Overview
The Wicklow Way – 132 km of waymarked trail to Clonegal in Co Carlow – starts at a gap in a stone wall beside the car park here, which is reason enough for many walkers to know Marlay Park. But you don’t have to walk to Wicklow to use it. This is 121 hectares (300 acres) of former Georgian demesne in Rathfarnham, 9 km south of the city centre at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, with woodland, ponds fed by the Little Dargle River, a walled garden, a craft courtyard and enough playing pitches to keep half of south Dublin busy on a Saturday.
If you have an hour, do the walled garden and the craft courtyard together – they sit beside Marlay House and cover the most interesting ground in the least walking. If you have a dog or kids, the open lawns and two playgrounds are the draw. Entry is free; only parking costs.
History and Marlay House
The estate began in the early 18th century when Thomas Taylor built a house called The Grange. In 1764 David La Touche, first governor of the Bank of Ireland, bought the property and renamed it after his wife, Elizabeth Marlay, daughter of the Bishop of Waterford. The Georgian house that stands today was built around 1794; inside are a ballroom, an unusual oval music room and fine decorative plasterwork by the Dublin stuccodore Michael Stapleton.
The estate passed through several owners – among them the racehorse breeder Philip Love, whose colt Larkspur won the 1962 Epsom Derby – before Dublin County Council bought the land in 1972 and opened it as a public park on 29 June 1975. Marlay House has since been restored and runs guided tours; the former stables became the craft courtyard.
Gardens and the craft courtyard
The restored walled garden beside the house dates to about 1794 and runs to 1.82 hectares (4.5 acres), split into Regency ornamental and kitchen sections with herbaceous borders, an orangery and a water fountain. Guided tours run daily through summer, and the Head Gardener’s House serves refreshments year-round.
The 18th-century stable yard next door is the craft courtyard, with working studios in weaving, glass cutting, bookbinding, pottery and jewellery. A farmers’ market fills the courtyard every Saturday and Sunday – good for bread, cheese and seasonal produce, and a reliable wet-weather backup if the trails are too muddy.
Walking, cycling and the Wicklow Way
The paths suit every level. The Marlay Park Loop is an easy circuit on gentle, well-surfaced ground, with glimpses of the Dublin Mountains; it’s a popular weekend run. From the wall by Marlay House, the Wicklow Way heads out through the park, tunnels under the M50 and climbs into the hills – you can walk the first stretch as a taster and turn back at the motorway.
There’s also a free putting green (Friday to Sunday, 10am–4pm, putters and balls lent from the trailer), a BMX track, orienteering and a miniature railway that runs Saturday afternoons from 2.30pm to 5pm, May to September, weather permitting.
Sports and family facilities
Active visitors get a nine-hole par-three golf course (rebuilt and reopened in 2010), tennis courts, six soccer pitches, five GAA pitches and a cricket ground. Families have two large playgrounds and a designated off-leash dog park. The miniature railway, run by the Dublin Society of Model and Experimental Engineers, gives free rides to children in summer.
Concerts and events
Since 2000 the southern lawns have been a major outdoor concert venue, with a maximum capacity of 40,000 – home to the Longitude Festival each July and a run of summer headline shows. One honest warning: on concert days the park is a different place. Car parking is extremely limited, must be pre-booked (about €25 a car), and there’s no re-admission once you leave. Walk, cycle or use the event shuttle buses if you can, and allow extra time to get out afterwards.
In winter the park hosts the Wonder Lights illumination trail, a ticketed after-dark walk through the woodland.
Food and refreshments
Boland’s Café sits behind Marlay House and opens daily, 9.30am to 5pm. The Head Gardener’s House Café near the walled garden does seasonal food year-round. The Wicklow Way Café near the southern entrance has been closed for refurbishment under new management – check before relying on it. On market days and concert days, extra stalls appear around the grounds.
Practical Information
- Opening hours: Gates open at 9am daily; closing runs from 5pm in midwinter to 10pm in summer (see the seasonal bands above).
- Admission: Free to all grounds, trails, gardens and playgrounds.
- Parking: Two car parks – Grange Road (north) and College Road (south) – both charging a modest daily fee. Concert parking is separate, limited and must be pre-booked with tickets.
- Public transport: Dublin Bus routes 16, 74, 161 and the S8 serve the park; the Luas Green Line stops at Balally, within walking distance. For concerts there are dedicated shuttle buses from Dundrum.
- Accessibility: Accessible parking at both car parks; most paths are paved or compacted gravel, though some historic garden sections have steps.
- Contact: Park rangers 086 605 6634; DLR County Council 01 205 4700, info@dlrcoco.ie.
Arrive early on a weekend for the farmers’ market, walk the loop for the mountain views, and if you’re tempted by the wall at the start of the Wicklow Way, you can follow it as far as the M50 and still be back for lunch.