First pick
Cooks Wood
Wood or forest · 220 m outside town
5.4 ha
1.7 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Gordon Hatton · CC BY-SA 2.0100%near a park
Outdoors in Unionhall · parks, paths & countryside
Unionhall is on the coast
The sea makes up 25% of the area within 5 km. Footpaths add up to 1 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 0.1 for every square kilometre. There are 5.8 ha of parks and playing fields for every 1,000 people in Unionhall, against 4.1 in the typical Irish town.
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
5.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
1 km
0.1 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
0.3%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Myross Wood SAC
Woodland
4%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
The sea
25%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Unionhall?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast25% of the area within 5 km is sea.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Few mapped footpaths0.1 km of path per km²; the typical Irish town has 2.1.
Unionhall’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Against other towns
How Unionhall 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 space5.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
63out of 100
Footpaths0.1 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
1out of 100
Protected for nature0.3%of the land within 5 km
33out of 100
Woodland4%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
68out of 100
The sea25%of the area within 5 km
86out 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
Unionhall has the 3rd fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (359 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 Sixmilebridge (0 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Unionhall0.1
Towns its size0.7
Co. Cork towns1.8
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Unionhall5.8
Towns its size4.1
Co. Cork towns4.3
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Unionhall100%
Towns its size87%
Co. Cork towns90%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Unionhall 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 37 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 | Unionhall Cork | 0.1 | 4% | 0.3% | 25% |
| 39 | Carndonagh Donegal | 0.1 | 4.9% | 5.1% | 5.8% |
| 40 | Sixmilebridge Clare | 0 | 0.7% | 2% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Unionhall’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 Unionhall
The biggest is Cooks Wood, 5.4 ha (13 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 Unionhall 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%)
Unionhall100%
Co. Cork towns90%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
Myross Wood SAC is the nearest protected area, 1.0 km away
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 Unionhall0%
Within 5 km0.3%
Co. Cork towns1.5%
Typical Irish town1.8%
2 protected sites lie within 5 km of Unionhall. 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
Killarney National Park is 50 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
50 km north-west104 km²
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
1 km of footpaths cross Unionhall
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
1.1 km
over 8.4 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
4%
about 0.3 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
5
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
UnionhallCo. Cork townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.1
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
UnionhallCo. Cork townsTypical Irish town
Woodland4%
0%50%100%
Unionhall has less footpath per km² than 99% of Irish towns and more woodland than 68% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
5 waymarked trails start near Unionhall
1 km of footpaths are mapped in Unionhall and the kilometre around it, 0.1 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Walking trail
Union Hall Walks - Stags View Walk10.0 km
Union Hall Walks - Three Islands Walk8.3 km
Union Hall Walks - Lake Walk7.6 km
Union Hall Walks - Reen Walk5.7 km
Union Hall Walks - Village Heritage Walk2.0 km
For a shorter walk, the Union Hall Walks - Stags View Walk is 10.0 km, graded moderate. 2 cycling or paddling trails also start within 5 km.
One more waymarked walk on OpenStreetMap
Local
Walk 1 - Drombeg Standing Stone Circle (7 - 9 km)4.1 km
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). More waymarked walks: OpenStreetMap route relations (ODbL) within 2 km, those already on the register left out. 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 Unionhall: 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.8 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 150 | 119 | 100 | 85 | 79 | 90 | 96 | 105 | 107 | 141 | 149 | 159 |
May is the driest month (79 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.8 hours of daylight in December, and 159 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Unionhall →
The coast
The coast and bathing waters near Unionhall
25% of the area within 5 km of Unionhall is sea.
Bathing water classes: EPA, latest season (CC BY 4.0). Sea: the area outside CSO and ONS land outlines. Check today’s water quality on beaches.ie
Things to do
2 viewpoints and 6 hills and peaks
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
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 6
Big Bank0.0 km from town
DirectionsCartivourneen50 m · 0.2 km from town
DirectionsCnoc Buí110 m · 0.3 km from town
DirectionsBig Height0.3 km from town
DirectionsPoll na Slinne0.4 km from town
DirectionsStuaicín112 m · 0.8 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Unionhall
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
SkibbereenDunmanwayClonakiltyUnionhall
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionhall | 100% | 5.8 | 0.1 | 0.3% |
| Skibbereen 8.4 km | 75% | 3.6 | 0.5 | 1.6% |
| Dunmanway 19 km | 100% | 4.4 | 0.2 | 2.7% |
| Clonakilty 19 km | 70% | 1.0 | 0.3 | 3.3% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Unionhall.
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 Unionhall
Is there protected countryside near Unionhall?
2 protected sites lie within 5 km, though together they cover under 1% of the land. The nearest is Myross Wood SAC, 1.0 km from the edge of town.
What are the best walks near Unionhall?
5 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Union Hall Walks - Stags View Walk, Union Hall Walks - Three Islands Walk and Union Hall Walks - Lake Walk.
How many people in Unionhall 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 Unionhall?
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 Unionhall near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Killarney National Park, 50 km north-west of the town’s edge; it covers about 104 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Unionhall?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 2 viewpoints, 6 hills and peaks and 1 picnic site; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Unionhall’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
- Things to do. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): viewpoints, hills, waterfalls, nature reserves, picnic sites, playgrounds, campsites and waymarked walks, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- 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).