Twelve of them on the island: 6 in the Republic and 6 in Northern Ireland. Ask how many cities Ireland has and you will get four different answers, and the reason is that the two jurisdictions make cities in entirely different ways.
| City | In Irish | County | City since | How | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | Baile Átha Cliath | Dublin | 1172 | royal charter | |
| Cork | Corcaigh | Cork | 1185 | royal charter | |
| Limerick | Luimneach | Limerick | 1199 | royal charter | |
| Waterford | Port Láirge | Waterford | 1202 | royal charter | |
| Kilkenny | Cill Chainnigh | Kilkenny | 1383 | royal charter | |
| Galway | Gaillimh | Galway | 1985 | Act of the Oireachtas | |
| Derry | Doire | Derry / Londonderry | 1604 | royal charter | |
| Belfast | Béal Feirste | Antrim | 1888 | letters patent | |
| Armagh | Ard Mhacha | Armagh | 1994 | letters patent | |
| Newry | An tIúr | Down | 2002 | letters patent | |
| Lisburn | Lios na gCearrbhach | Antrim | 2002 | letters patent | |
| Bangor | Beannchar | Down | 2022 | letters patent |
There is no single Irish definition of a city. In the Republic it is a matter of local-government law, and in Northern Ireland it is a grant from the Crown by letters patent, so the two halves of the list were made in different ways and at different times.
Twelve on the island, counting both jurisdictions: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny and Galway in the Republic, and Belfast, Derry, Armagh, Newry, Lisburn and Bangor in Northern Ireland. Lists often say fewer, because Kilkenny holds the title by a 1383 charter without a city council, and because Bangor was only granted it in 2022.
Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway and Kilkenny. The first four hold charters from the Middle Ages, Galway was made a city by the Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985, and Kilkenny keeps the title under the Local Government Reform Act 2014.
Bangor, County Down, which received letters patent in 2022. In the Republic, Galway is the most recent, in 1985.
Yes, by charter. Kilkenny has been a city since 1383 and the Local Government Reform Act 2014 preserves the title, but it has no city council, which is why some lists leave it out.
Cathair. The distinction between cathair for a city and baile for a town is recent: baile once meant any settlement, and cathair meant a walled or stone fort, a monastery or a city, from a root meaning fortification. It is the same word that gives the cathairs and cahers among Ireland's ringforts.
All 187 towns and cities · Town names in Irish · The 32 counties · The four provinces