Census figures show the changing face of Tullamore's population

This is almost double the population of the next biggest town, Edenderry (7,888),while Birr, in the south of the county, is very much in third place with a population of 4 , 726.

The remainder of the top ten towns in Offaly on Census day in April 2022 were: Clara (3,402), Banagher (1,907), Ferbane (1,324), Daingean (1,223), Kilcormac (1,051), Mucklagh (918) and Rhode (841).

Historical perspective

But it wasn't always the case that Tullamore outstripped other towns in Offaly on a population basis. Tullamore's growth is relatively recent when compared to other large provincial towns throughout I re l a n d .

In the early 1600s when the town and the surrounding lands were granted to Sir John Moore the settlement comprised of just a ruined castle, ten cottages and two water mills.

On early maps the town is sometimes missing with Kilbride and Durrow and other areas instead being highlighted.

Up to the end of the 19th century Birr was the most populous town in the county while Daingean, or Philipstown as it was then known, was the county town until the 1830s when the title was transferred to Tullamore.

The extension of the Grand Canal from Dublin to Tullamore in 1798 and the waterway's eventual connection with the Shannon six years later played a huge role in the development of the tow n . So too did the arrival of the railway in 1854 and the development of new industries such as whiskey distilling.

Throughout the 1900s Tullamore enjoyed gradual population growth though this accelerated towards the end of the century and into the early decades of this century. But population growth in the town has not kept pace with the other three large towns in the Midlands counties, Portlaoise, Mullingar and Athlone, and Tullamore is now the fourth largest.

The population make-up of Tullamore, like virtually every other town in the country, has changed dramatically in the last two decades.

What was a largely homogeneous population until relatively recently has been enriched by the addition of people from all over Europe and the world and Tullamore now boasts a colourful tapestry of cultures and religions.

Small area returns

The changing face of Tullamore is graphically illustrated in the Small Area Population Statistics, the most detailed set of data produced from Census 2022.

The results cover topics such as sex, age and marital status, families, housing, education, commuting and occupation as well as new topics such as volunteering and childcare.

Women outnumber men

The Central Statistic Office Census 2022 returns indicate that Tullamore town has an overall population of 15,598, of which just under 12,000 (11,957) live in the Tullamore Urban Area. Women marginally outnumber men, by 7,972 to 7,626, while the two biggest population cohorts are the 35-39 (1,274) and the 40-44 (1,346) groupings.

There are a total of 952 people in the 0-4 age grouping and at the other end of the scale 230 in the 85 and over category.

An ethnic and religious tapestry

Catholicism remains the dominant religion with 10,794 adherents with the next largest grouping being classifieds as Other (1,878). Similar to the pattern in Ireland as a whole the number who profess no religion now stands at 1,650 while 1,276 of Census respondents opted not to state their religion.

The ethnic make-up of Tullamore's population is also clearly documented. The majority are White Irish while the remainder classified themselves as Other White (2,242), Not Stated (1,080), White Irish Traveller (526), Asian or Asian Irish (739), Black or Black Irish (279) and Other (404).

The changing face of Tullamore's population is also graphically illustrated by other statistics which show the town is home to 817 Polish speakers and 2442 people whose native or preferred tongue is other than English or Irish.

Of these almost 80 per cent reported they could speak English either well or very well while 13.4 per cent said they did not speak English well. Just 3.44 per cent responded they could not speak English at all. Almost 32 per cent of people indicated they had an ability to speak Irish with 60.02 per cent saying they did not while 8.38 per cent did not tick either box to this question on the Census form.

Of those who said they could speak Irish 1,540 spoke it daily in the education system with 1,510 saying they used the native tongue less often outside the education system. Singletons the majority On the question of marriage, unsurprisingly given the make-up of the population, the majority, 54.87 per cent, are single with 33.22 per cent married.

A total of 3.49 per cent of respondents described themselves as divorced, 3.13 per cent separated and 4.31 per cent widowed.

Volunteering is cool

As well as having a deserved reputation as being one of Ireland's friendliest towns Tullamore is also known for the strength of its voluntary sector. The town is home to a huge array of community groups, including sporting organisations, church associated bodies, musical groups, history and heritage committees, political parties and many more.

As such it is hardly a surprise that 1,946 people in the town ticked the box to describe themselves as volunteers on the Census return in April 2022 .

Workers and others

Under the heading principal economic activity a total of 6,514 people ticked the at work box with 1,962 filling in the retired slot. There were a total of 1,132 students in the town on Census day with 870 people reporting their principle activity was looking after the home. Those unable to find work due to sickness or a disability numbered 850 while there were 447 long term unemployed and 276 unemployed on a short term basis.

Those looking for their first regular job numbered 188.

I like driving in my car

Driving to work or school in a car or as a passenger in a car was the preferred option by the vast majority of respondents with totals of 3,615 drivers and 2,153 pa ss e n ge rs . A total of 1,619 people walked to work or school, 210 opted to cycle while 637 travelled by bus. Early birds Most workers in Tullamore travel to their place of employment between 8am and 9am but 679 hardy souls make the journey before 6.30 am each morning.

A further 838 travel between 6.30am and 7am and over 1,800 between 7am and 8am. A lucky 296 workers get to enjoy a little extra time in bed having to travel to their workplace between 9am and 9. 30am.

Working from home is also increasingly popular but the vast majority still travel to the office or factory each day.

More information

If you're interested in more details about Tullamore or even your own street or housing estate the Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics are available via the Census 2022 interactive map. This easy-to-use interactive map allows you to search for your area by name or by Eircode and select a topic of interest to research. Data can also be downloaded in PDF or Excel format.