Mondello Park – Ireland's only FIA circuit

Overview

Mondello Park, near Naas in County Kildare, is the only motor-racing circuit in Ireland with an FIA licence – Grade 4, which covers everything short of top-flight single-seaters. The main International Circuit runs to 3.621km; a shorter National Circuit of 1.860km and a 1.250km short layout let the venue run two things at once or split a track day. It opens on event days and for pre-booked driving sessions rather than as a daily attraction, so the day you go matters as much as the fact that you do.

History

The circuit opened in 1968 on farmland outside Naas, starting as the short 1.250km loop that still forms part of the layout. Money troubles in the mid-1980s brought in new owners: the businessman Martin Birrane bought the track with the Royal Irish Automobile Club in 1986, then took it over outright the following year. It has stayed in the Birrane family ever since. The long International Circuit dates from 1998, and it’s this configuration – fast, technical, FIA-graded – that hosts the headline meetings.

Racing events and watching a meeting

The calendar runs spring to autumn. The two fixtures that pull the biggest crowds are Drift Masters, the international drifting series that has been a Mondello regular on and off since 2018, and rallycross, with the European round returning to the circuit in 2026. Around them sit national championships – saloons, single-seaters, superbikes – along with historic meetings and BimmerFest. Gate times and the running order change with every event, so the official calendar is the thing to check before you set out.

A ticket normally gets you into the paddock, where you can walk among the cars between sessions. For most first-time spectators that’s the best part of the day – closer to the machinery and the mechanics than any grandstand seat. If you’re picking a date to watch rather than drive, make it a Drift Masters or rallycross round; the noise and the crowd are what you came for.

Driving experiences

You don’t have to watch from the fence. The Motor Racing Experience puts you in a racing saloon or a single-seater with an instructor alongside; the Supercar Experience hands you a high-performance Porsche for laps of the International Circuit. There’s an off-road course for 4x4s and a simulator-based Race Academy for nervous beginners. Every package includes a safety briefing and the right gear. If you’re choosing just one, the single-seater is the session that feels least like a road car and most like actual racing.

Museum of Motorsport

The on-site museum gathers historic racing cars from Irish and international motorsport, and it’s usually bundled into event tickets and driving packages; a standalone visit is best arranged in advance. Worth the twenty minutes if you’re already on site for something else.

Facilities and food

• Café and bar – near the pit lane, serving hot drinks, light meals, snacks and a few beers and wines.
• Gift shop – racing apparel, memorabilia and scale models.
• Toilets and changing – near the main entrance and hospitality zones.
• Parking – free on site, with room for coaches and buses.

Getting there

The circuit is about 40km south-west of Dublin, signposted off the N7 near Naas. Parking is free on site. Public transport is the weak point: the nearest station is Naas, roughly 7km away, and there’s no direct bus to the gate, so you’ll want a car or a taxi for the last leg. For sat-nav, use the postcode W91 T957. Dublin Airport is around an hour away by road.

Nearby attractions

A visit pairs well with other Kildare stops. The Irish National Stud has thoroughbred tours and extensive gardens about 15 minutes north. You can also take in the Curragh Military Museum on the Curragh plains, or a woodland and lakeside walk around Donadea Forest Park, which keeps a ruined castle among the trees.

Practical information

Book ahead for both spectator events and driving packages – sessions fill quickly through the racing months, and turning up on spec at a closed gate is a wasted drive.