Overview
Emerald Park is the only place in Ireland where the same ticket buys you a ride on Europe’s largest wooden roller coaster and a face-off with an Amur tiger. It sits on 22 hectares (55 acres) of former farmland in the Kilbrew townland near Ashbourne, County Meath, about 30 minutes from Dublin off the M2/N2. It opened in November 2010 as Tayto Park – the crisp company’s founder, Ray Coyle, was behind it – and dropped the Tayto name in a 2023 rebrand, though the slug, the signage and half the country still say Tayto Park.
If you only ride one thing, make it Cú Chulainn: Europe’s largest wooden roller coaster, over a kilometre of track, a 32-metre climb and about 90 km/h, with an inversion most wooden coasters can’t manage. After that, the running order is yours to sort out.
The rides
Beyond Cú Chulainn, the water ride is the other one people queue for: Viking Voyage, Ireland’s only water flume, with a 12-metre drop into a splash zone. You will get wet, so factor that into when you ride it. The Rotator flips you through 360 degrees from 31 metres up, and the Sky Glider zip-line runs 120 metres across the park.
The Tír na nÓg expansion, opened on 22 May 2024, added a Celtic-themed cluster: two coasters, Na Fianna Force and The Quest, and the Celtic Dreamer wave swinger. Add the older Air Race, Endeavour, Shot Tower and Power Surge and there’s a full day’s riding for older children and adults.
The zoo
The animal collection is accredited by both BIAZA and EAZA, included in your admission, and home to over 250 animals. The big cats are Amur tigers and leopards; the primates include squirrel monkeys, and Lemur Woods lets you walk among ring-tailed lemurs. The ‘World of Raptors’ flies eagles and owls in the open, and a seasonal petting farm gives younger children goats, sheep and the like to meet. Daily keeper talks come with entry and are genuinely the best of it for anyone who cares more about the animals than the rides.
For younger children
Small visitors have their own zones: the Junior Zone with a 10-metre drop tower, a steam-train circuit, a car-driving school and the gentle Dino Dash coaster; the Eagles’ Nest soft-play; and Flight School, a starter coaster for the smallest. Indoors, the 5D Cinema pairs a 3D film with motion seats – handy on a wet day, and Ireland has plenty of those. Fossett’s Circus performs on site through the season, and older kids can take on the 21-metre Extreme Climbing Wall and the Sky Walk rope course.
Seasonal events
The park stretches its season with themed runs: Wicked Adventures at Halloween, a Christmas Experience with a grotto and market, and summer splash features on Viking Voyage. There are also occasional after-hours evening events, roughly 6.30pm to 10pm, with food outlets and shopping.
Getting there and planning
The park is at Kilbrew, Ashbourne (A84 EA02), 30 minutes from Dublin via the N2/M2, with free parking for cars, coaches and disabled drivers. Bus Éireann routes 103 (Dublin–Ashbourne) and 105 (Blanchardstown–Drogheda via Ashbourne) both serve it; the 105 stops right at the entrance.
The one thing to check before you set out: opening hours move with the season, the park closes at 17:00 on some days rather than 18:00, and it’s shut on Tuesdays in the off-peak stretches – so pull the exact date off the website rather than assuming it’s open. Last entry is two hours before closing (one hour for members). Most of the park is on level, wheelchair-friendly paths, though a few raised spots like the Tree House Tea House aren’t; the Access Card is accepted, with an additional-needs entrance by the members’ gate. Dogs stay out bar guide dogs, and height limits apply on the bigger rides.
Book online before midnight the night before and the early-bird rate takes up to 20% off the gate price – the single easiest saving here. Make a day of the Boyne Valley while you’re up: Bective Abbey is 15 minutes away, and the passage tombs of Brú na Bóinne a short run north. And if you were hoping for the crisp factory tour, it’s no longer part of standard admission – the Twisted Chip outlet is your consolation.