Revealed: County Wexford’s most affluent and deprived communities
USING 2016 CENSUS DATA, NON-PROFIT COMPANY POBAL HAS PRODUCED A ‘DEPRIVATION INDEX’ OUTLINING AREAS OF RELATIVE AFFLUENCE OR DISADVANTAGE. ESTHER HAYDEN SIFTS THROUGH THE FIGURES FOR COUNTY WEXFORD
KILMOKEA, Clonroche, Newtownbarry (Bunclody), New Ross and Taghmon are the five most disadvantaged electoral areas in the county according to the latest figures. However there are pockets of affluence within a small number of electoral areas.
An analysis of the 2016 Census data by Pobal has revealed Ireland’s most affluent and disadvantaged areas.
Pobal draws on a number of data points to compile the index, such as employment levels and education levels, and then they apply these to a whole range of area types, from counties to electoral divisions.
Overall as a county Wexford has been classed as marginally below disadvantaged since 2006. Back then it had a deprivation index of -3.95 per cent which rose to -5.14 per cent in 2011. It has decreased slightly to -4.81 in the latest figures from Census 2016.
The five electoral areas of Kilmokea, Clonroche, Newtownbarry, New Ross and Taghmon are deemed ‘disadvantaged’.
Twenty electoral areas are considered to be marginally above average. These include: Templetown (Slade), Aughwilliam (Cleariestown), Oldcourt (New Ross), Ballykelly (New Ross), Rochestown (Old Ross), Castle Ellis (Monart), Artramon (near Castlebridge), Killurin, Carrick (Bannow), Glynn, Templeudigan (Ballywilliam), Killoughrum (Monart), Ballycarney, St Mary’s (Bunclody), Kilbora (Ferns), Huntington (Craanford), Courtown, Ballynestragh (Kilanerin), Limerick (Kilanerin) and Kilpatrick (Oylegate).
Of the five areas deemed disadvantaged Taghmon is the most affected with a Pobal Index of -16.50. This is followed by the Urban area of New Ross (-14.43), Newtownbarry (-13.17), Clonroche (-11.7) and Kilmokea (-10.35). The county has a whole has a deprivation index of -4.18 per cent.
However when you look more closely at the electoral districts there are small areas within these which fall outside the norm.
While some small pockets of the county are classed as ‘affluent’, and others ‘very disadvantaged’, there are no areas within the county classed as ‘very-’ or ‘extremely affluent’ nor are any classed as ‘extremely disadvantaged’.
Three areas of Wexford No 2 Urban are classed as very disadvantaged with one given a deprivation index of -28.01 - which is the second highest in the county. The other two areas have a deprivation index of -26.06 and -21.34.
These areas take in Antelope Road, Talbot Greet and Wolfe Tone respectively.
Four areas in Wexford rural are classed as very disadvantaged with deprivation indexes of -26.06, -23.79, -23.16 and -20.63. These take in the areas of Kennedy Park, Liam Mellows Park, Ferndale and Belvedere Grove respectively.
In Enniscorthy Urban there are three areas deemed very disadvantaged with deprivation indexes of -26.83, -24.37 and -22.26. These take in Duffry Gate, Na Sean Garrai, Fr Cullen Park, Barley Fields, Armstrong Range, Loreto Village and Pearse Road.
The worst deprivation index in the county is found in the Newtownbarry district near Bunclody where the rate is -29.97. There is another area in the district with a deprivation index of -23.48, taking in Strawberry Hill and Ryland Wood.
An area of Clonroche which includes Sli an Uisce and The Villas has a deprivation index of -27.15 while an area in Taghmon encompassing Mulmontry, Taghmon, Cloghulatagh and Cloonerane has an index of -25.02.
There are six pockets in the Enniscorthy rural area deemed very disadvantaged and these have indexes of -24.85, -24.22, -22.16, -21.05, -20.77 and -20.64. These include Slaney View Park, Fr Moran Park, Cluain Dara, Marlfield, Andy Doyle Close, Moran Park, Bellefield Road, Rectory Fields, Killagoley Terrace and Esmonde Road.
In New Ross Urban there are also three areas classed as very disadvantaged. These have indexes of -23.78, -23.29 and -20.48. They include Bosheen Estate, Reddysland, Versoland, Woodbine Close and Terrace, Morrissysland, Tower Grove, Longstone Drive and Irishtown Heights.
On the other end of the scale there are also pockets of the county deemed affluent.
Two areas of the Courtown electoral district have indexes of 19.23 and 12.44 and these take in the areas of Seafield and Kildermot respectively.
A Gorey rural area which is classed as affluent has a deprivation index of 11.24 and takes in Ramstown Lower, Knockmullen and The Avenue.
Wexford Rural has three pockets of affluence with indexes of 15.25, 12.67 and 10.84. These take in the areas of Lus Mor, Coolballow, Park and Ballyboggan respectively.
In Wexford No 3 urban there is a pocket of affluence comprising Spawell Close and Redmond Road. This has an index of 13.18.
Carrick, Newtown, Barntown and Ardcandrisk are classed as affluent with an index of 14.42 which is the third highest in the county while the areas of Newbay, Ballymorris and Hayestown Great are also affluent with an index of 12.76.
The area of Ballytramon in Ardcavan is also classed as affluent with an index of 10.99.