The following table and map show the areas in Ireland, previously designated as Cities, Boroughs, or Towns in the Local Government Act 2001.
Under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, Ireland had a two-tier system of local authorities. The first tier consisted of administrative counties and county boroughs. The county boroughs were in the major municipal population centres. The second tier consisted of urban districts, governed by urban district councils; some of the urban district retained a higher status of borough with a corporation. Below that were towns with town commissioners, administered under the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854.
Under the Local Government Act 2001, administrative counties and county boroughs were redesignated as counties and cities respectively. The lower tier consisted of boroughs and towns (including both former urban districts and towns administered by town commissioners).
Under the Local Government Reform Act 2014, only Dublin, Cork and Galway retain separate city councils. Limerick and Waterford were merged into the corresponding county councils and all borough and town councils were abolished. Municipal districts were created from local electoral areas with councillors being those elected to the county councils. In the case of Limerick and Waterford, these are called Metropolitan Districts; in the case of Drogheda, Wexford, Sligo and Clonmel, these are called Borough Districts; and in the case of Kilkenny, it is called the Municipal District of Kilkenny City.
Explanation of table Column name Meaning Explanation Sources Name(s) Names of the town The first name listed is the commonest English name, and links to the relevant article. Alternative names are listed in parentheses. If the official name used in census reports is not the linked name, it is in italics. Only the name of the municipality is given, not that of any suburban areas (e.g. Tallaght is not named separately from Dublin). Census 2011 Population Classified by Area Table 12 "Alphabetical list of towns with their population, 2006 and 2011"Council Type of municipal council The Local Government Act 2001 defines three types of municipal council, namely "City", "Borough", and "Town". The "Town council" label replaced the earlier "Urban district council" and "Town commissioners", but did not abolish the distinction in their respective powers. Values listed in this column are as follows: City For the 5 former county boroughs with the same powers as county councils.Borough For the few ancient boroughs whose charters were not extinguished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 or promoted to the status later. Their powers were practically identical to those of the former urban districts and later town councils, but the label "borough" was more prestigious. Abolished in 2014.UD Area which was governed by an urban district under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 and a town council under the Local Government Act 2001. Abolished in 2014.Comm Area which was governed by town commissioners under the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854, less powerful than an urban district council, and a town council under the Local Government Act 2001. Abolished in 2014.Local Government Act 2001, section 10 Irish Statute BookCensus 2011 Population Classified by Area Appendix 2 "Towns with Legally Defined Boundaries"Local Government Act 2001, Schedule 5 Part 2, and Schedule 6 Irish Statute Book Core County Core county for town County is that in which the municipal area is entirely located. In the case of cities, the namesake county is considered the core county even though the city is administratively separate from it.Census 2011 Population Classified by Area Table 5 "Population of towns ordered by county and size, 2006 and 2011" Other Counties Other counties For towns whose suburbs/environs span a county boundary, any county other than the core county.Census 2011 Population Classified by Area Appendix 4 "Population of Towns or Environs/Suburbs which are located in more than one County" 2011 Tot Total population in 2011. Sum of the municipal population and the suburban population. Tot area Total area of the town 2011 area in square kilometres (km2). Only for towns with a total population of at least 1,500.Census 2011 Population Classified by Area Table 7 "Population of each town with 1,500 population and over, distinguishing those within legally defined boundaries and in the surrounding suburbs or environs, 2006 and 2011" (Interactive table) Tot dens Population density of total area Persons per km2. Based on 2011 total area and population. Calculated 2011 Mun Population of the municipal area in 2011 Population within the 2011 municipal area. % change Mun Change in population of the municipal area. As a percentage of 2006 population. Where the municipal area changed in the interim, this is noted. Calculated. For changed areas: Mun area Municipal area of the town Area within the legally defined municipal boundary in 2011. Where this had increased since 2006, this is noted.Census 2011 Population Classified by Area Table 6 "Population of each province, county, city, urban area, rural area and electoral division, 2006 and 2011" For City, Borough, and former UD towns, there is an explicit summary row in Table 6 for the town. For former commissioner towns, the area is that of one or more electoral divisions in a rural area of the relevant county. These divisions are noted. For changed areas: Mun dens Population density of municipal area Persons per km2. Based on 2011 municipal area and population. Calculated 2009 elect Electorate for the 2009 local elections. The Local Government Act 1994 extended the boundaries of some towns for electoral purposes only.Local Government Act 1994 (Irish Statute Book) Section 17: Alteration of boundaries for purposes of certain local elections. Third Schedule: Alteration of Certain Town Boundaries That is, people living outside the municipal area were entitled to vote for the town council even though their residence was outside its jurisdiction. In a few cases, the municipal boundary of the town was subsequently extended to remove this anomaly.Census 2011 Population Classified by Area Appendix 3 "Extensions to Legal Towns and Boroughs since 1926" The remaining cases are marked by an asterisk in this column. Where the municipal area changed between the 2006 census and the 2009 election, this is noted. (No municipal area changed between the 2009 election and the 2011 census.) Volume 1: City and County Councils p.207 Volume 2: Borough and Town Councils pp.139–141 2011 Sub Population of the suburbs/environs in 2011 Called "Suburbs" for cities and "Environs" for boroughs and towns. Defined as "the continuation of a distinct population cluster outside its legally defined boundary in which no occupied dwelling is more than 100 metres distant from the nearest occupied dwelling. In applying the 100-metre criterion, industrial, commercial and recreational buildings and facilities are not regarded as breaking the continuity of a built-up area. New suburbs or environs are defined only where there are at least twenty occupied dwellings outside the legal boundary within the new limit." The 2006 definition was changed by reducing the limit from 200 metres to 100.Census 2011 Population Classified by Area Appendix 1 "Census Geographic Definitions"
Cities, boroughs and towns up to 2014 Name(s) Council Core County Other Counties 2011 Total Tot area Tot dens 2011 Mun Mun area Mun dens 2009 elect 2011 Sub Dublin City Dublin Dublin (Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin) Cork City Cork Limerick City Limerick Clare Galway City Galway Waterford City Waterford Kilkenny Drogheda Borough Louth Meath * Kilkenny City Kilkenny * Wexford Borough Wexford Sligo Borough Sligo * Clonmel Borough Tipperary Waterford Dundalk UD Louth * Bray UD Wicklow Dublin (Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown) * Navan (An Uaimh) UD Meath Ennis UD Clare Tralee UD Kerry * Carlow UD Carlow Laois * Naas UD Kildare — Athlone UD Westmeath Roscommon * Letterkenny UD Donegal * Tullamore UD Offaly * Killarney UD Kerry * Arklow UD Wicklow Cobh UD Cork * Castlebar UD Mayo * Midleton UD Cork * Mallow UD Cork * Ballina UD Mayo * Enniscorthy UD Wexford * Wicklow UD Wicklow * Cavan UD Cavan * Athy UD Kildare Longford UD Longford * Dungarvan UD Waterford Nenagh UD Tipperary * Trim UD Meath * New Ross UD Wexford Kilkenny * Thurles UD Tipperary * Youghal UD Cork * Monaghan UD Monaghan * Buncrana UD Donegal * Ballinasloe UD Galway Roscommon * Fermoy UD Cork * Westport UD Mayo Carrick-on-Suir UD Tipperary Waterford Kells (Ceannanus Mór) UD Meath * Birr UD Offaly Tipperary Tipperary UD Tipperary * Carrickmacross UD Monaghan * Kinsale UD Cork * Listowel UD Kerry * Clonakilty UD Cork * Cashel UD Tipperary * Macroom UD Cork Castleblayney (Castleblaney) UD Monaghan * Kilrush UD Clare Skibbereen UD Cork Bundoran UD Donegal Templemore UD Tipperary * Clones UD Monaghan * Newbridge (Droichead Nua) Comm Kildare Droichead Nua (Newbridge) Urban electoral division Portlaoise (Portlaoise) Comm Laois Portlaoighise (Maryborough) Urban electoral division * Mullingar Comm Westmeath Mullingar North Urban electoral division plus Mullingar South Urban electoral division * Balbriggan Comm Dublin (Fingal) Greystones Comm Wicklow Greystones electoral division * Leixlip Comm Kildare Leixlip electoral division — Tramore Comm Waterford Tramore electoral division Shannon Comm Clare — Gorey Comm Wexford Gorey Urban electoral division * Tuam Comm Galway Tuam Urban electoral division * Edenderry Comm Offaly Edenderry Urban electoral division * Bandon Comm Cork Bandon electoral division * Passage West Comm Cork Monkstown Urban electoral division * Loughrea Comm Galway Loughrea Urban electoral division — Ardee Comm Louth Ardee Urban electoral division Mountmellick Comm Laois Mountmellick Urban electoral division * Bantry Comm Cork Bantry Urban electoral division — Muine Bheag (Muinebeag, Bagenalstown) Comm Carlow Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Urban electoral division Boyle Comm Roscommon Boyle Urban electoral division * Ballyshannon Comm Donegal Ballyshannon Urban electoral division * Cootehill Comm Cavan Cootehill Urban electoral division * Ballybay Comm Monaghan — — Ballybay Urban electoral division * Belturbet Comm Cavan — — Belturbet Urban electoral division Lismore Comm Waterford — — Lismore electoral division * Kilkee Comm Clare — — Kilkee electoral division Granard Comm Longford — — Granard Urban electoral division —
Map
See also Local government in the Republic of Ireland explains the powers of former municipal councils List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland includes non-municipal towns and villages
Notes
References
Further reading Central Statistics Office, 2012 Census 2011 Population Classified by Area (Formerly Volume One)