Town comparison · Dundalk vs Kilkenny

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Dundalk or Kilkenny?

Both towns measured at town level, not the wider Eircode area, on the same 53 figures: prices, schools, amenities, social life, commute, affluence and safety.

Dundalk, Co. Louth · A91 · 25,188 people | Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny · R95 · 26,831 people

Kilkenny is the stronger town on the data. It leads on 4 of the 7 dimensions to Dundalk’s 1, with 2 level.

Dundalk leads on
affordability
Kilkenny leads on
affluenceeducation levelssafetyaccess to its nearest city
141227

Dundalk aheadlevel or not comparableKilkenny ahead

AffluenceEducationAmenitiesTransportSafetyAffordabilityCity access
DundalkKilkenny
iDundalk sits in A91, Kilkenny in R95. Each figure below is tagged with the geographic level it’s actually measured at. The town ahead on a row is the one in green. Scores and percentages are charted against a true 0 to 100 scale; every other row is charted against the larger of the two towns, so the bars compare but don’t imply a ceiling.

Outlines are each town’s CSO Small Areas — the exact footprint every figure is measured over.

Dundalk
Kilkenny

Size

TOWN · census

Resident population at the 2022 CSO census, summed over the Small Areas that make up each town. Not scored: a bigger town isn’t a better one, it just explains why the counts below differ.

25,188
Population
26,831

Prices & market

TOWN · exact
€300k
Median sale pricelower is better
€312k
Dundalk leads
€225k – €366k
Typical range (P25–P75)
€235k – €415k
1,231
Sales (24m)
1,246
+4.9%
Price momentum (YoY)
+4.6%
29.2%
New-build share
14.5%

Schools, health & amenities

TOWN · counts

Facilities in and around each town — each counted once, for the town it’s closest to. Bigger towns naturally score higher — read alongside population.

18 prim · 8 sec
Schools
10 prim · 7 sec
Dundalk leads
Dundalk · 27 schools (largest first)
St Vincent's Secondary School Secondary
927 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
St Mary's College Secondary
905 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Coláiste Chú Chulainn Secondary
897 pupils · 50% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
De La Salle College Secondary
760 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Colaiste Rís Secondary
622 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Dundalk Grammar School Secondary
590 pupils · 90% to 3rd-level · CHURCH OF IRELANDFee-paying
St Louis Secondary School Secondary
498 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · CATHOLICDEIS
Ó Fiaich College Secondary
312 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
Dundalk Institute Of Technology Third-level
enrolment n/a · college
Scoil Mhuire Na Ngael Primary
626 pupils · Catholic
St Josephs N S Primary
569 pupils · CatholicDEIS
C.b.s. Primary Primary
493 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Scoil Na Gcreagacha Dubha Primary
474 pupils · Catholic
Réalt Na Mara School Primary
455 pupils · Catholic
St. Francis National School Primary
433 pupils · Catholic
S N N Maolmhaodhagh B Primary
232 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Fhursa Primary
231 pupils · Catholic
S N N Maolmhaodhagh C Primary
230 pupils · Catholic
Gaelscoil Dhun Dealgan Primary
216 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N N Maolmhaodhagh N Primary
215 pupils · Catholic
Castletown Rd Convent Primary
185 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N An Tslanaitheora B Primary
166 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N San Nioclas Primary
161 pupils · Church Of IrelandDEIS
St Nicholas Monastery Ns Primary
160 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S.n Eoin Baiste Primary
159 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N An Tslanaitheora C Primary
158 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Dun Dealgan N S Primary
84 pupils · Presbyterian
Kilkenny · 17 schools (largest first)
Loreto Secondary School Secondary
994 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Kilkenny College Secondary
919 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CHURCH OF IRELAND
Presentation Secondary School Secondary
902 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Meánscoil Na Mbráithre Criostaí Secondary
836 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
St Kieran's College Secondary
802 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
City Vocational School Secondary
311 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
Coláiste Pobail Osraí Secondary
222 pupils · 60% to 3rd-level · INTER DENOMINATIONAL
St Canices Central N S Primary
645 pupils · Catholic
Gaelscoil Osrai Primary
442 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Mhuire Primary
420 pupils · Catholic
S N Padraig Naofa Primary
341 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Naomh Eoin Dea Primary
331 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Iognaid De Ris Primary
255 pupils · Catholic
Kilkenny School Project Primary
240 pupils · Multi Denominational
St Johns Infants N S Primary
223 pupils · CatholicDEIS
St Johns Senior Ns Primary
216 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Kilkenny Mixed N S Primary
208 pupils · Church Of Ireland
35
Creches
29
Dundalk leads
4
GP practices
17
Kilkenny leads
19
Pharmacies
19
1
Hospitals
5
Kilkenny leads
129
Bus stops
88
Dundalk leads
1
Rail / Luas stops
1
24
Gyms & leisure
35
Kilkenny leads
15
Parks & playgrounds
48
Kilkenny leads
108
Sports pitches
150
Kilkenny leads

Social life

TOWN · counts

Places to eat, drink and go out in and around each town — each counted once, for the town it’s closest to. The residents per venue row is the fairer read — raw counts just track town size, so a big town wins by being big.

34
Restaurants
38
Kilkenny leads
20
Cafés
51
Kilkenny leads
43
Pubs & bars
54
Kilkenny leads
24
Takeaways
34
Kilkenny leads
1
Nightclubs
0
Dundalk leads
4
Cinema & theatre
3
Dundalk leads
200
Residents per venuelower is better
149
Kilkenny leads
#9 of 65 large towns
Most vibrant (national)lower is better
#6 of 65 large towns
Kilkenny leads

Day-to-day

TOWN · counts

The errands you run without thinking about them. Same caveat — read the residents-per-service row alongside the counts.

11
Supermarkets
10
Dundalk leads
39
Convenience shops
24
Dundalk leads
16
Bakery, butcher & greengrocer
9
Dundalk leads
4
Banks
5
Kilkenny leads
4
Post offices
4
18
Hairdressers
42
Kilkenny leads
2
Dentists
14
Kilkenny leads
4
Vets
4
16
Filling stations
12
Dundalk leads
10
EV charging
36
Kilkenny leads
5
Library & community centre
29
Kilkenny leads
195
Residents per shop or servicelower is better
142
Kilkenny leads

Commute by car

TOWN · from centre

Drive time from the town centre to each city centre — typical off-peak, with an estimated weekday rush hour. OSRM road routing.

171m · ~185 rush
Waterfordlower is better
40m · ~55 rush
Kilkenny leads
65m · ~100 rush
Dublinlower is better
93m · ~130 rush
Dundalk leads
193m · ~210 rush
Limericklower is better
106m · ~125 rush
Kilkenny leads
232m · ~255 rush
Corklower is better
117m · ~140 rush
Kilkenny leads
189m · ~215 rush
Galwaylower is better
155m · ~180 rush
Kilkenny leads

Affluence & profile

ELECTORAL DIVISION
-5.6
Affluence (Pobal HP)
-2.7
Kilkenny leads
Dundalk · 6 EDs, poorest → richest
-14Dundalk No. 2 UrbanDisadvantaged
-13Dundalk No. 1 UrbanDisadvantaged
-8Dundalk Rural (north)Disadvantaged
-7Dundalk No. 4 UrbanBelow average
-5Dundalk No. 3 UrbanBelow average
+4HaggardstownAbove average
Kilkenny · 6 EDs, poorest → richest
-8Kilkenny No. 1 UrbanBelow average
-5Kilkenny No. 1 UrbanBelow average
-3Kilkenny No. 2 UrbanBelow average
-3Kilkenny No. 2 UrbanBelow average
-2Kilkenny RuralBelow average
-1Kilkenny RuralBelow average
38.3%
Third-level educated
40.6%
Kilkenny leads
32.6%
Professional class
37.2%
Kilkenny leads
13.1%
Unemploymentlower is better
12.3%
Kilkenny leads
62.9%
Owner-occupier
58.1%
Dundalk leads
21.7%
Private rental
25.3%
10.6%
Social housing (LA)
13.9%

Liveability & safety

AREA · A91 / R95

Wider-area figures, not the town. Quality of life & rank are for the whole Eircode area each town sits in (Dundalk → A91, Kilkenny → R95); safety & crime are the Louth Garda division.

67/100
Quality of Life
66/100
Dundalk leads

Quality of Life is the equal-weighted average of these seven 0–100 dimensions, scored for the whole Eircode routing area (A91 / R95) from official data — Garda crime, CSO income & census, OPW flood, EPA water, and transport/healthcare/broadband coverage. Refreshed quarterly. The dashed line is each town’s overall score (that average) — dimensions to its right beat the average, to its left fall short. Two towns can share a score with a very different mix.

DundalkKilkennyOverall (avg)
Safety67546662
Affordability9489
Infrastructure9365
Family7378
Education3843
Environment8277
Economic3249
020406080100020406080100
#31
National ranklower is better
#35
Dundalk leads
#1
County rank
#1
54/100
Safety
62/100
Kilkenny leads
68
Crime / 1,000lower is better
57.6
Kilkenny leads

Affluence range

Pobal HP deprivation index, published per Electoral Division, so the spread shows the town’s poorest to richest ED. A town that is a single ED shows one mark, no range.

Dundalk Below average-5.6
← more deprivednational avg · 0more affluent →
Spread across the town: Dundalk No. 2 Urban -14 (least affluent) → Haggardstown +4 (most affluent). It straddles the national average.
Kilkenny Below average-2.7
← more deprivednational avg · 0more affluent →
Spread across the town: Kilkenny No. 1 Urban -8 (least affluent) → Kilkenny Rural -1 (most affluent). Every neighbourhood is below the national average.

How accurate is this, and at what level?

TOWN
Prices, amenities and commute are exact and town-specific.

Prices come from individual PPR sales inside the town’s Small-Area boundary; schools, GPs, transport, gyms and parks are counted the same way; commute is routed from the town centre.

ED
Affluence, profile and tenure are Electoral-Division level.

Published per Electoral Division and averaged across the town’s EDs, with a range where the town spans several.

AREA
Liveability and safety are wider-area, not the town.

Quality of life and rank are per Eircode routing key; safety and crime are the Garda division (Louth), coarser than a town, so two towns in the same county read the same.

Population growth isn’t shown: the 2016 and 2022 censuses don’t use the same Small Areas, and the areas that were re-cut are the ones that grew, so a like-for-like comparison understates growth badly. Rent and yield are still too sparse to show per town. Built from 246 CSO Small Areas.

Homes for sale in Kilkenny

The stronger town on the data.

Compare somewhere else

Put any two Irish towns head to head, or step up to the wider Eircode areas.