Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
50 of its buildings are on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. With 1,445 residents, it is a town in Co. Meath.
Recorded crime is low: per 1,000 residents a year, gardaí record 1.8 violent crimes and 3.8 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. The weak point is hazard risk — an estimated 15% of its homes exceed the radon reference level. Work and incomes lag: 67% of working-age residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 11%. Home prices sit at a median €339,500, which is 5.5 years of the town’s median household income.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · radon, EPA · work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO. Irish towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Slane has subject grades only.
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.
The 3 things Slane does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Slane with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Irish towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Slane has subject grades only.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The record adds 17 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 7%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Slane. Best known first.
CastleSlane Castle300 m outside town, to the westArt galleryArt galleryPat's Art Studioin townHistoric siteHistoric site · Office of Public WorksBrú na Bóinne4.6 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumFrancis Ledwidge Museum600 m outside town, to the eastHistoric siteHistoric site · Office of Public WorksNewgrange3.9 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Slane.
Radon: 100% of homes are in high-radon areas, above Co. Meath’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%) alike. Low-lying near a river: 0.3% of homes, near both Co. Meath’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0.5%).
| Share of homes | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 4.8% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Recorded crime of every kind runs at 24.8 per 1,000 residents a year. Of the graded crimes in Slane, burglary came up most often (2023–2025). Thefts came to 4.6 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), below Co. Meath’s towns (9.5) and Irish towns (15.3) alike.
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 | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 1.8 | 3.7 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 24.8 | 36.7 | 54.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 3.8 | 4.2 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 4.6 | 9.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
For its ages, Slane has 97 people with a disability for every 100 expected, lower than both Co. Meath’s towns (103) and Irish towns (106). Unpaid caring falls to 6.6% of the town’s residents. Asked at the census, 91% of residents of Slane said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2022 | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 6.6% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 91% | 91% | 88% |
| With a disability | 20% | 19% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 1.6% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Home ownership stands at 72% of households. 11% live in social housing, higher than Co. Meath’s towns (9%) yet lower than Irish towns (13%). Private tenants account for 17% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €370,000 | 50 |
| Second-hand homes | €311,000 | 79 |
| Housing | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 72% | 74% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 17% | 15% | 22% |
| Households in social housing | 11% | 9% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €340K | €375K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Household income came to €62,260 a year before tax, below Co. Meath’s towns (€73,360) but above Irish towns (€57,760). Unemployment stands at 11%. On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 13% of commuters travelled at the census.
| Census 2022 | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 34.9 min | 32.9 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 7.3% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 24% | 29% | 31% |
| Median household income | €62,260 | €73,360 | €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.
Across the year it averages 10.1°C, about level with Co. Meath’s towns (9.9°C) and below Irish towns (10.3°C). Expect January lows of around 2.3°C in Slane. November is the wettest month in the town, with 91 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 20.2°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 2.3°C | 2.1°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.1°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 872 mm | 855 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected nature near Slane includes River Boyne. Within 5 km, 3.1% of the land is protected nature, above Co. Meath’s towns (0.8%) and Irish towns (1.8%) alike. Also worth knowing: 100% of homes have green space within 400 m. Green space in Slane adds up to 16 ha, in one park.
| Outdoors | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 11% | 1% | 2.7% |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 11.0 ha | 2.3 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Near a park | 100% | 95% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.8 km per km² | 1.3 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Today brings about 1 mm of rain and a breeze of up to 27 km/h; the low is 9°C. Tuesday looks like the wettest of the days that follow, with about 5 mm of rain. What counts as normal for Slane in November: highs come to 11°C and lows to 4°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 2°C | 226 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 182 mm |
| Summer | 20°C | 11°C | 217 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 248 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Children under 15 make up 22%, between Co. Meath’s towns (24%) and Irish towns (20%). 31% of adults hold a degree. Aged 15 to 24: 12% of residents.
Women make up 50.0% of Slane
722 women and 723 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 13% | 9.2% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 12% | 7.7% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 34% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.4% | 7% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 31% | 36% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Meath and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
There is just one council for Slane, Meath County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government. With 11 of 40 seats, Independent are the largest group on Meath County Council, short of the 21 a majority needs. This Co. Meath town sits in the Laytown-Bettystown local electoral area, which elects 7 councillors.
| Turnout | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 60% | 60% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 47% | 47% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 7% of the total. The Sites and Monuments Record lists 17 sites here, lower than Co. Meath’s towns (24) yet higher than Irish towns (11). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 50 buildings in Slane, each of regional importance.
| Heritage | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 346 | 29 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 7% | 1.4% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 17 | 24 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Within 3 km of Slane there is one school. The one school within 3 km of Slane has 254 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Naomh PadraigLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 254 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Slane | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −9% | +4% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 8% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 0% | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no results school by school, so these cards carry no letters or results.
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 50 buildings in Slane, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 17 sites here.
4 notable people were born in Slane.
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
12% mostly work from home, and 24% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Slane had 1,445 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,383 in 2016: 4.5% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Slane is 39.2, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Meath
Slane has 1,445 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)
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).