Overview
The Royal Canal Greenway is the longest in Ireland: 130 km of flat, surfaced towpath running from Maynooth west to the village of Cloondara in Longford, where the canal finally meets the Shannon. The trail is completely level and free to use, shared by walkers, runners and cyclists of every ability. If you only have a day, the Mullingar section gives you the most for the least effort – level, well-served by cafés, and within reach of Belvedere House.
The canal beneath the trail is older and longer than the greenway itself. It runs 146 km from Dublin’s River Liffey to the Shannon, with 46 locks and 86 bridges along its full length, and the towpath carries the greenway alongside for most of that distance – so you’re rarely far from a lock gate, a stone arch or one of the four aqueducts, including the Blackwater Aqueduct and the Ryewater Aqueduct at Leixlip.
A brief history
Construction began in May 1790 after engineers Thomas Williams and John Cooley mapped a route across north Leinster. Progress was slow: the canal only reached Kilcock in 1796 and finally the Shannon in 1817, at a cost of £1,421,954. For decades, horse-drawn barges and passenger steamers carried freight and travellers, while the waterway also supplied Dublin’s north city with fresh water through the Blessington Street Basin, a reservoir opened in 1809 and fed by a 1 km spur off the canal. The spur has since been filled in; the basin remains.
The arrival of the Midland Great Western Railway in the 1840s quickly undermined the canal’s trade. Passenger traffic had vanished by the 1880s, and the canal was closed in 1961, blocked by a dam near Mullingar.
Revival began in the 1970s, when volunteers of the Royal Canal Amenity Group started clearing weeds and repairing structures. Full navigation from Dublin to the Shannon was restored on 1 October 2010, and a €12 million regeneration project turned the towpath into a modern greenway, with the trail officially opening in March 2021. That work took first place in the ‘Excellence Award’ category at the 11th European Greenways Awards.
Route highlights and what to see
The greenway breaks into manageable sections, each with its own character. Most people ride or walk a portion rather than the whole 130 km in one go.
Maynooth to Enfield (≈ 20 km)
From the Dublin end, the trail passes Maynooth University’s Gothic campus and the ruins of Maynooth Castle. Further west lie Kilcock Harbour and Jackson Bridge at Lock 14. This stretch is heavily used by commuters and families, with cafés and pubs along the way.
Enfield to Mullingar (≈ 42 km)
The landscape opens into farmland and wetlands. Children will make a beeline for the Enfield Fairy Trail; the Blackwater Aqueduct carries the canal over the river below. A flight of locks (8–15) marks the railway crossing, where the old Midland Great Western line still runs parallel to the water.
Mullingar to Longford (≈ 47 km)
This central stretch is the most layered in history. Belvedere House and Gardens is worth the detour for its ‘Jealous Wall’, a folly built to block a rival’s view. The route also passes the Hill of Uisneach, one of Ireland’s oldest ceremonial sites, and the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre, which preserves an Iron-Age bog road dated to 148 BC. Mullingar Harbour is the hub for the Mullingar Blueway, where you can hire kayaks or paddleboards.
Longford to Cloondara (≈ 15 km)
The final leg winds past Richmond Harbour, with its colourful moored barges and the Richmond Inn. Cloondara is the official western terminus and a gateway to the wider Shannon Blueway.
Footnotes along the canal
- The Behan bench: Near the second lock in Dublin – on the canal, not the greenway proper – a bronze of Brendan Behan sits mid-conversation with a bird. It’s the best photo on the city stretch.
- Hamilton Walk: In 1843, mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton scratched the quaternion formula onto Broom Bridge as he walked past. A plaque marks the spot.
- The 13th lock: Boatmen traditionally refused to pass the 13th lock, at Deey Bridge, after dark. The superstition has outlived the trade, inspiring poems and a band.
- Famine heritage: The canal corridor forms part of the National Famine Way, which follows the 1847 journey of 1,490 evicted Roscommon tenants who walked to Dublin to emigrate.
Getting there and practical tips
Public transport and parking. The Dublin Suburban Rail line runs from Connolly to Maynooth roughly every 30 minutes on weekdays, dropping you at the southern trailhead. Bikes travel free on the Dublin–Leixlip commuter service off-peak, so you can take the train out and freewheel the flat run west. Bus Éireann connects Enfield, Mullingar and Longford, letting you park once and walk or cycle between towns. Free or low-cost car parks sit at all the main trailheads.
Bike hire. Hire shops in Maynooth, Enfield and Mullingar stock hybrids and e-bikes, well suited to the flat surface. Walkers get a compacted grit-stone path that takes wheelchairs and pushchairs. Dogs are welcome on a short lead.
Boats. The canal is navigable by boat from mid-March to October, subject to restrictions at the Liffey entrance. The greenway itself stays open year-round.
The Royal Canal Greenway is part of EuroVelo Route 2, the pan-European cycle corridor that will eventually run from Galway to Moscow – a fact worth knowing if you’re planning a longer tour.
Food and drink along the route
In Enfield, The Bridge House and The Gregory Inn serve classic pub fare. Mullingar has more contemporary options, including Dominik’s Restaurant and Montgomery’s Whiskey Bar. Most towns have a café within a short walk of the trail, so a full picnic isn’t essential – though water and a snack are always wise on the longer stretches.
Check Waterways Ireland’s website for lock maintenance before you set out, then plan around a single town: ride the flat morning run into Mullingar or Maynooth, break for lunch at a harbour, and catch the bus or train back.