Congestion and property costs rising
A new initiative called the “NWRA County Data Dashboards” now provides up-to-date data on the eight counties of the Northern and Western Region of Ireland. By this, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) seeks to address the lack of up-to-date county information available for the region.
John Daly, NWRA Economist, hopes this will give policymakers, councils and businesses the necessary background to make more informed decisions on economic approaches, having been provided with a “clear, factual perspective of what is happening”.
The NWRA is one of three Regional Assemblies in Ireland and, as a public body, it aims to support the sustainable development of the Northern and Western Region of Ireland through spatial and economic planning, EU funding and advocacy. The data dashboards focus on the latest trends regarding population, economic development patterns, housing, the transition to a low carbon society and transport, with the data also available at a national level allowing for comparisons.
The data aims to assist users in identifying emerging challenges and opportunities, monitoring growth patterns, preparing funding applications, and promoting counties. The NWRA also hope that the information will assist stakeholders in their submissions on the recently launched consultation of the new Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) of the Northern and Western Region of Ireland.
Collecting and preparing the data in a digestible format is crucial according to John Daly: “[We can] easily identify emerging challenges and growth areas in each county. We can provide a clear picture of the latest developments in each county across a host of areas, providing policymakers an innovative tool that will assist them in further supporting economic development in the region.”
Housing pressing issue
The data reveals that housing remains a pressing issue for Cavan and Monaghan. While 350 new dwellings were completed in Cavan (a plus of 43.4%) the construction of only 173 residential units commenced, which is 76.2% less than the previous year. Monaghan saw 315 new dwellings completed (up 24.5%), but with 317 or 65.1% less residential units commenced in the year up to February 2026.
Meanwhile, housing costs continue to increase in the two counties, with the median house price in Cavan at €275,014 (up 6.8%).
The NWRA collect the data from the CSO where figures are revised on a monthly basis. John Daly remarks that prices are fluctuating, depending on the number of transactions and size of properties. Which is why the Monaghan housing prices present itself as a stark outlyer on the current dashboard, but in this case it only shows a spotlight. “It does show,” says John Daly, “that rural areas like Monaghan are catching up.” According to the CSO data, the median house price for Monaghan in 2024 was €234,000, in 2025 it was €245,000.
Renewable energy
A total of 325 properties in Monaghan had solar panel installations supported by the SEAI in 2025. It represents a rise of 25% compared to the previous year, while 15% of all new private car registrations were fully battery powered EVs in the 12 months to February 2026. In Cavan, solar panels were installed on 417 properties supported by the SEAI: up 4.3%. At the same time, 14.3% of all new private car registrations were fully battery powered EVs.
Transport and congestion
Traffic congestion across Cavan and Monaghan has worsened in 2025, with large increases in traffic volumes recorded on the N3 between Virginia and Cavan Town as well as on the N54 between Smithborough and Clones, with an average traffic of 5,265 vehicles. Some 11,973 travel daily on the N2 between Castleblayney and Monaghan Town. In Cavan, 8.3% more vehicles travel on the N3 between Virginia and Poles, Cavan, than last year marking 12,329 vehicles a day.
More data can be found on the website www.nwra.ie