First pick
Griffeen Valley Park
Park or garden · 150 m outside town
27 ha6.8 km of path
1 h 30 minto walk all 6.8 km of path
1.5 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0100%near a park
Outdoors in Ballyowen · parks, paths & countryside
Ballyowen has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 Irish towns
99 km of footpaths run through the neighbourhood and the kilometre around it, 7.5 for every square kilometre. Wicklow Mountains National Park begins 12 km away. 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field.
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
5.3 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
99 km
7.5 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Woodland
6%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors neighbourhood is Ballyowen?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A neighbourhood of footpaths7.5 km of path per km², more than 95% of Irish towns. The typical town has 2.1.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Countryside close byWicklow Mountains National Park starts 12 km south-east.
Ballyowen’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by parks close to every home.
Against other towns
How Ballyowen 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 space5.3 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
61out of 100
Footpaths7.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
95out of 100
Protected for nature0%of the land within 5 km
11out of 100
Woodland6%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
80out 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
Ballyowen has the 4th most footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (12,743 to 17,259 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Tallaght (8.8 km per km²) to Mallow (0.6 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Ballyowen7.5
Towns its size3.7
Co. Dublin towns5.4
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Ballyowen5.3
Towns its size4.1
Co. Dublin towns7.6
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Ballyowen100%
Towns its size96%
Co. Dublin towns100%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Ballyowen stands out most for path per km²: only 3 of the other 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tallaght Dublin | 8.8 | 3.8% | 0.6% | – |
| 2 | Cabra East Dublin | 8 | 2.2% | 0% | – |
| 3 | Deansrath Dublin | 7.9 | 2.2% | 0% | – |
| 4 | Ballyowen Dublin | 7.5 | 6% | 0% | – |
| 5 | Fettercairn Dublin | 7 | 3.5% | 0.4% | – |
| 6 | Ballsbridge Dublin | 6.3 | 1.3% | 1.2% | 18% |
| 7 | Ashtown Dublin | 6.3 | 6.9% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Ballinteer Dublin | 6.2 | 7.1% | 2.8% | – |
| 9 | Dundrum Dublin | 6.2 | 4.7% | 1.3% | 6.7% |
| 10 | Clonskeagh Dublin | 6 | 2.7% | 0.1% | 16% |
| 11 | Rathmines East Dublin | 5.9 | 2.3% | 0.1% | 13% |
| 12 | Knocklyon Dublin | 5.8 | 4.7% | 3.2% | – |
| 13 | Whitehall Dublin | 5.6 | 2.6% | 0.3% | – |
| 14 | Cabinteely Dublin | 5.1 | 7.6% | 1.1% | 29% |
| 15 | Sallynoggin Dublin | 5 | 2% | 0.3% | 47% |
| 16 | Blackrock Dublin | 4.7 | 1.4% | 0.2% | 30% |
| 17 | Kimmage Dublin | 4.3 | 0.1% | 0% | – |
| 18 | Ongar Dublin | 4.2 | 2.7% | 0.2% | – |
| 19 | East Wall Dublin | 4.1 | 1% | 3.5% | 27% |
| 20 | Belmayne Dublin | 3.8 | 1.9% | 5.2% | 25% |
| 21 | Maynooth Kildare | 3.7 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 22 | Mahon Cork | 3.6 | 6.1% | 5.3% | – |
| 23 | Leixlip Kildare | 3.6 | 7.7% | 0.5% | – |
| 24 | Hollystown Dublin | 3.3 | 2% | 0% | – |
| 25 | Clontarf West Dublin | 3.2 | 2.2% | 3.5% | 17% |
| 26 | Bishopstown Cork | 3.2 | 6% | 0.2% | – |
| 27 | Corbally and King's Island Limerick | 3 | 3.7% | 9.5% | – |
| 28 | Darndale Dublin | 2.7 | 1.9% | 3.7% | 11% |
| 29 | Castletroy Limerick | 2.4 | 1.8% | 6.6% | – |
| 30 | Ashbourne Meath | 1.6 | 0.3% | 0% | – |
| 31 | Midleton Cork | 1.6 | 2.6% | 4.5% | – |
| 32 | Ballybane Galway | 1.5 | 3.9% | 12% | 15% |
| 33 | Killarney Kerry | 1.3 | 14% | 34% | – |
| 34 | Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney Meath | 1.2 | 0.5% | 4.4% | 39% |
| 35 | Wicklow Wicklow | 1.1 | 0.9% | 4.3% | 38% |
| 36 | Castlebar Mayo | 1 | 3.1% | 2.3% | – |
| 37 | Cobh Cork | 0.8 | 3.5% | 13% | 23% |
| 38 | Tullamore Offaly | 0.7 | 10% | 3.8% | – |
| 39 | Arklow Wicklow | 0.7 | 5.7% | 0.3% | 34% |
| 40 | Mallow Cork | 0.6 | 5.1% | 3.2% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Ballyowen’s neighbourhood.
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 Ballyowen
The biggest is Griffeen Valley Park, 27 ha (66 acres).
All 4 named parks and woods by size: 60 ha (147 acres) and 14 km of path
Parks & gardens 60 ha
The two biggest, Griffeen Valley Park and Balgaddy Park, are 68% of the named green space and carry 9 km of path between them.
Balgaddy Park
Park or garden
14 ha2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
1.1 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Hermitage Park
Park or garden
12 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
0.6 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Willsbrook Park
Park or garden
7.0 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
0.6 km north-westfrom 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
Everyone in Ballyowen 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%)
Ballyowen100%
Co. Dublin towns100%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
Rye Water Valley/Carton SAC is the nearest protected area, 3.8 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 Ballyowen0%
Within 5 km0%
Co. Dublin towns0.2%
Typical Irish town1.8%
One protected site lies within 5 km of Ballyowen. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 2.4% 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.
Rye Water Valley/Carton SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 0.7 km² · 3.8 km from the edge
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
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 12 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
Wicklow Mountains National Park
12 km south-east223 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
Footpaths and woods in and around Ballyowen
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
99 km
over 13.2 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
6%
about 0.8 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
4
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BallyowenCo. Dublin townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths7.5
04.59 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BallyowenCo. Dublin townsTypical Irish town
Woodland6%
0%50%100%
Ballyowen has more footpath per km² than 95% of Irish towns and more woodland than 80% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
4 waymarked trails start near Ballyowen
99 km of footpaths are mapped in Ballyowen and the kilometre around it, 7.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Long-distance wayGreenway
Grand Canal Way117.1 km
National Famine Way168.6 km
Royal Canal Way146.3 km
Royal Canal Greenway - Drumcondra - Ashtown - Castleknock8.9 km
One more waymarked walk on OpenStreetMap
Other waymarked
Griffeen Valley Walk1.1 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 Ballyowen: 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 64 | 56 | 53 | 55 | 57 | 66 | 64 | 72 | 66 | 81 | 85 | 77 |
March is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 85 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. The climate in Ballyowen →
Things to do
1 viewpoint and 1 waterfall
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.
1Viewpoints1Waterfalls1Picnic sites33Playgrounds1.7× the typical Irish town, per resident1Dog parks1Slipways
Per resident, playgrounds stand out most: Ballyowen has 1.7× as many as the typical Irish town.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 33
Fort Lucan1.5 km from town
DirectionsTandy's Playground2.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 31 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Dog run0.8 km from town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Gardens & nature
A garden or nature site to visit near Ballyowen
Gardens, national parks, nature sites and islands within 15 km of the town’s edge, each with its own page.
Saint Stephen's GreenGarden · 9.9 km from town
Its pagePlaces to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
Next door
Next to Ballyowen
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
EskerRonanstownLucanPalmerstonDeansrathCarpenterstownBallyowen
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyowen | 100% | 5.3 | 7.5 | 0% |
| Esker 1.5 km | 98% | 5.0 | 10.5 | 0.1% |
| Ronanstown 1.9 km | 85% | 6.3 | 6.6 | 0% |
| Lucan 2.3 km | 96% | 9.9 | 6.8 | 0.2% |
| Palmerston 2.6 km | 94% | 78.1 | 6.9 | 0% |
| Deansrath 2.8 km | 93% | 13.8 | 7.9 | 0% |
| Carpenterstown 3.2 km | 97% | 39.8 | 7.3 | 0% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Ballyowen. Palmerston, Deansrath and Carpenterstown have at least twice Ballyowen’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 Ballyowen
What is the biggest park in Ballyowen?
Griffeen Valley Park, 27 ha (66 acres), just outside the built-up area. Balgaddy Park (14 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the neighbourhood or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Ballyowen?
One protected site lies within 5 km, though it covers under 1% of the land. The nearest is Rye Water Valley/Carton SAC, 3.8 km from the edge of town.
What are the best walks near Ballyowen?
4 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Grand Canal Way, National Famine Way and Royal Canal Way.
How many people in Ballyowen 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 Ballyowen?
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 Ballyowen near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 12 km south-east of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Ballyowen?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 1 viewpoint, 1 waterfall and 1 picnic site; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Ballyowen’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).