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Duleek BridgePhoto: C O'Flanagan · CC BY-SA 2.0
CHazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Duleek · EPA, GSI and OPW data

About 10% of Duleek’s homes are estimated to hold more radon than the reference level allows

For hazard risk, Duleek grades C. It counts radon and landslide ground only; flooding isn’t measured here, so it isn’t counted either way.

1 in 100flood scheme10%of homes over the radon level
In brief

What stands out about Duleek’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.

Flooding not measuredOnly 6.5% of Duleek’s homes have detailed ground heights, too few to measure how many stand low by big water.Behind a flood schemeThe Duleek Flood Relief Scheme protects about 12% of homes, designed for a 1-in-100-year flood.High radonAn estimated 10% of homes are above the radon reference level: a higher share than in 81% of Irish towns.Excellent bathing waterLaytown/Bettystown, 13 km away, was rated excellent in 2025.
By hazard

What Duleek faces

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

Low-lying homes

Not measured
Too few detailed heights · 6.5% of homes
Check the official flood maps

Radon

10%of homes estimated over the reference level
more radon than in 81% of Irish towns
100% 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

Bathing water

excellentLaytown/Bettystown, 13 km
1 bathing water within 15 km
Rated for the 2025 season

Flood scheme

1 in 100the flood its scheme is built for
12% of homes behind it
Duleek Flood Relief Scheme

Ground heights

6.5%of homes on detailed ground heights
Too few to count flood (80% needed)
Of 1,852 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

Hazard risk in Duleek: C

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

Radon (10%)Better than 24% of Irish towns
Landslide ground (0%)Better than 57% of Irish towns
Low-lying homesNot counted: not measured here

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 isn’t counted for or against Duleek: too few of its homes have the detailed ground heights the measure needs, so its grade uses radon and landslide ground only.

Duleek isn’t ranked for hazard risk: without a flood figure its grade can’t be set beside towns whose grade counts one.

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. No full LiDAR here (6.5% of homes): the rest of the heights come from a 30 m satellite model, which reads roofs and trees as ground, so this town’s figure isn’t counted.

Low-lying homes

How many of Duleek’s homes stand low isn’t measured

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.

Flooding isn’t measured in Duleek: only 6.5% of its homes stand on LiDAR ground heights, and the measure needs 80%, so flood isn’t counted for or against it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t flood.

A rougher estimate, mostly from a 30 m satellite model, puts about 17% of homes low beside the River Nanny. That model reads roofs and trees as ground, so it misses low homes more often than it invents them.

Official flood maps and past floods: floodinfo.ie

River levels

The River Nanny at Duleek (downstream) peaked at 3.52 m in November 2000

Each winter’s highest level (October to September) at the OPW’s Duleek (downstream) gauge, in Duleek, since 1979, in metres above the gauge’s zero. Nine days in ten it runs between 0.64 m and 1.39 m.

Each winter’s highest level, metres
Winter 1979–80: highest 3.14 m · 41 days above the normal rangeWinter 1980–81: highest 2.92 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 1981–82: highest 2.20 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1982–83: highest 2.91 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 1983–84: highest 2.98 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1984–85: highest 2.77 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 1985–86: highest 3.48 m on 26 August 1986 · 34 days above the normal rangeWinter 1986–87: highest 2.69 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 1987–88: highest 2.69 m · 30 days above the normal rangeWinter 1988–89: highest 1.79 m · 4 days above the normal rangeWinter 1989–90: highest 2.89 m · 15 days above the normal rangeWinter 1990–91: highest 2.56 m · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 3.11 m · 13 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 3.21 m on 12 June 1993 · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 3.27 m on 7 October 1993 · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 3.00 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 2.73 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 3.23 m on 5 January 1999 · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 1.98 m · 12 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 2.92 m · 21 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 3.24 m on 14 November 2002 · 26 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 3.17 m · 24 days above the normal rangeWinter 2005–06: highest 2.38 m · 19 days above the normal rangeWinter 2006–07: highest 2.90 m · 47 days above the normal rangeWinter 2007–08: highest 3.06 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 3.05 m · 37 days above the normal rangeWinter 2009–10: highest 2.73 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 2.47 m · 28 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 3.01 m · 25 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 3.18 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 3.10 m · 40 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 2.64 m · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 2.64 m · 19 days above the normal rangeWinter 2023–24: highest 3.20 m on 20 October 2023 · 51 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 2.25 m · 18 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 3.19 m on 27 January 2026 · 60 days above the normal range’85–86’93–94Record 3.52 m, 2000Top of normal range
1979–802025–26
The highest days on record
  • 6 November 20003.52 m
  • 26 August 19863.48 m
  • 7 October 19933.27 m
  • 14 November 20023.24 m
  • 5 January 19993.23 m
  • 12 June 19933.21 m

Since 1979 the River Nanny has run above its usual top on 1,039 days, most of them in the winters of 2025–26 and 2023–24.

Measured by its highest day, last winter (2025–26) was the 7th-highest of the 36 on record here.

Source: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data), Duleek (downstream) gauge (station 08011): 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 Duleek

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; Duleek is covered by County Meath’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 Duleek can’t be counted here.

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

Flood scheme

The Duleek Flood Relief Scheme protects part of Duleek

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

Designed for
1 in 100 years
the flood it is built to hold back
Homes behind it
12%
in the area the Duleek Flood Relief Scheme protects
Schemes
1
Duleek Flood Relief Scheme
Protected places in the county
4
across County Meath, this town included

A scheme lowers the chance of flooding behind it; it doesn’t remove it. The low-lying figure counts homes behind defences too, so a defended town can still show a high share.

In County Meath, OPW schemes protect parts of 3 other places, including Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney, Dunboyne, Clonee.

The protected places nearest here
TownSchemeDesigned forHomes behind itAway
Duleek MeathDuleek Flood Relief Scheme1 in 10012%–
Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney MeathMornington Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1009.1%12 km
Dunboyne MeathRiver Tolka (Clonee and Dunboyne) Scheme1 in 10014%27 km
Clonee MeathRiver Tolka (Clonee and Dunboyne) Scheme1 in 10057%28 km
Mulhuddart DublinRiver Tolka (Fingal) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 100under 0.1%29 km
Clonsilla DublinRiver Tolka (Clonee and Dunboyne) Scheme1 in 1000.5%29 km

Official flood maps and past floods: floodinfo.ie

Landslides

No home in Duleek 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

DuleekCounty Meath’s medianmedian of Irish towns
High or moderately high0%
0%5%

Duleek 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 10% of Duleek’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.

0% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes10% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)0% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes32% of homes estimated above the reference level · Over 20% (High Radon Area)15% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)1.2% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes1.3% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes0% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes0.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes18% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)0% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes29% of homes estimated above the reference level · Over 20% (High Radon Area)6.8% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% 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 homes26%
10–20% (High Radon Area) · Duleek11%
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; 100% of Duleek’s homes are in one. The map is an estimate by area: two neighbouring houses can differ a lot.

100%
of homes in a High Radon Area
0.5%
County Meath’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 lies inside Duleek

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

1
licensed site inside Duleek
6
licensed sites within 5 km of the centre
1.1 km
to the nearest: Enva Ireland Limited
The 8 nearest licensed sites
SiteLicence and activityAway
Enva Ireland LimitedIndustrial Emissions licence · wasteinside
Cooksgrove Limited t/a Euro Farm FoodsIndustrial Emissions licence · food and drink2.3 km
Indaver Ireland Limited (Duleek)Industrial Emissions licence · waste2.8 km
Mr David MurrayIndustrial Emissions licence · intensive farming3.3 km
Irish Cement Limited (Platin)Industrial Emissions licence · cement and lime3.7 km
Roadstone Limited (Mullaghcrone Quarry)Waste licence4.0 km
ADSIL DroghedaIndustrial Emissions licence · energy5.8 km
Mr Dermot CrinionIndustrial Emissions licence · intensive farming6.2 km
What the 17 licensed sites within 10 km do
ActivitySites
Waste6
Intensive farming4
Food and drink3
Cement and lime2
Energy1
Not classed in the register1

Within 5 km: 5 under Industrial Emissions licences and one waste facility.

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 Duleek

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

KentstownDroghedaTullyallenSlaneStamullenLaytown-Bettystown-Mornington-DonacarneyKentstownDroghedaTullyallenSlaneStamullenLaytown-Bettystown-Mornington-DonacarneyDuleek
TownLow-lyingRadonLandslides
Duleek–10%0%
Kentstown
1,195 · 7.9 km		–6.8%0%
Drogheda
44,135 · 7.9 km		1.6%1.1%under 0.1%
Tullyallen
1,697 · 9.0 km		–1.3%0%
Slane
1,445 · 9.7 km		0.3%15%4.8%
Stamullen
3,720 · 11 km		–32%0%
Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney
15,642 · 12 km		–0.4%0%

None of the measured places around Duleek has many homes standing low by big water.

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

Be ready

Get ready for what Duleek 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 Duleek
  • Ask whether the home has ever flooded, and get a buildings insurance quote before you commit: flood cover isn’t always offered.
  • Behind a completed OPW scheme? Insurers in Insurance Ireland agreed in 2014 to offer flood cover in those areas: ask for it by name.
  • 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 Duleek

Does Duleek flood?

For a single address, the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods are on floodinfo.ie.

Is radon a problem in Duleek?

The EPA’s map estimates that about 10% of homes around Duleek are above the radon reference level of 200 Bq/m³: a higher share than in 81% of Irish towns. 100% of its homes are in a High Radon Area. The only way to know a house is a three-month test.

Is Duleek at risk of landslides?

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

How does Duleek compare with the places around it?

Radon estimates around Duleek run from 0.4% in Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney to 32% in Stamullen; Duleek’s own is 10%.

Where is the nearest bathing water to Duleek?

Laytown/Bettystown, 13 km away, was rated excellent for the 2025 season; it is the only identified bathing water within 15 km.

How is Duleek’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?

Duleek 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 · flood schemes: OPW flood relief scheme benefiting areas · bathing water: EPA bathing water quality · 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).