No large Irish town is likely to achieve city status in the foreseeable future, Minister for Housing and Local Government James Browne has said.
Some of the State’s larger towns such as Athlone, Sligo, Letterkenny, Drogheda and Dundalk have experienced rapid population growth in recent years, but the Minister confirmed none of them are on a swift path to city designation.
In a reply to a parliamentary question, Browne indicated the population of towns seeking the status would have to greatly increase.
He said he would also have to examine what impact creating a city council could have on an existing local authority. In two of the existing five Irish cities, Limerick and Waterford, city and county councils have merged in recent years.
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There are only two stand-alone city councils in Ireland (Cork and Galway), while Dublin is split into four local authorities to cater for a population of more than 1.2 million people.
Browne was responding to Louth Fianna Fáil TD Erin McGreehan, who asked about the possibility of Dundalk being awarded city status in the future.
“If an additional city council were to be established, it would have significant implications for the county in which the area concerned is situated,” said Browne in his reply.
“The creation of a Dundalk City Council would have significant implications for Louth County Council, leaving the county with a much reduced territorial jurisdiction, population and resources.”
He added: “The experience of Waterford and Limerick, where it was decided that both the city and county would benefit from a merger, is important to note in this regard.”
The reply notes there are no formal criteria for awarding city status. Under the Planning and Development Act 2024, a city is defined primarily by its administrative status rather than population size.
The OECD has suggested a population threshold of 50,000 for urban areas, but Browne said Irish policy does not rely on population alone. He added that Dundalk’s population stood at 43,112 in the 2022 census, below the informal benchmark.
McGreehan acknowledged the bar for city status remained high and it was unlikely that either Dundalk or Drogheda would attain that status in the foreseeable future.
“We have huge obstacles, but pragmatically, we (in Louth) need to look at how best we sustainably grow our population. We have our university, which is going to attract a large amount of investment,” she said.
“We need a new school and need town planning. I would personally concentrate on the things we have control over.”
