Birr, Co. Offaly scores 48/100 for quality of life, #93 of the 107 Irish areas BuyerIQ ranks, and its fundamentals are rated “on the up — emerging”. The median home sells for €234,500 (most €163,125–€323,750), it scores 62/100 for safety (90.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents), 3,368 people live here. It's strongest on affordability and family & community, weakest on local economy.
Updated October 2026 · Property Price Register + 20+ official sources, refreshed daily
Below average today — but the fundamentals are turning, faster than the national trend.
These seven scores and the 48/100 are measured across the R42 Eircode area, not Birr alone — an area that takes in much of Offaly. A strong or weak pocket inside it can read very differently from the area average.
Ranked on quality of life alone — cost of living excluded, so the genuinely best areas rank top even though they cost more. Factor in price and Birr is #86 of 107 for value for money (most quality of life per euro).
The score is for the R42 Eircode area; the crime rate is recorded per Garda division (Laois/Offaly). Neither is measured for Birr on its own.
3,368 people.
Population is for Birr itself (Census 2022, Small-Area boundary).
27th most vibrant small town in Ireland, of 131 ranked.
Ranked against small towns only; tourist towns read high.
Census profile and the affluence rating are Electoral Division figures — the CSO/Pobal area around Birr, which is why this unemployment rate can differ from the one behind the quality-of-life scores above (those are Eircode-area wide).
Birr, Co. Offaly, scores 48/100 on BuyerIQ's Quality of Life composite (cost of living excluded) — #93 of the 107 areas we rank. It's strongest on affordability and family & community.
Birr scores 40/100 on safety, ~90.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.
The median sale price in Birr over the last 24 months was €234,500, with most sales between €163,125 and €323,750 (Property Price Register, rolling 24 months).
The median sale price in Birr over the last 24 months was €234,500, most between €163,125 and €323,750 (Property Price Register).
Birr is rated "On the up — emerging" — unemployment fell 22% → 15% — faster than nationally, recorded crime falling.
About 2% of homes sold in Birr in the last 24 months were new builds (Property Price Register).
22 planning applications were lodged within Birr in the last 12 months, covering 17 residential units (165 on record) — measured per town, not just at county level.
Birr scores 79/100 for families and community.
Birr scores 32/100 for schools and education, with 5 schools in the area.
Birr is about 68 minutes by road from Limerick.
Sale prices from the Property Price Register (rolling 24 months). Quality of Life averages seven equal-weighted dimensions from 40+ metrics across 13 public datasets (CSO census + SAPS, Garda crime, SEAI, EPA, DES schools, GTFS). Population is CSO Census 2022; the “on the up” trajectory compares 2016→2022. Figures refresh daily · an area assessment, not advice on a specific property. Updated October 2026.