Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 1,232 residents and lies in Co. Louth. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 10%.
Crime is low (A−): for every 1,000 residents, gardaí record 2.8 violent crimes and 4.1 burglaries or acts of criminal damage a year. Walkability is its weak spot — 14% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. A median €260,000 buys a home here, 5 years of what the median household earns. Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for health and C+ for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · commuting, health and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO. Castlebellingham-Kilsaran 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.
Each subject compares Castlebellingham-Kilsaran 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 3 things Castlebellingham-Kilsaran does most differently from other towns.
9 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Castlebellingham-Kilsaran’s built heritage counts 28 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 9 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Castlebellingham-Kilsaran.
Recorded crime of every kind runs at 78.6 per 1,000 residents a year. Damage to property topped the graded crimes in Castlebellingham-Kilsaran (2023–2025). Among the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Castlebellingham-Kilsaran has less crime per resident than 56% of them.
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 | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 4.1 | 7.4 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 2.8 | 6.3 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 78.6 | 50.3 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Castlebellingham-Kilsaran’s nearest bathing water is Port, Lurganboy, 12 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Landslides: none of Castlebellingham-Kilsaran lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Under 1% of homes locally are estimated to have radon above the reference level.
| Share of homes | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 18% | 35% | 0.5% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | under 0.1% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Here July highs average 19.7°C, about level with both Co. Louth’s towns (19.8°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). Castlebellingham-Kilsaran is 0.2°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010. Also worth knowing: the nearest weather station is Dunsany, 46 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 798 mm | 826 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.7°C | 19.8°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 2.8°C | 2.7°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected sites cover 4.6% of the land within 5 km, higher than both Co. Louth’s towns (3.6%) and Irish towns (1.8%). 76% of homes have green space within 400 m.
| Outdoors | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 24% | 5.5% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.2 km per km² | 1.0 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 76% | 74% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 4.6% | 3.6% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The forecast for Castlebellingham-Kilsaran beside its normal weather: a typical November day reaches 11°C and drops to 5°C at night. No rain is due today, though a breeze picks up to 25 km/h; the low is 2°C. By December, a normal day reaches 9°C and a normal night 3°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 208 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 165 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 195 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 231 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.6% of the town, below both Co. Louth’s towns (13%) and Irish towns (12%). Under 15: 18% of residents. 16% of the people living here were born in another country.
52.4% of Castlebellingham-Kilsaran’s residents are women
646 women and 586 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 17% | 13% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 31% | 36% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.4% | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 28% | 30% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Louth and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Local election turnout came to 50%. Castlebellingham-Kilsaran answers to one council, Louth County Council; Ireland has no town tier. At the general election 61% voted, close to Co. Louth’s towns (61%) and above Irish towns (59%). There is no majority on Louth County Council; Sinn Féin have the most seats, 7 of 29, short of 15.
| Turnout | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 50% | 48% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | 61% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
There are 9 entries on the national archaeological record here. 12.8% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Co. Louth’s towns (4.5%) and Irish towns (3.4%). Castlebellingham-Kilsaran’s built heritage counts 28 inventory entries, each of regional standing.
| Heritage | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 227 | 88 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 9 | 105 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 12.8% | 4.5% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Short trips: 35% under 15 minutes, between Co. Louth’s towns (41%) and Irish towns (31%). 10% of people in the labour force have no job. Employment among 15- to 64-year-olds stood at 68% at the census.
| Census 2022 | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 68% | 63% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 35% | 41% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 10% | 12% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €52,100 | €48,907 | €57,760 |
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.
A disability affects 29% of people in Castlebellingham-Kilsaran. 83% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below Co. Louth’s towns (87%) and Irish towns (88%) alike. What’s more, at the census, 1.9% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2022 | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 29% | 23% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 83% | 87% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 2.3% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.7% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
63% of households own their home, near both Co. Louth’s towns (60%) and Irish towns (61%). Council and housing-body homes hold 17% of households. Private renters make up nearly a fifth of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €261,000 | 60 |
| Housing | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €260K | €305K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 17% | 19% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 63% | 60% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 19% | 20% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
3 schools lie within 3 km of Castlebellingham-Kilsaran: 2 primary schools and 1 special school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dromiskin Mixed N.S. Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 234 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 39% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 3% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +2% | +9% | +4% |
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 Castlebellingham-Kilsaran; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Abbey or prioryDromiskin Monastery2.2 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseMonasterboice High Cross and Round Tower13 km south
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksOld Mellifont Abbey18 km south
CastleSlane Castle24 km southwest
Castle · Office of Public WorksCarlingford Castle21 km northeast
Historic houseKells High Crosses37 km southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
3 notable people were born in Castlebellingham-Kilsaran.
Urban area in Co. Louth
1,232 people live in Castlebellingham-Kilsaran, in the area of Louth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | 1,232 | — | — | B− | A− | C+ |
| Dromiskin | 1,292 | 3.4 | — | C | A− | B |
| Dunleer | 2,143 | 7.5 | — | B− | C− | C |
| Ardee | 5,478 | 10 | C | B− | C | B− |
| Dundalk | 43,112 | 11 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Clogherhead | 2,275 | 15 | — | C+ | A | B− |
| Termonfeckin | 1,983 | 17 | — | C− | C | C+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Castlebellingham-Kilsaran is 41.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Castlebellingham-Kilsaran had 1,232 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,123 in 2016: 9.7% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
11% mostly work from home, and 35% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
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).