Town comparison · Dundalk vs Lucan

Compare others

Dundalk or Lucan?

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 | Lucan, Co. Dublin · K78 · 55,785 people

Lucan is the stronger town on the data. It leads on 3 of the 7 dimensions to Dundalk’s 2, with 2 level.

Dundalk leads on
safetyaffordability
Lucan leads on
affluenceeducation levelsaccess to its nearest city
25820

Dundalk aheadlevel or not comparableLucan ahead

AffluenceEducationAmenitiesTransportSafetyAffordabilityCity access
DundalkLucan
iDundalk sits in A91, Lucan in K78. 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
Lucan

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
55,785

Prices & market

TOWN · exact
€300k
Median sale pricelower is better
€460k
Dundalk leads
€225k – €366k
Typical range (P25–P75)
€401k – €520k
1,231
Sales (24m)
1,217
+4.9%
Price momentum (YoY)
+5.5%
29.2%
New-build share
30.6%

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
16 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
Lucan · 23 schools (largest first)
Adamstown Community College Secondary
980 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONAL
Lucan Community College Secondary
966 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONAL
St Joseph's College Secondary
937 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Kishoge Community College Secondary
925 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONAL
Coláiste Phádraig Cbs Secondary
704 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Griffeen Community College Secondary
537 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONAL
St. Kevin's Community College Secondary
488 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · INTER DENOMINATIONALDEIS
Scoil Aine Naofa Primary
617 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Mhuire Primary
576 pupils · Catholic
St Thomas Junior National School Primary
568 pupils · Catholic
Lucan B N S Primary
515 pupils · Catholic
St Marys N S Primary
495 pupils · Catholic
Griffeen Valley Educate Together Ns Primary
480 pupils · Multi Denominational
Adamstown Castle Educate Together National School Primary
432 pupils · Multi Denominational
Lucan East Etns Primary
427 pupils · Multi DenominationalDEIS
St. John The Evangelist National School Primary
418 pupils · Catholic
Esker Educate Together Ns Primary
391 pupils · Multi DenominationalDEIS
St Andrews N S Primary
387 pupils · Church Of Ireland
Lucan Educate Together Ns Primary
384 pupils · Multi Denominational
Lucan Community National School Primary
383 pupils · Multi Denominational
Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig Primary
378 pupils · Catholic
Divine Mercy Senior National School Primary
306 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Divine Mercy Junior National School Primary
213 pupils · CatholicDEIS
35
Creches
43
Lucan leads
4
GP practices
2
Dundalk leads
19
Pharmacies
9
Dundalk leads
1
Hospitals
3
Lucan leads
129
Bus stops
169
Lucan leads
1
Rail / Luas stops
2
Lucan leads
24
Gyms & leisure
12
Dundalk leads
15
Parks & playgrounds
29
Lucan leads
108
Sports pitches
93
Dundalk 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
12
Dundalk leads
20
Cafés
10
Dundalk leads
43
Pubs & bars
8
Dundalk leads
24
Takeaways
19
Dundalk leads
1
Nightclubs
0
Dundalk leads
4
Cinema & theatre
0
Dundalk leads
200
Residents per venuelower is better
1,138
Dundalk leads
#9 of 65 large towns
Most vibrant (national)lower is better
#33 of 65 large towns
Dundalk 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
12
Lucan leads
39
Convenience shops
11
Dundalk leads
16
Bakery, butcher & greengrocer
2
Dundalk leads
4
Banks
5
Lucan leads
4
Post offices
3
Dundalk leads
18
Hairdressers
9
Dundalk leads
2
Dentists
2
4
Vets
2
Dundalk leads
16
Filling stations
4
Dundalk leads
10
EV charging
6
Dundalk leads
5
Library & community centre
9
Lucan leads
195
Residents per shop or servicelower is better
858
Dundalk 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.

65m · ~100 rush
Dublinlower is better
21m · ~40 rush
Lucan leads
171m · ~185 rush
Waterfordlower is better
110m · ~125 rush
Lucan leads
193m · ~210 rush
Limericklower is better
132m · ~150 rush
Lucan leads
189m · ~215 rush
Galwaylower is better
133m · ~155 rush
Lucan leads
232m · ~255 rush
Corklower is better
171m · ~195 rush
Lucan leads

Affluence & profile

ELECTORAL DIVISION
-5.6
Affluence (Pobal HP)
3.4
Lucan 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
Lucan · 6 EDs, poorest → richest
0Lucan HeightsBelow average
+1Lucan HeightsAbove average
+2Lucan-eskerAbove average
+3Lucan-st. HelensAbove average
+4Lucan-eskerAffluent
+6Lucan-st. HelensAffluent
38.3%
Third-level educated
49.5%
Lucan leads
32.6%
Professional class
45.0%
Lucan leads
13.1%
Unemploymentlower is better
8.2%
Lucan leads
62.9%
Owner-occupier
71.1%
Lucan leads
21.7%
Private rental
21.4%
10.6%
Social housing (LA)
5.0%

Liveability & safety

AREA · A91 / K78

Wider-area figures, not the town. Quality of life & rank are for the whole Eircode area each town sits in (Dundalk → A91, Lucan → K78); safety & crime are the Louth Garda division.

67/100
Quality of Life
70/100
Lucan leads

Quality of Life is the equal-weighted average of these seven 0–100 dimensions, scored for the whole Eircode routing area (A91 / K78) 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.

DundalkLucanOverall (avg)
Safety67547048
Affordability9459
Infrastructure9393
Family7369
Education3873
Environment8284
Economic3267
020406080100020406080100
#31
National ranklower is better
#18
Lucan leads
#1
County ranklower is better
#6
Dundalk leads
54/100
Safety
48/100
Dundalk leads
68
Crime / 1,000lower is better
79.6
Dundalk 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.
Lucan Above average+3.4
← more deprivednational avg · 0more affluent →
Spread across the town: Lucan Heights 0 (least affluent) → Lucan-st. Helens +6 (most affluent). It straddles 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 319 CSO Small Areas.

Homes for sale in Lucan

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.