Donegal’s entire unit Airbnb listings increase by 47.5%

Entire unit Airbnb listings in Donegal rose by 47.5% from 2019 until 2023, amongst the highest increases in the country.

A report released by the Economic and Social Research Institute, profiling short-term lets in Ireland, found that there were 1,869 entire unit Airbnb listings in 2023, compared to 1,739 in 2022 and 1,267 in 2019.

The 47.5% increase in entire unit Airbnb listings was the eighth highest in the country. Cavan, Kildare, Leitrim, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, and Westmeath all had higher rises, but those counties don’t have anywhere near the same amount of entire unit Airbnb listings as Donegal. 

Outside of Dublin, only Kerry had more entire unit Airbnb listings than Donegal, with 2,118 listings.

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Donegal also had the second-highest percentage of total listings that were entire property listings in 2023, at a staggering 80.2%. Wexford had the highest percentage of total listings that were entire property listings, at 82.4%, and South Dublin had the lowest percentage, at 31.9%. 

Airbnb listings increased in Donegal, despite a publicised housing crisis on the private rental market. In Glenties, there was around one Airbnb listing for every 1.2 private rentals. 

Glenties and Milford have some of the highest concentration of holiday homes in the country, with 28% and 26% of the total housing stock, according to census figures. 

The ESRI reported that outside of Dublin, the Glenties Local Electoral Authority had 642 entire unit Airbnb listings available at 642, with only Kenmare in Kerry and Connemara North in Galway recording more listings. 

There was a pattern, said the report, of larger numbers of Airbnb listings being found in coastal areas, chiefly in or near key tourist hotspots along the west coast.