Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 521 residents, it is a town in Co. Sligo. The population grew 8% between 2016 and 2022.
Home prices sit at a median €233,300, which is 4.5 years of the town’s median household income. 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Unemployment stood at 3% of the labour force in 2022. People aged 65 and over make up 23% of residents.
Cliffony isn’t graded: grades for Irish towns begin at 1,000 residents.
The 3 things Cliffony does most differently from other towns.
4 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cliffony.
Within 3 km of Cliffony there are 2 schools (2 primary schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliffoney N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 96 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +31% | – | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | – | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | – | 8% |
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.
Cliffony’s nearest bathing water is Mullaghmore Beach, 3.6 km away, rated excellent in 2025. The ground under Cliffony carries no high landslide susceptibility. By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred locally has radon above the reference level.
| Share of homes | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | – | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | – | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Cliffony sees January nights of 3.1°C on average. The year’s mean temperature is 9.9°C, lower than Irish towns (10.3°C). A year brings 1,218 mm of rain to Cliffony.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.0°C | – | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,218 mm | – | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.9°C | – | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.1°C | – | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Family carers: 7.9% of the people in Cliffony look after someone without pay. 2.5% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, higher than Irish towns (2%). In the HSE West and North West health region, 34% of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 7.9% | – | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | – | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | – | 88% |
| With a disability | 22% | – | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
The social rented sector houses 8% of households. Private renters make up 14% of households, below Irish towns (22%).
| Housing | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 76% | – | 61% |
| Median sale price | €233K | – | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 8% | – | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 14% | – | 22% |
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.
Among the protected sites near Cliffony is Bunduff Lough. Protected sites cover 14% of the land within 5 km, above Irish towns (1.8%). 4 waymarked trails and greenways start within 5 km.
| Outdoors | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 0% | – | 92% |
| Sea within 5 km | 32% | – | 0% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 9.7% | – | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 14% | – | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Afternoon temperatures for the rest of the week run from 7°C at the low end to 10°C on Thursday. The forecast for Cliffony beside its normal weather: a typical November day reaches 11°C and drops to 5°C at night. It should stay dry today, with a fresh breeze of up to 27 km/h and a low near 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 349 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 6°C | 240 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 281 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 8°C | 349 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Walking, cycling and public transport carried 6.6% of commuters at the census. 2.8% of the labour force were unemployed, below Irish towns (9.2%). A trip to work takes 23.8 min on average.
| Census 2022 | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 80% | – | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | – | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 23.8 min | – | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 36% | – | 31% |
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.
Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.2%, below Irish towns (1.1%). One measure of its mix: 19% of residents were born abroad.
53.0% of Cliffony’s residents are women
276 women and 245 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 6.3% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 29% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 23% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 8.9% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 17% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 33% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.1% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 36% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Sligo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election 61% voted, higher than Irish towns (59%). With 6 of 18 seats, Fianna Fáil are the largest group on Sligo County Council, short of the 10 a majority needs. Cliffony is run by Sligo County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government.
| Turnout | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 55% | – | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | – | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up a tenth of the total, above Irish towns (3.4%). The ground here holds 4 recorded archaeological sites. 5 of Cliffony’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance.
| Heritage | Cliffony | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 96 | – | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 10% | – | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 4 | – | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Cliffony; with them, the best known within 40 km.
CastleClassiebawn Castle2.4 km outside town, to the north
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo18 km south
GardenLissadell House & Gardens12 km southwest
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksSligo Abbey18 km south
Castle · Office of Public WorksParke's Castle20 km south
Castle · Office of Public WorksDonegal Castle34 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
5 of Cliffony’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 4 archaeological sites in and around the town.
No notable person born in Cliffony is on our list; these were 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliffony | 521 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kinlough Leitrim | 1,196 | 11 | — | A− | B+ | C− |
| Bundoran Donegal | 2,599 | 12 | C | A− | C− | C− |
| Sligo | 20,608 | 18 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Ballyshannon Donegal | 2,246 | 19 | — | A− | C | C− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Cliffony is 46.2, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
13% mostly work from home, and 36% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Cliffony had 521 people at the 2022 census, up from 481 in 2016: 8.3% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Sligo
521 people live in Cliffony, 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). 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).