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 3.61 m on 1 August 2008 · 50 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 3.09 m · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 3.40 m · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 3.35 m · 15 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 3.50 m · 45 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 3.08 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 3.37 m · 66 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 3.10 m · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 3.44 m · 68 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 3.13 m · 17 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 3.15 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 3.02 m · 44 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 2.97 m · 56 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 2.94 m · 34 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 3.13 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 3.08 m · 51 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 2.96 m · 53 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 3.16 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 2.94 m · 38 days above the normal range’73–74’98–99’80–81Record 3.74 m, 1973Top of normal range
1972–732025–26
The highest days on record
  • 1 December 19733.74 m
  • 30 December 19983.70 m
  • 2 November 19803.65 m
  • 1 August 20083.61 m
  • 22 October 19883.59 m
  • 12 October 19883.57 m

Since 1972 the River Deel has run above its usual top on 1,772 days, most of them in the winters of 2015–16 and 2013–14.

Measured by its highest day, last winter (2025–26) was the 42nd-highest of the 49 on record here.

Source: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data), Rathkeale gauge (station 24013): daily maximum and mean levels, inspected and provisional data. The usual range is the 5th to 95th percentile of daily means, worked out by TownRatings. Live levels are on waterlevel.ie.

Warnings

Weather and flood warnings for Rathkeale

Where to see the warnings in force, and what this page can’t count.

Met Éireann issues yellow, orange and red warnings for rain, wind and coastal flooding county by county; Rathkeale is covered by County Limerick’s.

WarningWhat Met Éireann means by it
YellowWeather that isn’t unusual but can be dangerous in places: be aware.
OrangeInfrequent, dangerous weather that can put people and property at risk: be prepared.
RedRare, extremely dangerous weather: take action to protect yourself and your property.

Met Éireann doesn’t publish an open archive of past warnings, so how often warnings have covered Rathkeale can’t be counted here.

Met Éireann warnings · OPW river levels (waterlevel.ie)

Flood scheme

No OPW flood relief scheme protects Rathkeale

The Office of Public Works’ completed flood relief schemes and the areas each one benefits (OPW open data, CC BY 4.0).

Schemes
0
protect homes in Rathkeale
Protected places in the county
1
Annacotty
Nearest protected place
32 km
Annacotty, as the crow flies
Low-lying homes
21%
the share a scheme would be built for

None of the OPW’s completed flood relief schemes has a benefiting area that takes in Rathkeale’s homes. The OPW builds schemes where the risk to homes is greatest, so most towns have none.

In County Limerick, an OPW scheme also protects part of Annacotty.

The protected places nearest here
TownSchemeDesigned forHomes behind itAway
Annacotty LimerickMulkear River (Ballymackeogh) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 101.1%32 km
Ennis ClareEnnis (Upper) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1003.5%36 km
Mallow CorkMallow South & West Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1002.6%47 km
Gort GalwayGort River (Bridge Street) Drainage Scheme1 in 1000.9%61 km
Fermoy CorkFermoy South Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1006.3%62 km
Clonmel TipperaryClonmel (North & East) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1007.4%86 km

Official flood maps and past floods: floodinfo.ie

Landslides

No home in Rathkeale stands on landslide-prone ground

Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide susceptibility map (1:50,000), read at every home.

Homes on ground rated high or moderately high

RathkealeCounty Limerick’s medianmedian of Irish towns
High or moderately high0%
0%5%

Rathkeale is among the 64% of Irish towns with no home on such ground.

GSI rates ground from low to high by its slope, soil and rock. Most Irish landslides are on steep upland slopes and peat after heavy rain; a town on flat ground has almost none.

High means the ground could slide under the right conditions, such as days of heavy rain on a steep, wet slope; it isn’t a forecast that it will.

GSI landslide susceptibility, high and moderately high classes, share of the town’s homes on mapped ground (CC BY 4.0).

Radon

An estimated 5.8% of Rathkeale’s homes are above the radon reference level

The EPA’s radon map: for each 10 km square, the estimated share of homes above the national reference level of 200 Bq/m³.

5% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes14% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)21% of homes estimated above the reference level · Over 20% (High Radon Area)3.5% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homesunder 0.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homesunder 0.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes7% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes8.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes11% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)5.8% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes5% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes3.5% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes0.9% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homesunder 0.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes© OpenStreetMap contributors · EPA
Under 1% of homes1–5% of homes5–10% of homes10–20% (High Radon Area)Over 20% (High Radon Area)
Share of Irish towns in each band
Under 1% of homes17%
1–5% of homes38%
5–10% of homes · Rathkeale26%
10–20% (High Radon Area)11%
Over 20% (High Radon Area)9%

A square where 10% or more of homes are estimated above the reference level is a High Radon Area; 0% of Rathkeale’s homes are in one. The map is an estimate by area: two neighbouring houses can differ a lot.

0%
of homes in a High Radon Area
1.6%
County Limerick’s median
4%
median of Irish towns

A test is the only way to know a home’s level: two detectors, left for three months in a living room and a bedroom.

EPA radon map of Ireland (10 km grid), averaged over the town’s homes (CC BY 4.0).

Industrial sites

One EPA-licensed site within 5 km of Rathkeale’s centre, none inside it

Factories, farms, power plants and waste sites that hold an EPA licence for their emissions, in Rathkeale and around its centre.

0
licensed sites inside Rathkeale
1
licensed site within 5 km of the centre
1.1 km
to the nearest: Anglo Beef Processors Ireland t/a ABP Rathkeale
The 3 nearest licensed sites
SiteLicence and activityAway
Anglo Beef Processors Ireland t/a ABP RathkealeIndustrial Emissions licence · food and drink1.1 km
Michael Hanley Farm Enterprises LimitedIndustrial Emissions licence · intensive farming5.2 km
Deal View Farm LimitedIndustrial Emissions licence · intensive farming7.6 km
What the 3 licensed sites within 10 km do
ActivitySites
Intensive farming2
Food and drink1

Within 5 km: one under an Industrial Emissions licence.

An EPA licence sets what a site may release to air, water and land; it doesn’t mark the site as an accident hazard.

Sites holding dangerous substances in bulk come under the COMAH (Seveso) rules, but the HSA’s list of them has no open licence, so upper- and lower-tier sites aren’t counted here.

Source: EPA registers of Industrial Emissions, IPC and waste licences, sites licensed on 31 October 2026; distances in a straight line from the town’s centre.

Neighbours

Hazards in the places around Rathkeale

Low-lying homes, radon and landslide ground, town by town.

AskeatonAdareNewcastle WestCroomAskeatonAdareNewcastle WestCroomRathkeale
TownLow-lyingRadonLandslides
Rathkeale21%5.8%0%
Askeaton
1,236 · 9.5 km		18%13%0%
Adare
1,224 · 11 km		28%3.5%0%
Newcastle West
7,209 · 11 km		23%7%0%
Croom
1,240 · 15 km		9.7%under 0.1%0%

Of the places around Rathkeale, Adare has the most homes standing low by big water (28%), 11 km away.

A dash under Low-lying: not measured there (too few homes with detailed ground heights), not none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Rathkeale faces

What to do, and what to ask before you move.

When the river rises
  • Never walk or drive through floodwater: 30 cm of moving water can float a car.
  • Move valuables, papers and medicines upstairs.
  • Turn off gas, electricity and water if you’re told to.
Met Éireann warnings · floodinfo.ie
Radon
  • Test over three months, in a living room and a bedroom.
  • Above 200 Bq/m³, a small sump and fan usually fixes it.
  • The EPA sells radon test kits at radon.ie and lists registered contractors who fix high readings.
radon.ie
When a storm is forecast
  • Bring in or tie down bins, trampolines and anything the wind can lift.
  • Keep away from coastal paths and piers while an orange or red warning is in force.
  • Charge phones and keep a torch: fallen lines are the commonest storm damage.
  • After the storm, report a fallen line to ESB Networks and keep well clear of it.
ESB Networks PowerCheck
Before you buy or rent in Rathkeale
  • Ask whether the home has ever flooded, and get a buildings insurance quote before you commit: flood cover isn’t always offered.
  • Ask the seller or landlord for a radon test result, or test in your first months there.
  • Check the address on floodinfo.ie: the OPW’s flood maps and its record of past floods.
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • An estimate, not a flood map. Low-lying homes is a TownRatings modelling step: each home’s ground height from LiDAR, against the level of the nearest big river (Strahler order 5 or more), lake or estuary within 1 km, or the sea within 2 km. A home within 5 m of the water’s level, or below 4 m near the sea, counts.
  • Flood counts only one way. A high share of low-lying homes lowers the Hazard risk Grade; a low share never raises it, because defences, small streams, culverts, groundwater and flash floods don’t show in ground heights. Below the national median a town scores as the median.
  • Defences aren’t counted. Flood defences aren’t taken off: the OPW scheme that protects the most homes is shown instead, with its design standard.
  • Measured where the heights are detailed. A town is measured, and counted, only where 80% of its homes stand on LiDAR heights. Elsewhere the page says flooding isn’t measured, never that the town is dry.
  • Radon is an estimate by area. The EPA’s radon map gives the estimated share of homes above 200 Bq/m³ for each 10 km square, averaged here over the town’s homes. It says where to test, not what one house holds.
  • The sea is measured by height. Homes count as low by the sea when their ground is under 4 m and within 2 km of coastal or estuary water; waves, surges and erosion aren’t modelled.
  • Landslide ground is a map of where slides could start. GSI’s susceptibility map rates the ground itself; it doesn’t record past slides or say when one will happen.
  • Bathing water is rated season by season. The EPA classes each identified bathing water from four seasons of samples; a rating says how clean the water has been, not how safe it is to swim.
  • One town, many streets. Risk is street by street. Check a specific address on floodinfo.ie before you buy or rent.

Check any address against the OPW’s official flood maps on floodinfo.ie

Questions about flooding and hazards in Rathkeale

Does Rathkeale flood?

About 21% of Rathkeale’s homes stand low beside the River Deel: a higher share than in 82% of Irish towns. That is our estimate from ground heights, not an official flood map. For a single address, the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods are on floodinfo.ie.

Is radon a problem in Rathkeale?

The EPA’s map estimates that about 5.8% of homes around Rathkeale are above the radon reference level of 200 Bq/m³: a higher share than in 65% of Irish towns. 0% of its homes are in a High Radon Area. The only way to know a house is a three-month test.

Is Rathkeale at risk of landslides?

No home in Rathkeale stands on ground rated high or moderately high for landslides.

Is Rathkeale at risk from the sea?

None of Rathkeale’s homes stands below 4 m within 2 km of the sea, so the sea plays no part in its share of low-lying homes; 21% stand low by rivers, lakes and estuaries.

How does Rathkeale compare with the places around it?

Radon estimates around Rathkeale run from under 0.1% in Croom to 13% in Askeaton; Rathkeale’s own is 5.8%. Among the places measured in detail, Adare has the largest share of homes standing low (28%).

How is Rathkeale’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?

Rathkeale grades C: radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes are each placed among Irish towns, and the grade averages them.

Flood: TownRatings’ estimate from ground heights, not an official flood map. Contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the EPA) licensed under CC BY 4.0; Copernicus DEM © DLR e.V. and © Airbus, provided under COPERNICUS by the EU and ESA; © OpenStreetMap contributors. Radon and bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Landslide susceptibility: Geological Survey Ireland (CC BY 4.0).

Sources: low-lying homes: TownRatings’ estimate from GSI and OPW LiDAR, Copernicus GLO-30 and the EPA river network · radon: EPA radon map · landslides: GSI landslide susceptibility · river levels: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data) · industrial sites: EPA licence registers · the grade: TownRatings, from these figures. 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).