Ennis -Centre of the West of Ireland says new Socio-Economic Profile
Ennis – The Centre of the West of Ireland
New report shows Ennis is the largest town in the West of Ireland, with a population catchment in excess of 575,000 within one-hour drive time.
Today, (July 05, 2024) sees the publication of ‘Ennis – A Socio-Economic Profile’, produced by People & Place consultants, who have rigorously analysed the CSO Census 2022 stats to create an unparalleled Socio-Economic Profile of Ennis, in partnership with Ennis Chamber.
* The census data is supplemented by additional datasets on jobs profiles, house prices, rental prices and educational flows.
Selection of Stats
- Ennis is the largest town in the West of Ireland
- Population catchment in excess of 575,000 within one-hour drive time of Ennis. This is a larger one-hour population catchment than either Galway city or Limerick city
- Relative to other large towns in Ireland (10k + pop.) and outside city regions, Ennis is the 4th largest town with only a larger population in the eastern towns of Drogheda, Dundalk and Navan
- Relative to large towns in Ireland (10k + pop.) Ennis has the 5th highest number of working age persons, and the highest number of working age persons in West of Ireland towns
- Relative to the key National Planning Framework (NPF) ‘regional centres’, Ennis is growing at a consistently higher rate than Sligo or Athlone
- Nearly 40% of Ennis resident workers commute to jobs outside the town. Key destinations are Limerick City and Shannon.
- Of the known jobs in Ennis, just under 50% are undertaken by Ennis resident workers. The remainder are undertaken by other Clare residents and workers from outside the county. As such, Ennis is the key economic driver for large parts of Clare.
- Relative to other large towns in Ireland (10k + pop.) Ennis has the 7th highest number of persons with a third level qualification and the highest number in West of Ireland towns.
- Circa 150k persons with a third level qualification within one-hour drive time of Ennis
- In recent years, nine out of every ten Ennis Leaving Certificate student progressed to a form of 3rd Level education (University, Technical University, College etc)
The most popular third level destinations for Ennis LC students are: University of Limerick (30%), TUS (18%), University of Galway (18%), Mary Immaculate College (9%)
Background
‘Ennis – Socio-Economic Profile’ compares the town’s performance with national and regional towns of similar size (across Ireland and in the West of Ireland) and then provides further detail at a local level across Ennis, based largely on CSO Census 2022 stats.
The comprehensive local analysis provides for the first time, a unique profile of ten neighbourhoods across the settlement boundary including areas such as Lifford, Clonroadmore, Roslevan and Clarecastle.
People & Place founder and Ennis native, Justin Gleeson said, “The purpose of this document is to provide a solid evidence base to support future decision-making within Ennis. It is designed to serve a diverse audience including businesses and companies who can leverage this data to understand the local and regional markets, identify opportunities for growth, and make informed investment decisions.
He added, “Local community groups and organisations can use this profile to advocate for resources, planned community projects, and address local needs effectively, while students, researchers and academics can use the data for research purposes contributing to a deeper understanding of Ennis’s socio-economic landscape. The public, including residents and interested parties, can gain insights into the town’s development and engage meaningfully with their community in a more informed manner.
The data confirms the status of Ennis as one of the top tier towns in the country with enormous potential for sustainable development and economic growth in the coming decades. The central location of Ennis between the western cities of Galway and Limerick, the strength of the highly educated and skilled population within our catchment and our easy access to world class environmental and marine amenities makes Ennis a great option for future economic and civic investments.”
Ennis Chamber partnered People & Place to produce this insightful socio-economic profile of Ennis. Sheila Lynch, Ennis Chamber President commented, “This powerful fact-based document will assist stakeholders and investors to make well-informed decisions, promoting sustainable growth, while attracting new, much needed investment to Ennis.”
Margaret O’Brien, CEO Ennis Chamber said, “The information and insights in this profile will greatly benefit and assist our locally elected public representatives and will help shape policy for Ennis.
The Ennis – Socio Economic Profile includes insights into the local and regional labour market, including skill and education levels, employment rates and commuting patterns.”
To read the online version of ‘Ennis – Socio Economic Profile’, click here:
Ennis_SocioEconomicProfile_Census2022
To request a copy of Ennis – Socio Economic Profile – Census 2022, contact Ennis Chamber : info@ennischamber.ie
From week commencing July 8, copies of Ennis – Socio Economic Profile will be available through Clare Library Services.
Notes:
For the purposes of this profile, the town of Ennis is based on the official CSO boundary of the town an area of 23.1 square kilometres with a recorded population of 27,923 in Census 2022.
The built-up urban area boundary covers all of the residential parts of Ennis from Woodstock and Woodlawn to the west, Roslevan to the east, Ballyalla/Ballymaley to the north and the entirety of the village of Clarecastle to the south.
The data in the profile is set out across 3 themes – Demographics, Society and Economy, with each theme providing a range of indicators that detail the position of Ennis town as a set of comparative geographical scales
