THE area of Ireland with the highest proportion of same sex couples per capita has been revealed.
Stoneybatter came top of the list - with 9% of residents living in the north Dublin "gaybourhood" identifying as LGBT.
The research by property website Daft.ie also named the other neighbourhoods in Ireland with the largest gay communities - and nowhere outside of Dublin made the top 10.
Grand Canal Dock came in second place with Christchurch in third - while Dublin 8, Drumcondra, Ranelagh, Rathmines, Smithfield, East Wall and Dublin 1 completed the list.
National disparity
Trinity College economist Ronan Lyons, who authored the study, said the top 10 areas have almost three times as many openly gay people as their neighbours.
“In Dublin’s ten most Pride-Filled Places, 8% of the population are in same-sex relationships - almost three times the fraction elsewhere in the city," he said.
“The Top Ten areas saw their share in same-sex relationships rise from 5.6% in 2011 to 8% in 2016.
“Elsewhere in the city, the share rose by just 0.2%. Unsurprisingly, this strong level of demand in these neighbourhoods is pushing up sale and rental prices, as the figures show.”
The news comes as the country gears up for this year's annual Dublin Pride Parade on Saturday.
Researchers also found that homes in "gaybourhoods" are pricier - with rents €150 (£170) per month higher than average.
House prices shot up by 72% in these areas since 2013 compared to a 60% rise in over 30 neighbouring districts.
Daft.ie spokesman Martin Clancy said: “As we approach Dublin’s pride weekend, this data serves both as a celebration and barometer of social change in Ireland over the last number of years.
“For Ireland, this is a first and something which is both interesting and informative about the evolution of Dublin’s neighbourhood’s and the clear emergence of pride-filled places in the capital.”
