West Limerick Resources - "Committed to the Community"

Demographic Profile

The West Limerick territory covers an area of 520 square miles and covers seventy District Electoral Divisions (DEDs). West Limerick is a predominantly rural area with mainstream agriculture being the traditional primary activity and up until recently the poultry sector being a unique aspect of agriculture in the area.  The West Limerick area has an unusual settlement pattern with only one town, Newcastle West with a population in excess of 5000.  Newcastle West is located on the N21, the main route from Limerick to Tralee.  In fact all of the larger settlements in West Limerick are located on the N21 route- Abbeyfeale (1940), Rathkeale (1494), Adare (982) and Patrickwells (924) or on the costal N69 route - Glin (566), Foynes (606) and Askeaton (979) with other smaller rural villages scattered across the catchment area.  On average these villages have populations of less than three hundred individuals and are often distant from the two main transport routes with many experiencing an increasing decline in population.  Mungret in the Ballycummin DED is a unique settlement, largely influenced by Limerick City due to its location on its periphery.  While Mungret itself has a population of 252, the Ballycummin DED has a population of 16,335, massively disproportionate to the population density of the rest of the West Limerick area.

Here follows statistical information for the West Limerick Area taken from the 2006 Census:

Total population: 64,586

Total Population Male: 32,773

Total Population Female: 31,813

Percentage of Population with No Formal or Primary Education only: 21.4%

Percentage of Population with third level education: 29.8%

Percentage of the Population at work: 59.9%

Percentage of the Population Unemployed: 3.5%

Total number of Carers: 2,530

Total number of Volunteers: 19,081

Total Number of People with a disability: 5,380