Foxford’s story
Foxford: 15 buildings on the National Inventory
The record adds 7 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 3%, against 3% across Irish towns.
- 1800Foxford Church (Toomore)
- 1840Bridge, Foxford
- 1850Brookside
FoxfordCo. Mayo
Its architectural heritage runs to 15 buildings on the national inventory. Population 1,452: a town in Co. Mayo.
5 places within 19 kmMap →
Photo: C Michael Hogan · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,452
CSO, Census 2022 · Mayo County Council
Median age
45.4
25% are 65+ · Co. Mayo 14%
Degree level
29%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
11%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
Is Foxford a good place to live?
Foxford is a safe place by the numbers: for every 1,000 residents, gardaí record 1.9 violent crimes and 2.2 burglaries or acts of criminal damage a year. Cost of living is another plus (A) — the median home here went for €180,000, 4.3 times the median household income. Its lowest grade is for hazard risk: an estimated 12% of homes are above the radon reference level. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA · health and work, CSO Census 2022. Irish towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Foxford has subject grades only.
Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level.
What makes Foxford stand out
The 3 things Foxford does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% walk, cycle or ride
The median of Irish towns: 23%
CSO, Census 2022
Median sale price
Housing
€193,100 median home
48% below the median of Irish towns, €372,600
Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025.
Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents
History
15 buildings on the national inventory
2.1 times the median of Irish towns for its size, all of regional importance.
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
How Foxford grades
Each subject compares Foxford with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
SafetyVery little crime by comparisonA+Open →Cost of livingAmong the best of the towns comparedAOpen →Hazard riskBased on how exposed the town is to floods, storms and other hazardsDOpen →WalkabilityMost errands need a carCOpen →HealthClose to the middle of the towns comparedB−Open →Jobs & income69% of 15-to-64s in work; 11% unemployedB−Open →
SchoolsNot graded in Ireland: schools’ exam results aren’t published school by school (Education Act 1998, s.53)–
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Foxford.
SafetySafety A+
Foxford has less crime per resident than 94% of the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
In all, 15.5 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, below both Co. Mayo’s towns (38.6) and Irish towns (54.3). The graded crime recorded most in Foxford was assaults and harassment (2023–2025).
1.9violent incidents per 1,000 a yearA+Safety Grade
Compared with towns its sizeFewer incidents against residents per 1,000 than 94% of the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Recorded by type · per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025
Road traffic4.6
Dangerous acts4.1
Assault1.6
Damage1.5
Theft1.2
Public order0.8
Burglary0.7
Against justice0.3
Weapons0.3
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 | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.2 | 4 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 1.9 | 4.5 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 15.5 | 38.6 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 1.2 | 6.4 | 15.3 |
1.9
violent incidents per 1,000 a year
2.2
burglary and damage per 1,000 a year
76
incidents a year, Foxford Garda area
4.1
against residents per 1,000, as graded
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
HousingCost of living A
Renting costs less in Foxford than in Co. Mayo’s towns or across Irish towns: €966 a month
Private renters make up a fifth of households, below both Co. Mayo’s towns (34%) and Irish towns (22%). Households that own their home make up 65%. The social rented sector houses 13% of households.
€180Kmedian sale priceACost of living Grade
Median sale price · Property Price Register, 2023–2025
Foxford€180K
Co. Mayo€190K
Irish towns€350K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €180,000 | 142 |
| The last 12 months | €230,000 | 37 |
| Housing | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €180K | €190K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €966 | €1,047 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 20% | 34% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 65% | 54% | 61% |
65%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
20%
rent privately · Irish towns 22%
€966
a month on new tenancies, Foxford
3.7
times median household income, County Mayo
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Natural hazardsHazard risk D
the River Moy 34 sets Foxford apart: 36% of its homes stand low, more than in 90% of Irish towns
Radon: 100% of homes are in high-radon areas, near Co. Mayo’s towns (97%) and higher than Irish towns (0%). Landslides: none of Foxford lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
100%of homes in high-radon areasDHazard risk Grade
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
Low-lying beside water36%
In high-radon areas100%
On high landslide susceptibility0%
Low-lying near a river36%
Low-lying near the coast0%
| Share of homes | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 36% | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 97% | 0% |
12%
of homes over the radon level
913
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Climate
July afternoons in Foxford reach 19.0°C (Co. Mayo towns 18.7°C, Irish towns 19.9°C)
Foxford gets 1,280 mm of rain a year. The year’s mean temperature is 10.1°C, about level with Co. Mayo’s towns (9.9°C) and below Irish towns (10.3°C). December is the wettest month locally, with 144 mm of rain on average.
19.0°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter8.8°C
Spring13.2°C
Summer18.6°C
Autumn13.9°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.0°C | 18.7°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,280 mm | 1,314 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.1°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.6°C | 2.6°C | 2.9°C |
19.0°C
July high
2.6°C
January low
1,280 mm
Rain a year
144 mm
Wettest month
29
Air frosts
1,199 hrs
Sunshine
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Outdoors
More woodland lies at the edge of Foxford than Co. Mayo’s towns or Irish towns: 13% of the land within 1 km
Protected sites cover nearly a tenth of the land within 5 km, above both Co. Mayo’s towns (3.4%) and Irish towns (1.8%). Within 400 m of green space: three in five homes. Foxford offers 5.9 ha of green space per 1,000 residents.
60%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Foxford5.9 ha
Co. Mayo2.6 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 13% | 3.2% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 60% | 85% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 9.3% | 3.4% | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.2 km per km² | 0.6 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
60%
Near a park
5.9 ha
Green space
2 km
Footpaths
9.3%
Protected for nature
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Forecast for Foxford: sunny today and highs near 11 degrees
Over the coming week, highs run from 7°C to 10°C, with Thursday the warmest. Foxford’s November average makes a useful yardstick: afternoons reach 11°C, nights fall to 5°C. No rain is due today; the wind stays light, 18 km/h at most, and the low is 6°C.
11°C / 6°CToday
This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages
November11°C
December9°C
January9°C
February9°C
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 394 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 251 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 273 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 362 mm |
11°C / 6°C
Today
0.5 mm
Rain, next 24 hours
17 km/h
Wind
79%
Humidity
9 h 13 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Foxford skews older, with 25% of residents 65 or over, more than Co. Mayo’s towns or Irish towns
Aged 15 to 24: 8.2% of residents. Children under 15 make up 17%, lower than both Co. Mayo’s towns (21%) and Irish towns (20%). One measure of its mix: nearly a fifth of residents were born abroad.
45.4median age
FoxfordCo. MayoIreland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none15%
Lower secondary14%
Leaving Cert37%
Diploma or cert5%
Degree or higher29%
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 51.7% of Foxford
751 women and 701 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 25% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 15% | 9.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 37% | 40% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.4% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 29% | 31% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Mayo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
57% of Foxford’s voters turned out at the local elections (Co. Mayo towns 60%, Irish towns 46%)
Fine Gael lead Mayo County Council with 10 of 30 seats, but no party has a majority: 16 are needed. At the general election 64% voted, close to Co. Mayo’s towns (64%) and above Irish towns (59%). There is just one council for Foxford, Mayo County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government.
10/30seats held by Fine Gael
Seats on Mayo County · June 2024
Fine Gael10
Fianna Fáil10
Independent7
Sinn Féin1
Independent Ireland1
Aontú1
| Turnout | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 60% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 64% | 59% |
4
Councillors
10/30
Fine Gael seats on Mayo County, the largest party
57%
turnout, June 2024
5
TDs elected for Mayo
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
History
More buildings in Foxford are on the national inventory than in Co. Mayo’s towns or Irish towns: 103 per 10,000 residents
7 archaeological sites are on the record. Homes from before 1919 make up 2.9% of the total, below both Co. Mayo’s towns (4.4%) and Irish towns (3.4%). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 15 buildings in Foxford, each of regional importance.
15inventory buildings
Buildings by NIAH rating · NIAH
International0
National0
Regional15
Among them
7
sites on the Sites and Monuments Record
1800
earliest dated inventory building
| Heritage | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 103 | 85 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 7 | 21 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
HealthHealth B−
More people in Foxford live with a disability than in Co. Mayo’s towns or across Irish towns: 28%
Asked at the census, 84% of residents of Foxford said they were in good or very good health. Unpaid carers make up 6.4% of residents, above Co. Mayo’s towns (5.3%) and Irish towns (5.4%) alike. 2.6% of residents report bad or very bad health.
84%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2022 | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 28% | 21% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 84% | 87% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 6.4% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2% |
106
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Mayo 130
111
disability per 100 expected · Co. Mayo 100
84.5 · 79.7
life expectancy, women · men, the West region, 2016
34%
hold a medical card, HSE West and North West
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Work & commuteJobs & income B−
Only 11% of commuters in Foxford go to work without a car, fewer than in Co. Mayo’s towns and Irish towns
47% of trips took under 15 minutes, between Co. Mayo’s towns (55%) and Irish towns (31%). By car: that was how just over four in five commuters travelled at the census. Households take home €42,130 a year before tax, on average.
11%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van82%
Walk7%
Bus2%
Bicycle1%
Train, DART or Luas0%
| Census 2022 | Foxford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 47% | 55% | 31% |
| Median household income | €42,130 | €49,791 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 22.2 min | 20.8 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 11% | 9.2% |
€42,130
household income, 2022 estimate · Co. Mayo €48,665
7%
worked mainly from home, 2022
6%
trips of an hour or more
4,861
on the Live Register, County Mayo, September 2026
C
Walkability: better than 29% of Irish towns
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.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Foxford Woollen Mills and 13 more within 40 km
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Foxford; with them, the best known within 40 km.
AttractionAttractionFoxford Woollen Millsin town
CastleBallylahan Castle4.6 km outside town, to the south
National park · National Parks and Wildlife ServiceWild Nephin National Park39 km west
MuseumMuseum of Country Life13 km southwest · 99K visitors a year
CathedralCathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreen14 km north
CathedralSt. Muredack's Cathedral14 km north
CastleBallylahan Castle4.6 km outside town, to the southNational park · National Parks and Wildlife ServiceWild Nephin National Park39 km westMuseumMuseum of Country Life13 km southwest · 99K visitors a yearCathedralCathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreen14 km northCathedralSt. Muredack's Cathedral14 km northPlaces: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0) · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Ballylahan Castle: Pamela Norrington, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wild Nephin National Park: Youngbillyhappy, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of Country Life: Shanehahaha, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreen: JohnArmagh, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Muredack's Cathedral: JohnArmagh, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Foxford
15pages on Foxford
The big questions
Out and about
Landmarks
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 15 buildings in Foxford, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 7 sites here.
Famous people from Foxford
3 notable people were born in Foxford.
Foxford’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Questions about Foxford
How do people in Foxford get to work?
7% mostly work from home, and 47% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Is Foxford growing?
Foxford had 1,452 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,365 in 2016: 6.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Is Foxford a young town or an old one?
The median age in Foxford is 45.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
About Foxford
Urban area in Co. Mayo
Foxford has 1,452 people, in the area of Mayo 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)
- Population
- 1,452 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Mayo
- Council
- Mayo County Council
- Local electoral area
- Swinford
- Dáil constituency
- Mayo
- Name in Irish
- Béal Easa
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:29318
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).