Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 1,747 residents and lies in Co. Sligo. Its population rose 14% from 2016 to 2022.
Ballysadare’s best grade is for jobs & income — the unemployment rate is 6%, with 75% of 15 to 64s in work. It is a safe place by the numbers: 3.5 burglaries and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, and 3.5 violent crimes. Getting around depends on the car (C−): 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. The median home sold for €233,300, 4.1 times the town’s median household income. Natural hazards weigh more here (D): an estimated 26% of homes are above the radon reference level.
Figures: work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · radon, EPA · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO. Ballysadare is graded subject by subject, but Irish towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
This town's house price is the median for its whole Eircode routing key, town and countryside together: fewer than 30 sales in the town itself were recorded on the Property Price Register in 2023 to 2025, so its Cost Grade is less sure. 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 Ballysadare does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Ballysadare with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Ballysadare is graded subject by subject, but Irish towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The record adds 12 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 2%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballysadare.
9.5% of workers worked mainly from home, below Irish towns (11%). The car carried 84% of commuters at the census. On average, the journey to work lasts 19.9 min.
| Census 2022 | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19.9 min | – | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 45% | – | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 75% | – | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.4% | – | 9.2% |
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.
Low-lying near a river: 13% of homes, above Irish towns (0.5%). The closest place to swim from Ballysadare is Rosses Point Beach, 12 km away, rated excellent in 2025.
| Share of homes | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | – | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 13% | – | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
DEIS, the support scheme, covers 25% of them, lower than Irish towns (35%). Within 3 km of Ballysadare there are 4 schools (3 primary schools and 1 secondary school). St Marys College is the nearest secondary school, 0.2 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Mhuire agus Iosaf DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 241 | Catholic |
| St Marys CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 264 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +21% | – | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | – | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | – | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 25% | – | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
Every year, 27.2 crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. The graded crime recorded most in Ballysadare was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Thefts came to 4 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), lower than Irish towns (15.3).
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 | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 3.5 | – | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 27.2 | – | 54.3 |
| Theft | 4 | – | 15.3 |
| Violent crime | 3.5 | – | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
15% of households rent from a council or housing body. Owners make up 62% of households, close to Irish towns (61%).
| Housing | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €233K | – | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 15% | – | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area F91, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
Ages taken into account, Ballysadare counts 100 people in poor health for every 100 predicted. 20% of residents have a disability, below Irish towns (22%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 1.5% of the town. In the HSE West and North West health region, just over a third of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | – | 88% |
| With a disability | 20% | – | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | – | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Midwinter nights in Ballysadare bottom out at 2.5°C on average. The year’s mean temperature is 9.8°C, lower than Irish towns (10.3°C). The town gets 1,256 mm of rain a year.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.7°C | – | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,256 mm | – | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.8°C | – | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.5°C | – | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 5 km, 8.4% is sea, above Irish towns (0%). Among the protected sites near Ballysadare is Ballysadare Bay SAC. 81% of homes are a short walk (400 m) from green space.
| Outdoors | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 10% | – | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 11% | – | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 81% | – | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Ballysadare’s forecast, set beside its normal weather: in November a typical day reaches 11°C, and nights drop to 5°C. It should be dry and calm today, with wind of 14 km/h at most and a low around 6°C. Highs in the days that follow range from 8°C to 10°C, warmest on Thursday.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 368 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 248 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 287 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 353 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Degrees are held by just over two in five adults. 23% are under 15, above Irish towns (20%). One measure of its mix: 21% of residents were born abroad.
Women make up 52.6% of Ballysadare
919 women and 828 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 11% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 5.3% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 10% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.8% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 41% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Sligo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Local government for Ballysadare is Sligo County Council alone; Ireland has a single tier. General election turnout: 61%, higher than Irish towns (59%). Fianna Fáil lead Sligo County Council with 6 of 18 seats, but no party has a majority: 10 are needed.
| Turnout | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 55% | – | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | – | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Per 10,000 residents, Ballysadare counts 63 inventory buildings. Homes from before 1919 make up 2.3% of the total, lower than Irish towns (3.4%). Archaeologists have recorded 12 sites here.
| Heritage | Ballysadare | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 63 | – | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 2.3% | – | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Ballysadare; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo6.9 km north
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksSligo Abbey7.2 km northeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksParke's Castle13 km northeast
GardenLissadell House & Gardens16 km north
CathedralSt John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo6.9 km northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 11 buildings in Ballysadare, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 12 sites here.
2 notable people were born in Ballysadare; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Shane Filan: Harrywad, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mark Feehily: Can't stop shooting film from Nha Trang, Vietnam, CC BY 2.0 · Kian Egan: Harrywad, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballysadare | 1,747 | — | — | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Collooney | 1,797 | 3.6 | — | B+ | A− | C+ |
| Sligo | 20,608 | 6.9 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Coolaney | 1,155 | 7.5 | — | A− | A+ | B |
| Strandhill | 1,982 | 8.4 | — | C− | C− | A+ |
| Ballymote | 1,711 | 14 | — | A+ | A− | B |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Ballysadare had 1,747 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,535 in 2016: 13.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
10% mostly work from home, and 45% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
The median age in Ballysadare is 35.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 23% of residents are under 15 and 11% are 65 or over.
Urban area in Co. Sligo
Ballysadare has 1,747 people, in the area of Sligo 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).