Overview
The lake that defines Blessington is younger than the cars parked beside it. In the early 1930s the Irish state dammed the River Liffey at Poulaphouca to supply Dublin with water and hydro-electric power, flooding a fertile valley and the small farming community of Ballinahown. In dry summers the stone walls and field boundaries of the drowned village still surface, which is the kind of detail that tells you what the place is really about. The town itself sits at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains on the N81, about 25 km south-west of Dublin, on the edge of County Wicklow near the Kildare border, and works as a relaxed base for the lakes, Russborough House and a growing web of walking and cycling routes.
If you have half a day, the obvious move is the Greenway out to Russborough and back. Everything else is a bonus.
History and heritage
The town was earlier known as Munfine; the name Blessington was first recorded in the 1660s, tied to a charter associated with Archbishop Michael Boyle, though the pleasing ‘blessing’ etymology is disputed. Bronze-Age activity is well attested here – the Blessington gold lunula, found in the early 20th century, is the best-known find – and medieval traces remain in the Rath Turtle Moat and the 12th-century St Mark’s Cross near the town centre.
The 18th century brought substantial development under the Downshire family, who left the Market House, Downshire Lodge and a parish schoolhouse on the streetscape. Russborough House was built for the Leeson family in the 1740s. One piece of transport history worth knowing: from the 1880s until 1932 a steam tram ran between Dublin and Blessington, and a marker stone in the town still commemorates it. There is no railway station here now, despite what some listings claim.
What to see and do
Russborough House and parklands
Russborough is one of Ireland’s finest Palladian houses, built in the 1740s and set in 200 acres of parkland above the lake. The interiors carry 18th-century craftsmanship, fine art and period furniture; outside there is a walled garden, a hedge maze and gravel paths through mature woodland. Guided and self-guided tours run, and there is a café and shop. Book ahead in peak season, and check the current parking and tour arrangements before you travel.
The Blessington Lakes
The reservoir is still Dublin’s main water supply and a hydro source, but it doubles as a calm recreational space, with roughly 44 km of shoreline for boating, fishing and kayaking. Birdwatchers spot swans, teal and greylag geese – the area is a Special Area of Conservation for wintering wildfowl – and anglers target pike, perch and brown trout. The occasional reappearance of Ballinahown’s ruins adds a quiet sense of discovery to a day on the water.
The Blessington Greenway
The Greenway is a flat, paved trail running along the southern shore from the town to Russborough House, around 5.5 to 6.5 km depending on the route you take, with sections of boardwalk, tarmac and forest road and an ancient ringfort along the way. It is way-marked with a green arrow on white and takes about 90 minutes at a relaxed pace – easy going for families, casual walkers and dogs. It starts near the Avon, the lakeside adventure centre, which runs water sports, archery, zip lining, rock climbing and mountain biking, with a café and bar on site.
Cycling and the town itself
Blessington is a useful staging point for the bigger Wicklow climbs – the Blessington Waters loop links quiet lanes and lakeside stretches with the hauls up to the Sally Gap and Wicklow Gap. In the town, St Mary’s Church dates from 1683 and houses Ireland’s oldest complete set of change-ringing bells, cast in 1682; the clock on the bell tower is claimed to be the oldest public clock in Ireland. A short heritage trail takes in the Horseshoe Arch, once the entrance to a blacksmith’s forge, and the tram marker stone. On the outskirts, Burgage Cemetery is a peaceful walk among 19th-century headstones.
Practical information
- Getting there: By car via the N81 from Dublin, about 25 km. Bus services run from Dublin city centre. There is no rail service to Blessington.
- Parking: There is free parking with lakeside views at the Baltyboys Bridge car park, and parking at the Avon resort – though the tourist office notes the Avon’s free parking is limited to certain hours on Thursdays and Fridays, so don’t assume it’s always free.
- Dogs: Welcome on the Greenway and most public routes. Keep them on a lead in the Russborough parklands and around livestock.
- Seasonality: The lakes, Greenway and town are accessible year-round; cycling and water sports are best from late spring to early autumn.
Arrive early on a Saturday for the town, then walk or cycle the Greenway out to Russborough – it’s the one stretch that ties the lake, the woodland and the house together, and the views back across the water are the reason to do it on foot.