Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 16%. This town in Co. Longford has a population of 851.
Buying the median home, at €170,000, takes 3.4 times the town’s median household income. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 8% of commuters. Its architectural heritage runs to 13 buildings on the national inventory. Homes here sold for a median €184,200 over 2023 to 2025.
Grades start at 1,000 residents for Irish towns, so Newtownforbes has none.
The 3 things Newtownforbes does most differently from other towns.
5 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
13 of Newtownforbes’ buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 5 archaeological sites in and around the town.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Newtownforbes.
By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred in Newtownforbes has radon above the reference level. No part of Newtownforbes is mapped as high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | – | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | – | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
In July, daytime highs in Newtownforbes average 19.6°C. Across the year it averages 9.7°C, below Irish towns (10.3°C). A year brings 1,045 mm of rain to Newtownforbes.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.0°C | – | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.7°C | – | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.6°C | – | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,045 mm | – | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
At the census, 2.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above Irish towns (2%). Ages taken into account, Newtownforbes counts 100 people with a disability for every 100 predicted. 87% of people in Newtownforbes rate their own health good or very good.
| Census 2022 | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | – | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | – | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.9% | – | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Owners make up 59% of households, about level with Irish towns (61%). 20% of households are private tenants.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €169,000 | 38 |
| Housing | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €170K | – | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 19% | – | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Among the protected sites near Newtownforbes is Ballykenny-Fisherstown Bog SPA. Protected sites cover 16% of the land within 5 km, above Irish towns (1.8%).
| Outdoors | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 0% | – | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 16% | – | 1.8% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 14% | – | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
A settled, dry day lies ahead today: light wind up to 12 km/h, then a low of 8°C. Over the coming week, Wednesday looks wettest, with about 11 mm of rain. In Newtownforbes, the November norm is a high of 10°C and a low of 4°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 293 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 215 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 251 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 286 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Driving is how 84% of commuters got to work at the census. Working mainly from home: 7.6% of workers, lower than Irish towns (11%). The commute to work averages 25.7 min.
| Census 2022 | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 47% | – | 31% |
| Median household income | €49,310 | – | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 25.7 min | – | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 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.
Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.7%, lower than Irish towns (1.1%). Among adults, 31% have a degree. The 15-to-24 age group makes up 11% of residents.
51.6% of Newtownforbes’ residents are women
439 women and 412 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 26% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 9.7% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 14% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 9.6% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 31% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Longford and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Half of voters turned out at the last local elections. One council serves Newtownforbes: Longford County Council. Longford County Council has no ruling majority: Fine Gael hold 8 of its 18 seats, short of the 10 needed.
| Turnout | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 50% | – | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | – | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 5.5% of the total, above Irish towns (3.4%). Its archaeology runs to 5 recorded sites.
| Heritage | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 153 | – | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 5.5% | – | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Families in Newtownforbes have 2 schools within 3 km to choose from: 2 primary schools. 50% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, above Irish towns (35%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Mhuire N.S. DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 317 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Newtownforbes | Co. Longford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 0% | – | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −6% | – | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | – | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland doesn’t publish results for individual schools, so none of these carries a letter.
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Newtownforbes; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CathedralSt. Mel's Cathedral4.2 km outside town, to the southeast
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksBoyle Abbey38 km northwest
MuseumThe National Famine Museum | Strokestown Park17 km west
Historic houseStrokestown Park18 km west
CastleRoscommon Castle28 km southwest
MuseumAthlone Castle39 km southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
No notable person born in Newtownforbes is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: AlanMc at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Michael Gomez: Vintagekits at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Urban area in Co. Longford
851 people live in Newtownforbes, in the area of Longford 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)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newtownforbes | 851 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Longford | 10,952 | 5 | D | A− | D | D |
| Drumlish | 1,124 | 7.9 | — | B | B+ | D |
| Lanesborough-Ballyleague | 1,733 | 15 | — | B+ | A− | C |
| Edgeworthstown | 2,199 | 17 | — | A− | C+ | C− |
| Mohill Leitrim | 1,027 | 17 | — | A | B− | C+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Newtownforbes had 851 people at the 2022 census, up from 737 in 2016: 15.5% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Newtownforbes is 40.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
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).