Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It skews young: only 6% of residents are 65 or over. In Co. Sligo, this town has 1,155 residents.
Coolaney’s strongest is safety: gardaí record 2.2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, and 2.1 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. Add cost of living to its strengths: a median €178,800 buys a home here, 3 years of what the median household earns. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work: 2% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. Hazard risk is weaker too: an estimated 26% of homes are above the radon reference level.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · commuting, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA. Irish towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Coolaney has subject grades only.
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. Safety less sure: the Garda station area most residents live in records fewer than 30 incidents a year, so a few incidents move the rate a lot. 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 Coolaney does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Coolaney 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 Coolaney has subject grades only.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The record adds 2 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 4%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Coolaney.
In all, 9.9 crimes per 1,000 residents are recorded a year. More of the graded crimes in Coolaney were assaults and harassment than anything else (2023–2025).
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 | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.1 | – | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 9.9 | – | 54.3 |
| Theft | 0 | – | 15.3 |
| Violent crime | 2.2 | – | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Private renters make up 15% of households, lower than Irish towns (22%). Social housing holds 13% of households, close to Irish towns (13%).
| Housing | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €179K | – | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 71% | – | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 15% | – | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area F56, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
For a swim, the nearest bathing water is Dunmoran Beach, 13 km from Coolaney, rated excellent in 2025. Low-lying near a river: nearly one in ten homes, higher than Irish towns (0.5%). Landslides: none of Coolaney lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
| Share of homes | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | – | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 9% | – | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
In work: 72% of residents aged 15 to 64, above Irish towns (68%). The car carried 86% of commuters at the census. The commute to work averages 25.8 min.
| Census 2022 | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 72% | – | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 24% | – | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.7% | – | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 25.8 min | – | 27.6 min |
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.
Families in Coolaney have one school within 3 km. Pupils at the school within 3 km of the town: 174.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockfield N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 174 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −19% | – | +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.
July afternoons reach 18.4°C here, lower than Irish towns (19.9°C). The annual mean in Coolaney is 9.6°C. Midwinter nights in Coolaney bottom out at 2.2°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.4°C | – | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,466 mm | – | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.6°C | – | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.2°C | – | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Woodland covers 18% of the land within 1 km, above Irish towns (2.7%). Among the protected sites near Coolaney is Unshin River SAC. Per 1,000 residents, Coolaney has 1.8 ha of green space.
| Outdoors | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 18% | – | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 54% | – | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.1 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 4% | – | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The warmest afternoon ahead comes on Thursday, at 10°C; the coolest tops out at 7°C. Coolaney’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 10°C, nights 4°C. A quiet day is due today: no rain, a light wind peaking at 18 km/h, and 3°C overnight.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 443 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 290 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 319 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 7°C | 414 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
5.9% of residents are 65 or over, lower than Irish towns (14%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for a tenth of the town. Overseas births account for 20% of the people living here.
Women make up 49.4% of Coolaney
570 women and 585 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 31% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 9.8% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 33% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 21% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 5.9% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 5% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 10% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 38% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 8.7% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 38% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Sligo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
General election turnout: 61%, higher than Irish towns (59%). Sligo County Council is the one council for Coolaney; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. There is no majority on Sligo County Council; Fianna Fáil have the most seats, 6 of 18, short of 10.
| Turnout | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 63% | – | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | – | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Scaled to its population, that is 35 inventory buildings for every 10,000 people in Coolaney. 2 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie in and around the town.
| Heritage | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 35 | – | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 2 | – | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Asked at the census, 92% of residents of Coolaney said they were in good or very good health. At the census, 1% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Irish towns (2%). Ages taken into account, Coolaney counts 81 people in poor health for every 100 predicted. In the HSE West and North West health region, just over a third of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Coolaney | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 1% | – | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 92% | – | 88% |
| With a disability | 20% | – | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.6% | – | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Coolaney; these are the best known within 40 km.
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo14 km northeast
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksSligo Abbey14 km northeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksParke's Castle20 km northeast
CastleBallymote Castle11 km southeast
GardenLissadell House & Gardens20 km north
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksBoyle Abbey30 km southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 4 buildings in Coolaney, each rated of regional importance. 2 archaeological sites are on the record here.
No notable person born in Coolaney 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 · Michael J. Ryan: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, CC BY 2.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coolaney | 1,155 | — | — | A− | A+ | B |
| Collooney | 1,797 | 7.3 | — | B+ | A− | C+ |
| Ballysadare | 1,747 | 7.5 | — | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Ballymote | 1,711 | 11 | — | A+ | A− | B |
| Strandhill | 1,982 | 11 | — | C− | C− | A+ |
| Sligo | 20,608 | 14 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Tubbercurry | 2,307 | 16 | — | A− | B+ | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Coolaney had 1,155 people at the 2022 census, up from 984 in 2016: 17.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Coolaney is 34, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
11% mostly work from home, and 24% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Sligo
Coolaney has 1,155 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).