County town
A county town is the 'capital' or main town of a county. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county.
List of county towns within Ireland
Historic counties of Northern Ireland
| County | County town |
|---|---|
| County Antrim | Antrim |
| County Armagh | Armagh |
| County Down | Downpatrick |
| County Fermanagh | Enniskillen |
| County Londonderry | Derry |
| County Tyrone | Omagh |
Note - Despite the fact that Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, it is not the county town of any county. Greater Belfast straddles two counties (Antrim and Down).
Republic of Ireland
Traditional counties of Ireland
The term county capital is also used.
| County | County town |
|---|---|
| County Carlow | Carlow |
| County Cavan | Cavan |
| County Clare | Ennis |
| County Cork | Cork |
| County Donegal | Lifford |
| County Dublin | Dublin |
| County Galway | Galway |
| County Kerry | Tralee |
| County Kildare | Naas |
| County Kilkenny | Kilkenny |
| County Laois (formerly Queen's County) | Portlaoise (formerly known as Maryborough) |
| County Leitrim | Carrick-on-Shannon |
| County Limerick | Limerick |
| County Longford | Longford |
| County Louth | Dundalk |
| County Mayo | Castlebar |
| County Meath | Trim (Navan - de facto) |
| County Monaghan | Monaghan |
| County Offaly (formerly King's County) | Tullamore (since 1835), originally Philipstown |
| County Roscommon | Roscommon |
| County Sligo | Sligo |
| County Tipperary | Previously Cashel and Clonmel. Since 1898 shared between Clonmel (south) and Nenagh (north). Tipperary Town has never been county town. |
| County Waterford | Dungarvan (previously Waterford). |
| County Westmeath | Mullingar |
| County Wexford | Wexford |
| County Wicklow | Wicklow |
Other counties of Ireland
| County | County town |
|---|---|
| Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown | Dún Laoghaire |
| Fingal | Swords |
| North Tipperary | Nenagh |
| South Dublin | Tallaght |
| South Tipperary | Clonmel |