First pick
Rathcool Wood
Wood or forest · 360 m outside town
9.0 ha
0.8 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
100%near a park
Outdoors in Rathcoole · parks, paths & countryside
Rathcoole borders Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC
4.1% of the land within 5 km is protected for nature, the nearest site being Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC. Footpaths add up to 0 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 0.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Rathcoole add up to 6.2 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1.
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
6.2 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Protected for nature
4.1%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC
Woodland
7.5%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Rathcoole?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected land nearbyBlackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC reaches the edge of Rathcoole.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Few mapped footpaths0.0 km of path per km²; the typical Irish town has 2.1.
Rathcoole’s strongest suit is protected land close by, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Against other towns
How Rathcoole 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 walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
83out of 100
Public green space6.2 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
64out of 100
Footpaths0.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
0out of 100
Protected for nature4.1%of the land within 5 km
68out of 100
Woodland7.5%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
88out 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
Rathcoole has the fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (218 to 3,141 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Ballybrack (8.6 km per km²) to Rathcoole (0 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Rathcoole0.0
Towns its size0.7
Co. Cork towns1.8
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Rathcoole6.2
Towns its size4.1
Co. Cork towns4.3
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Rathcoole100%
Towns its size87%
Co. Cork towns90%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Rathcoole stands out most for park space per resident: only 15 of the other 39 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 39 of the others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballybrack Dublin | 8.6 | 8% | 0.2% | 36% |
| 2 | Sunday's Well Cork | 7.3 | 2.7% | 0.4% | – |
| 3 | Blackpool Cork | 6.6 | 3% | 1.4% | – |
| 4 | Carna Dublin | 5.4 | 1.7% | 0% | – |
| 5 | Taylor's Hill Galway | 5.1 | 1.2% | 15% | 37% |
| 6 | Togher Cork | 5 | 1.5% | 0.5% | – |
| 7 | Decies Dublin | 4.8 | 7.2% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Mayfield Cork | 4.7 | 5.3% | 3.3% | – |
| 9 | Kylemore Dublin | 4 | 3% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Edenmore Dublin | 2.8 | 3.6% | 5.9% | 24% |
| 11 | Ballynanty Limerick | 2.5 | 5.7% | 12% | – |
| 12 | Claddagh Galway | 2.4 | 0.2% | 17% | 46% |
| 13 | Murrough Galway | 2.3 | 5.1% | 10% | 26% |
| 14 | Grange Upper Waterford | 1.4 | 1.5% | 6.6% | – |
| 15 | Blarney Cork | 1.4 | 14% | 0% | – |
| 16 | Kilbarry Waterford | 1.3 | 1.6% | 5.1% | – |
| 17 | Bantry Cork | 1 | 4.4% | 0% | 18% |
| 18 | Ballina Tipperary | 0.9 | 1.8% | 4.7% | – |
| 19 | Moate Westmeath | 0.7 | 2.4% | 2.4% | – |
| 20 | Callan Kilkenny | 0.7 | 0.1% | 2.3% | – |
| 21 | Kingscourt Cavan | 0.7 | 12% | 0% | – |
| 22 | Kenmare Kerry | 0.6 | 7.2% | 6.5% | 6.4% |
| 23 | Athboy Meath | 0.6 | 1.1% | 1.5% | – |
| 24 | Bundoran Donegal | 0.5 | 2% | 5.1% | 35% |
| 25 | Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow | 0.5 | 3.9% | 2.9% | – |
| 26 | Skibbereen Cork | 0.5 | 1.7% | 1.6% | – |
| 27 | Kinnegad Westmeath | 0.3 | 4.5% | 4.5% | – |
| 28 | Donegal Donegal | 0.3 | 4% | 4.1% | 12% |
| 29 | Boyle Roscommon | 0.3 | 3.2% | 0% | – |
| 30 | Bailieborough Cavan | 0.3 | 10% | 0% | – |
| 31 | Castleisland Kerry | 0.3 | 1.7% | 12% | – |
| 32 | Kanturk Cork | 0.3 | 0% | 5.1% | – |
| 33 | Baltinglass Wicklow | 0.2 | 4.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 34 | Ballyhaunis Mayo | 0.2 | 2.8% | 3.4% | – |
| 35 | Kilrush Clare | 0.2 | 9.8% | 37% | – |
| 36 | Ballyjamesduff Cavan | 0.2 | 7.6% | 0% | – |
| 37 | Gort Galway | 0.2 | 4.3% | 24% | – |
| 38 | Carndonagh Donegal | 0.1 | 4.9% | 5.1% | 5.8% |
| 39 | Sixmilebridge Clare | 0 | 0.7% | 2% | – |
| 40 | Rathcoole Cork | 0 | 7.5% | 4.1% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Rathcoole’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 Rathcoole
The biggest is Rathcool Wood, 9.0 ha (22 acres).
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
Everyone in Rathcoole lives 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Rathcoole100%
Co. Cork towns90%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
The protected site within 5 km of Rathcoole
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 Rathcoole1.8%
Within 5 km4.1%
Co. Cork towns1.5%
Typical Irish town1.8%
One protected site lies within 5 km of Rathcoole. Ireland’s National Parks have a block of their own on this page; much of their land also lies inside these sites.
Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 103 km² · reaches Rathcoole
NPWS pageProtected 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
Killarney National Park is 35 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
Killarney National Park
35 km west104 km²
National Park
Burren National Park
96 km north21 km²
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Rathcoole.
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
0 km of footpaths cross Rathcoole
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
0.0 km
over – km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
7.5%
of the town and 1 km around it
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
RathcooleCo. Cork townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
RathcooleCo. Cork townsTypical Irish town
Woodland7.5%
0%50%100%
Rathcoole has less footpath per km² than 100% of Irish towns and more woodland than 88% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
Footpaths in and around Rathcoole
0 km of footpaths are mapped in Rathcoole and the kilometre around it, 0.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
No waymarked trail starts within 5 km of Rathcoole; its footpaths are counted above.
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 Rathcoole: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 145 | 110 | 93 | 90 | 77 | 74 | 79 | 88 | 91 | 132 | 143 | 148 |
June is the driest month (74 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.7 hours of daylight in December, and 148 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Rathcoole →
Next door
Next to Rathcoole
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
MillstreetKanturkNewmarketRathcoole
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rathcoole | 100% | 6.2 | 0.0 | 4.1% |
| Millstreet 6.9 km | 48% | 3.8 | 0.4 | 6.2% |
| Kanturk 11 km | 72% | 2.2 | 0.3 | 5.1% |
| Newmarket 13 km | 0% | 2.3 | 0.3 | 6.5% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Rathcoole.
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 Rathcoole
Is there protected countryside near Rathcoole?
Yes: 4.1% of the land within 5 km is protected, in one site. Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC reaches Rathcoole.
How many people in Rathcoole live near a park?
100% 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 Rathcoole?
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 Rathcoole near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Killarney National Park, 35 km west of the town’s edge; it covers about 104 km². One more is within 100 km.
Sources
Where Rathcoole’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).