The vanished manor
There is no grand house to see at Santry Demesne, and that is more or less the point of a visit. A palatial house was built here between 1703 and 1709, on the site of an earlier medieval residence. It declined through the early 20th century, was gutted by fire in 1947, and was finally demolished in 1959. What survives is the outline of it: stone foundations, the original front steps, and the long tree-lined avenue that once led up to the door. Fingal County Council took the estate in charge in June 2003 and opened it as a regional park in 2004.
The part most people come for is the 15-acre linear strip that follows the Santry River (Abhainn Sheantraibh) through the wider 72-acre demesne. If you only have twenty minutes, skip the riverside loop and head for the walled garden and the manor footprint – that is where the interest is.
The walled garden and orchard
Inside the old walled garden, volunteers keep a community kitchen garden and a heritage orchard: apple, pear and plum trees planted among seasonal vegetable beds. The front section is being developed as a recreational garden for wider public use. If you want to get involved, the group can be reached at santrycommunitygarden@gmail.com.
The river and the greenway
The Santry River is unusual for an urban Dublin watercourse in that it runs largely unculverted – an open channel rather than a buried pipe. Since 2019, Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and the National Transport Authority have been working on the Santry River Restoration and Greenway Project, which aims to build a continuous traffic-free route from the Dublin Bay Biosphere at St Anne’s Park inland, while improving flood resilience and river habitat along the way. Newly landscaped banks and small wetland pockets are already in place, though the full through-route is some years off.
Walking and the playground
A children’s playground sits near the main entrance, and the network of paved paths loops the manor ruins and follows the river on a flat, even surface that suits pushchairs, joggers and anyone not after a climb. It is a local amenity more than a day out, worth an hour if you are nearby rather than a trip across the city.
One thing on dogs: keep them on the lead. The Santry Demesne loop is a leashed-dog trail, whatever the open grass might tempt you into.
Getting there and practical notes
From Dublin city centre, head north and follow signs for the N1 (Old Airport Road); the entrance is signposted just past Santry Village, beside Morton Stadium.
- Opening hours: seasonal. From 9am–5pm in the depths of winter (January, November, December) out to 9am–9pm in high summer (May–August); the full month-by-month table is on the Fingal Council website.
- Admission and parking: free. The car park is immediately to the right of the main gates on the N1, next to Morton Stadium, and holds several hundred cars.
- Accessibility: the main loop and riverside path are paved and level; the stone steps by the manor foundations are uneven and not accessible. There is no café on site.
- Public transport: Dublin Bus routes 16, 16a, 33, 41, 41b and 41c stop within a short walk of the entrance.
- Contact: Fingal Operations Department, Balbriggan/Swords Area – (01) 890 5595 or BalSwoOpArea@fingal.ie.
Nearby
The park sits in a run of northside green space. The river corridor leads on towards Raheny and the coast, and the developing greenway will eventually connect to the St Anne’s Park network and the dunes of North Bull Island. For a bigger day out, Ardgillan Castle further up the coast has extensive parkland walks and a café.
One tip if the garden is your reason for coming: the orchard is at its best in late-spring blossom, and again at the autumn harvest.