A crossroads, not a village
Kilternan doesn’t really have a main street. It is a scatter of houses, sports grounds and pine slopes around the meeting of the R117 and R116 in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains, right on the County Wicklow border. People come for two things: to ski on a dry slope twenty minutes from the city centre, or to walk straight out onto the hills. The name is Cill Tiarnáin, ‘church of Tiarnán’, and you will see it signposted both as Kilternan and Kiltiernan – the Ordnance Survey prefers the second, locals the first.
The ski slope
The Ski Club of Ireland runs the National Snowsports Centre here, the only artificial ski slope in the Republic of Ireland. It is a not-for-profit club, and the four dry slopes cover most abilities: a 180-metre main run, a 150-metre intermediate, and two short 50-metre nursery slopes for first-timers. Lessons and practice sessions fill up in the colder months, especially at weekends, so book a slot online rather than turning up. This is the one thing that pulls people to Kilternan on purpose; everything else is a bonus.
Churches and clubs
Two churches mark the older village. The Church of Ireland parish church, a plain stone building, dates from 1826. Nearby, the small blue Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Wayside – ‘The Blue Church’ – was dedicated on 14 July 1929, and it is the more photographed of the two. The parish has a strong sporting streak: the rugby clubs De La Salle Palmerston (at Kirwan Park) and Old Wesley (on Ballycorus Road) are based here, and the soccer club, Wayside Celtic, plays at a ground known as The Golden Ball.
Walking
The Dublin Mountains Way passes close by, with long stretches looking back over Dublin Bay. For something shorter, Barnaslingan Wood and the old Ballycorus lead-mine chimney make a good loop of an afternoon, the mature pines giving way to views south into Wicklow. Bring a layer: it gets colder and windier a few hundred metres up than it feels at the crossroads.
Food
The Golden Ball is the obvious stop for a meal after the hill or the slope, a long-standing pub and restaurant with a stone fireplace to thaw out beside. A few minutes down the road, Stepaside has more choice if it is busy.
Getting there and around
Kilternan is a ten-minute drive from the M50, which puts it within easy reach of the south city and the N11. Bus routes 44, L26 and 118 serve the village; the 44 is the useful one, running hourly every day between Dublin City University and Enniskerry and stopping near the ski club.
Nearby
- Carrickmines – castle ruins and an equestrian centre on Glenamuck Road, a short drive north.
- Glencullen – higher up the R117, with Johnnie Fox’s pub and more trailheads.
Check the Ski Club’s booking page early in the season: the evening and weekend lesson slots are the first to go.