Kells’ story
Kells: 80 buildings on the National Inventory
The record adds 43 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 7%, against 3% across Irish towns.
- 1720Saint John's Cemetery
- 1730House, Market Street, Kells
- 1730Lisieux
KellsCo. Meath
Population 6,608: a town in Co. Meath.
5 places within 19 kmMap →
Photo: Ian Rob · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
6,608
CSO, Census 2022 · Meath County Council
Median age
38.4
14% are 65+ · Co. Meath 9%
Degree level
25%
of residents 15+ · Irish towns 36%
Walk, cycle, transit
17%
of working residents · Irish towns 23%
TownGrade
B
#130 of 320
Is Kells a good place to live?
Cheap to live in, with trade-offs. Overall, Kells earns a B, which places it #130 of 320 Irish towns. On that grade it does better than 60% of Irish towns. Prices are modest for what you get: half the homes sold for more than €301,000, a price of 5.8 times what the median household earns. Work and incomes lag: 64% of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, and unemployment is 12%. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety and C+ for walkability.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
This town's Hazard risk Grade uses radon and landslides only: open LiDAR heights don't cover enough of its homes to measure flooding, so flood isn't counted for or against it.
What makes Kells stand out
The 3 things Kells does most differently from other towns.
Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents
History
80 buildings on the national inventory
2.5 times the median of Irish towns for its size, all of regional importance.
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Degree or higher, residents 15+
Education
The median of Irish towns: 36%
CSO, Census 2022
Cost of living
Cost of living
Better than 90%
of Irish towns on cost of living
Its cost of living grade: A.
How Kells grades
Each subject compares Kells with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Cost of livingHomes are very affordable for local incomesAOpen →Hazard risk0.6% of homes above the radon reference levelAOpen →Jobs & income12% unemployedDOpen →Health113 with a disability per 100 predictedCOpen →Walkability17% walk, cycle or take a bus or train to workC+Open →Safety4.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
SchoolsNot graded in Ireland: schools’ exam results aren’t published school by school (Education Act 1998, s.53)–
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Kells High Crosses and 5 more in and around Kells
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Kells. Best known first.
Historic houseKells High Crossesin townMuseumMuseumKells Courthouse - Tourism and Cultural Hubin townAbbey or prioryAbbey or prioryKells Historic Trailin townChurchChurchSt Columba's Churchin townHistoric siteHistoric siteKells Round Towerin townHistoric houseHistoric houseSpire of Lloyd and People's Park100 m outside town, to the westPlaces: 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 (1)
- Kells High Crosses: Pinacle, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kells.
HousingCost of living A
Rent in Kells runs to €1,290 a month, less than in Co. Meath’s towns and across Irish towns
14% of households live in social housing. No town in Co. Meath costs less to buy into than Kells, at €301,000, the lowest of 12. Owners make up 63% of households, about level with Irish towns (61%) and below Co. Meath’s towns (75%). The typical sale price in Kells reached €348K in 2025, up 66% from €210K in 2010.
€301Kmedian sale priceACost of living Grade
Median sale price · Property Price Register, 2023–2025
Kells€301K
Co. Meath€375K
Irish towns€350K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €365,000 | 102 |
| Second-hand homes | €275,000 | 385 |
| The last 12 months | €370,000 | 163 |
| Housing | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,290 | €1,677 | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €301K | €375K | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 63% | 75% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 14% | 9% | 13% |
63%
own their home · Irish towns 61%
21%
rent privately · Irish towns 22%
€1,290
a month on new tenancies, Kells
4.3
times median household income, County Meath
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Natural hazardsHazard risk A
Kells has low radon and steady ground, but its flood exposure isn’t measured
By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred in Kells has radon above the reference level. Landslides: none of Kells lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Next to none of its homes lie low beside a river or the sea.
0%of homes in high-radon areasAHazard risk Grade
Homes exposed · share of the town’s homes
In high-radon areas0%
On high landslide susceptibility0%
| Share of homes | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
2,748
homes mapped for these shares
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
Household income in Kells, €52,111 a year, runs below Co. Meath’s towns and Irish towns
At the census, 75% of commuters went by car. 12% of the labour force were unemployed, above Co. Meath’s towns (6.6%) and Irish towns (9.2%) alike. Home was the main workplace for 7.5% of workers at the census.
17%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2022
Car or van75%
Walk10%
Bus7%
Bicycle0%
Train, DART or Luas0%
| Census 2022 | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 12% | 6.6% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €52,111 | €77,553 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 64% | 70% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 36% | 29% | 31% |
€52,111
median household income, 2022 · Co. Meath €70,657
8%
worked mainly from home, 2022
18%
trips of an hour or more
3,692
on the Live Register, County Meath, September 2026
C+
Walkability: better than 43% 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.
HealthHealth C
Disability runs above what Kells’ ages predict, at 113 per 100 expected, and above Co. Meath’s towns and Irish towns
Self-reported good health: 87% of Kells’ residents. Allowing for its ages, Kells has 131 residents in bad health per 100 expected, higher than both Co. Meath’s towns (101) and Irish towns (113). Of the 12 towns in Co. Meath, Kells has the largest share in bad or very bad health: 2.4%, and a disability affects nearly a quarter of people in the town.
87%good or very good healthCHealth Grade
Per 100 expected at the town’s ages · age-standardised
Bad health131
Disability113
Co. Meath101
Expected100
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2022 | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 92% | 88% |
| With a disability | 24% | 19% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.4% | 1.4% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.4% | 4.6% | 5.4% |
131
bad health per 100 expected · Co. Meath 101
113
disability per 100 expected · Co. Meath 102
84 · 80.3
life expectancy, women · men, the Mid-East region, 2016
27%
hold a medical card, HSE Dublin and North East
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Schools
Single-sex secondaries are more common around Kells than in Co. Meath’s towns or across Irish towns: 50%
6 schools lie within 3 km of Kells: 4 primary schools and 2 secondary schools. For secondary school, the closest is Eureka Secondary School, 0.6 km from the town.
6schools within 3 km
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil CholmcilleLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 352 | Catholic |
| Eureka Secondary School GirlsLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 735 | Catholic |
Schools by ethos · Schools within 3 km
Catholic4
Church of Ireland1
Inter-denominational1
| Schools within 3 km | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 9% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 50% | 0% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −3% | +5% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 0% | 35% |
2,154
pupils at schools within 3 km, 2025/26
−3%
pupils since 2019/20 · Irish towns +4%
0.7 km
to the nearest primary school
0.6 km
to the nearest secondary school
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No school here carries a letter or a result: Ireland publishes neither for individual schools.
Climate
Winter nights bite in Kells: January lows of 1.8°C, colder than Co. Meath’s towns or Irish towns
The mean temperature over a year in Kells is 9.6°C. Here July highs average 19.7°C, in line with Co. Meath’s towns (19.9°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). November is the wettest month locally, with 95 mm of rain on average.
19.7°CJuly afternoon high
Average afternoon highs by season · 1991–2020 averages
Winter8.1°C
Spring12.9°C
Summer19.1°C
Autumn13.7°C
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.6°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 1.8°C | 2.1°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.7°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 931 mm | 855 mm | 937 mm |
19.7°C
July high
1.8°C
January low
931 mm
Rain a year
95 mm
Wettest month
43
Air frosts
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Outdoors
Woodland runs close to Kells: 6.3% of the land within 1 km, more than in Co. Meath’s towns and across Irish towns
A park or green space is within 400 m for 100% of homes. Among the protected sites near Kells is River Boyne. Across its 6 parks, Kells has 17 ha of green space.
100%of homes near green space
Green space per 1,000 residents · per 1,000 residents
Kells2.6 ha
Co. Meath2.2 ha
Irish towns4.1 ha
| Outdoors | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 6.3% | 0.9% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 100% | 92% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.3 km per km² | 1.3 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
100%
Near a park
2.6 ha
Green space
22 km
Footpaths
1.1%
Protected for nature
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Weather
Weather in Kells: 11 degrees and showers today
Kells’ November pattern is steady: afternoons average 10°C, nights 4°C. Some 1 mm of rain falls today, driven by wind of up to 24 km/h; the low reaches 8°C. In December, the normal shifts to highs of 8°C and lows of 2°C.
11°C / 8°CToday
This month and the next three, normal highs · 1991–2020 averages
November10°C
December8°C
January8°C
February9°C
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 251 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 189 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 231 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 259 mm |
11°C / 8°C
Today
1.5 mm
Rain, next 24 hours
17 km/h
Wind
85%
Humidity
9 h 15 min
Daylight
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Fewer people in Kells hold a degree than in Co. Meath’s towns or Irish towns: 25%
Children under 15 make up 21% of residents. 0.8% speak Irish daily outside school, below both Co. Meath’s towns (1.4%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Over-65s are 14% of the population.
38.4median age
KellsCo. MeathIreland
Ages · share of residents
14%
Highest education · residents 15 and older who have finished education
Primary or none12%
Lower secondary18%
Leaving Cert39%
Diploma or cert6%
Degree or higher25%
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 50.8% of Kells
3,360 women and 3,248 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 14% | 8.9% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 12% | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6% | 7% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 25% | 37% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Meath and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Town hall
Kells turns out to vote: 55% at the last local elections, above Co. Meath’s towns and Irish towns
There is just one council for Kells, Meath County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government. No party holds a majority on Meath County Council: Independent lead with 11 of 40 seats, short of the 21 needed. In the Dáil, Kells is part of Meath East, which elects 4 TDs.
11/40seats held by Independent
Seats on Meath County · June 2024
Independent11
Fine Gael11
Fianna Fáil9
Sinn Féin6
Aontú2
Social Democrats1
| Turnout | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 55% | 47% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 60% | 60% | 59% |
7
Councillors
11/40
Independent seats on Meath County, the largest party
55%
turnout, June 2024
4
TDs elected for Meath East
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
History
For its size, Kells has more listed heritage than Co. Meath’s towns or Irish towns: 121 inventory buildings per 10,000 residents
43 archaeological sites are on the record. Homes from before 1919 make up 6.7% of the total, higher than both Co. Meath’s towns (1.1%) and Irish towns (3.4%). The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 80 buildings in Kells, each rated of regional importance.
80inventory buildings
Buildings by NIAH rating · NIAH
International0
National0
Regional80
Among them
- Saint John's Cemetery 1720
- House, Market Street, Kells 1730
- Lisieux 1730
- Maudlin House 1750
43
sites on the Sites and Monuments Record
1720
earliest dated inventory building
7%
homes built before 1919 · Irish towns 3%
2
places pictured on the history page
| Heritage | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 121 | 29 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 43 | 22 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 6.7% | 1.1% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
SafetySafety B−
For recorded crime, Kells sits in the middle of Irish towns
Every kind together came to 30.1 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Co. Meath’s towns (36.7) and Irish towns (54.3). The graded crime recorded most in Kells was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Per 1,000 residents, 5 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year.
4.8violent incidents per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with towns its sizeFewer incidents against residents per 1,000 than 62% of the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Recorded by type · per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025
Theft7.4
Dangerous acts5.8
Assault4.3
Road traffic3.3
Damage2.9
Burglary2.2
Public order2
Drugs0.8
Against justice0.6
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 | Kells | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 30.1 | 36.7 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 7.4 | 10 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 5 | 4.2 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 4.8 | 3.7 | 5.7 |
4.8
violent incidents per 1,000 a year
5
burglary and damage per 1,000 a year
471
incidents a year, Kells Garda area
9.9
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
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kells
15pages on Kells
The big questions
Out and about
Landmarks
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 80 buildings in Kells, each rated of regional importance. 43 archaeological sites are on the record here.
Famous people from Kells
11 notable people were born in Kells.
Photo credits
Alice Stopford Green: Henry Herschel Hay Cameron, Public domain · Mark Clinton: Christian Lambiotte for European Commission, CC BY 4.0 · Ray Butler: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0 · Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill: Cindy Funk, CC BY 2.0 · Damien McGrane: Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill: MaxPride, CC BY-SA 3.0
Kells’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Questions about Kells
Has Kells grown?
Kells had 6,608 people at the 2022 census, up from 6,234 in 2016: 6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Is Kells a young town or an old one?
The median age in Kells is 38.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Do people in Kells drive to work?
8% mostly work from home, and 36% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
About Kells
Urban area in Co. Meath
Kells has 6,608 people, in the area of Meath 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
- 6,608 (CSO, Census 2022)
- County
- Meath
- Council
- Meath County Council
- Local electoral area
- Kells
- Dáil constituency
- Meath East
- Name in Irish
- Ceanannas
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi (2.9 km²)
- CSO code
- UA:11425
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).