First pick
Shannon Town Park
Park or garden
6.1 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Shannon
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Graham Horn · CC BY-SA 2.090%near a park
Outdoors in Shannon · parks, paths & countryside
35% of the land within 5 km of Shannon is protected for nature
Parks and playing fields in Shannon add up to 1.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1. Burren National Park begins 28 km away. 90% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field.
Near a park
90%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
1.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
43 km
1.8 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
35%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Lower River Shannon SAC
Woodland
3.9%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Shannon?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside35% of the land within 5 km is protected, including Lower River Shannon SAC.Less park per person1.8 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1.
Shannon’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Against other towns
How Shannon compares with Irish towns
Each figure against Ireland’s 321 towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (city hubs left out): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Ireland has no Outdoors Grade yet: the figures are described, each against other Irish towns, and none of them counts towards the overall grade.
A park within a walk90%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
45out of 100
Public green space1.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
19out of 100
Footpaths1.8 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
48out of 100
Protected for nature35%of the land within 5 km
100out of 100
Woodland3.9%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
66out of 100
Parks, paths and woods: OpenStreetMap; residents: CSO Census 2022 Small Areas; protected sites: NPWS; sea: CSO and ONS land outlines. A 0 means nothing is mapped.
Towns its size
Shannon has the 17th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (8,844 to 11,911 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Cabra West (7.8 km per km²) to Tuam (0.4 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Shannon1.8
Towns its size2.9
Co. Clare towns0.7
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Shannon1.8
Towns its size4.4
Co. Clare towns1.7
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Shannon90%
Towns its size96%
Co. Clare towns69%
Typical Irish town92%
Shannon falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 30 of the 39 others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabra West Dublin | 7.8 | 4.5% | 0% | – |
| 2 | Kilmainham Dublin | 7.7 | 7.3% | 0% | – |
| 3 | Phibsborough Dublin | 7.6 | 0.4% | 0% | – |
| 4 | Sandyford Dublin | 7.5 | 4.8% | 0.3% | 6.2% |
| 5 | Kilnamanagh Dublin | 7.4 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 6 | Palmerston Dublin | 6.9 | 8.6% | 0% | – |
| 7 | Ronanstown Dublin | 6.6 | 0.7% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Parnell Square Dublin | 6.6 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 5.6% |
| 9 | Glasnevin Dublin | 6.6 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Ballygall Dublin | 6.3 | 1.4% | 0% | – |
| 11 | Summerhill Dublin | 6 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 8.5% |
| 12 | Killiney Dublin | 6 | 7.7% | 0.5% | 45% |
| 13 | Churchtown Dublin | 5.6 | 3.3% | 0.1% | – |
| 14 | Drumcondra Dublin | 5.6 | 1.6% | 0.8% | 6.9% |
| 15 | Terenure Dublin | 4.9 | 2.1% | 0% | – |
| 16 | Monkstown Dublin | 4.2 | 0.8% | 0.3% | 38% |
| 17 | Finglas North Dublin | 4.2 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 18 | Shankill Dublin | 3.6 | 12% | 3.8% | 28% |
| 19 | Donaghmede Dublin | 3.5 | 2.7% | 6.2% | 31% |
| 20 | Kilmore Dublin | 3.1 | 2.2% | 3.5% | 9.5% |
| 21 | Donabate Dublin | 2.8 | 6.8% | 2.8% | 32% |
| 22 | Portmarnock Dublin | 2.7 | 0.8% | 7.9% | 44% |
| 23 | Skerries Dublin | 2 | 1.7% | 0% | 53% |
| 24 | Shannon Clare | 1.8 | 3.9% | 35% | – |
| 25 | Trim Meath | 1.3 | 0.9% | 1.5% | – |
| 26 | Waterford City Centre Waterford | 1.3 | 1.5% | 6% | – |
| 27 | Ratoath Meath | 1.3 | 0.4% | 0% | – |
| 28 | Kildare Kildare | 1.1 | 0.4% | 1.8% | – |
| 29 | Rush Dublin | 1.1 | 0.4% | 3.7% | 51% |
| 30 | Athy Kildare | 0.9 | 0.3% | 1.6% | – |
| 31 | Ballina Mayo | 0.8 | 3.3% | 3.5% | – |
| 32 | Tramore Waterford | 0.8 | 0.9% | 3.9% | 34% |
| 33 | Portarlington Laois | 0.8 | 2.5% | 1.6% | – |
| 34 | Dungarvan Waterford | 0.7 | 0.7% | 1.8% | 19% |
| 35 | Gorey Wexford | 0.7 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 36 | Cavan Cavan | 0.6 | 6.7% | 5.1% | – |
| 37 | Grantstown and Ballinakill Waterford | 0.6 | 4.5% | 10% | – |
| 38 | Longford Longford | 0.6 | 2.7% | 5.6% | – |
| 39 | Nenagh Tipperary | 0.4 | 1.8% | 0% | – |
| 40 | Tuam Galway | 0.4 | 1.4% | 2.7% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Shannon’s urban area.
Green: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces and woods, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · NPWS · Sport Ireland · CSO
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Shannon
The biggest is Shannon Town Park, 6.1 ha (15 acres).
Ballycasey Park
Park or garden
1.8 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
0.8 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Named parks, gardens, commons and woods in the town or within 400 m of it, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); pieces of one name that touch are one place. Sizes are the whole site; directions go to a point inside.
Close to home
9 in 10 Shannon residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (CSO Census 2022 Small Areas against OpenStreetMap).
Within 400 m (90%)Further (11%)
Shannon90%
Co. Clare towns69%
Typical Irish town92%
About 1,100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
The 3 protected sites within 5 km of Shannon
Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Natural Heritage Areas designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, within 5 km of the town’s edge.
Inside Shannon7.7%
Within 5 km35%
Co. Clare towns9.6%
Typical Irish town1.8%
3 protected sites lie within 5 km of Shannon. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 30% of the land within 5 km as well; many have been proposed since 1995 and aren’t counted here. Ireland’s National Parks have a block of their own on this page; much of their land also lies inside these sites.
Protected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service designated site boundaries (CC BY 4.0), 2026; land within 5 km from CSO Small Areas and, over the border, ONS. Overlapping sites are counted once.
National Parks
Burren National Park is 28 km away
Ireland’s National Parks within 100 km, and the nearest always, by direction and distance from the town’s edge; circle size shows each park’s area.
National ParkThe 5 km around the town
National Park
Burren National Park
28 km north21 km²
National Park
Killarney National Park
82 km south-west104 km²
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Shannon.
National Park boundaries: National Parks and Wildlife Service, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0, © Government of Ireland), 2022. Distances from the town’s outline (CSO Small Areas).
Footpaths and woods
43 km of footpaths cross Shannon
Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and mapped woods and forest, in the town and 1 km around it, each beside the county’s and Ireland’s typical town of 2,500+.
Footpaths
43 km
over 23.4 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
3.9%
about 0.9 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
1
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
ShannonCo. Clare townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths1.8
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ShannonCo. Clare townsTypical Irish town
Woodland3.9%
0%50%100%
Shannon has less footpath per km² than 52% of Irish towns and more woodland than 66% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
One waymarked trail starts near Shannon
43 km of footpaths are mapped in Shannon and the kilometre around it, 1.8 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Long-distance way
Mid Clare Way - Slí na Mearacaun143.9 km
One cycling or paddling trail also starts within 5 km.
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Coillte’s own forest trails and recreation sites aren’t included: Coillte’s terms limit its data to research or private study. Its trails on the National Trails Register are listed.
When to get out
The best walking months in Shannon: May to September
Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages for the town’s 1 km square and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 109 | 90 | 79 | 64 | 66 | 74 | 81 | 92 | 83 | 101 | 113 | 120 |
April is the driest month (64 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.6 hours of daylight in December, and 120 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Shannon →
Things to do
3 playgrounds
Mapped on OpenStreetMap in the town and 2 km around it; each count per resident beside Irish towns’ typical town of 2,500+. Beaches are on the coast’s list, from the EPA.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Shannon
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
Newmarket-On-FergusSixmilebridgeAskeatonCaherdavinBallynantyFarranshoneShannon
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
| Town | Near a park | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Paths (km/km²) | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon | 90% | 1.8 | 1.8 | 35% |
| Newmarket-On-Fergus 6.1 km | 100% | 3.4 | 0.3 | 12% |
| Sixmilebridge 7.6 km | 60% | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2% |
| Askeaton 14 km | 100% | 3.5 | 0.3 | 14% |
| Caherdavin 15 km | 69% | 6.5 | 1.2 | 12% |
| Ballynanty 16 km | 100% | 4.7 | 2.5 | 12% |
| Farranshone 16 km | 100% | 5.2 | 2.8 | 11% |
In Newmarket-On-Fergus, 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here. Caherdavin, Ballynanty and Farranshone have at least twice Shannon’s green space per resident.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (CSO Small Areas, by where people live) within 400 m of a park, garden, common or playing field mapped on OpenStreetMap. Mapping is uneven: a town whose parks nobody has mapped looks greyer than it is.
- Protected areas. Land in a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or Natural Heritage Area within 5 km, overlaps counted once. Protected for nature doesn’t always mean open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, in the town and 1 km around it, from OpenStreetMap. Trails are the registered ones within 5 km; a trail often follows mapped paths, so the two aren’t added.
- Woodland. Woods and forest as OpenStreetMap maps them, private and Coillte forests included: mapped cover, not access.
- No grade yet. Ireland’s grades don’t include the outdoors yet: these figures describe the town and stand beside the median Irish town.
Questions about the outdoors in Shannon
What is the biggest park in Shannon?
Shannon Town Park, 6.1 ha (15 acres). Ballycasey Park (1.8 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Shannon?
Yes: 35% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 3 sites. Lower River Shannon SAC reaches Shannon.
What are the best walks near Shannon?
One waymarked trail starts within 5 km: the Mid Clare Way - Slí na Mearacaun.
How many people in Shannon live near a park?
90% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a park or playing field; in the typical Irish town it is 92%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Shannon?
On the town’s 1991–2020 averages and its daylight: May to September, when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light for the place.
Is Shannon near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Burren National Park, 28 km north of the town’s edge; it covers about 21 km². One more is within 100 km.
Sources
Where Shannon’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks, woods and paths. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): parks, woods and footpaths, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Protected sites. National Parks and Wildlife Service: designated sites (SAC, SPA, NHA), 2026
- Trails. Sport Ireland: National Trails Register, 2026
- Residents. CSO: Census 2022 Small Areas (residents)
- National Parks. National Parks and Wildlife Service: National Park boundaries, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0), 2022
- Weather. Met Éireann: 1991–2020 averages (Copyright Met Éireann)
Protected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service (CC BY 4.0). Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0). Bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Parks, woods and paths: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Not on this page yet: Coillte’s forest trails (its terms) and bike routes.
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).