First pick
Phoenix Park
Park or garden · 80 m outside town
704 ha93.1 km of path
20 h 40 minto walk all 93.1 km of path
3.1 km north-westfrom the centre
Khyber RoadTinkler's PathKaziranga Forest Trail+2 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Rossographer · CC BY-SA 2.0100%near a park
Outdoors in Dolphins Barn · parks, paths & countryside
Dolphins Barn has more footpath per square kilometre than 9 in 10 Irish towns
96 km of footpaths run through the neighbourhood and the kilometre around it, 8.4 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Dolphins Barn add up to 40.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1. 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
40.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
96 km
8.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Woodland
2.9%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors neighbourhood is Dolphins Barn?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
A neighbourhood of footpaths8.4 km of path per km², more than 98% of Irish towns. The typical town has 2.1.Room to roam40.8 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 97% of Irish towns.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Hills with a view4 mapped viewpoints, about 6× as many per resident as the typical Irish town.
Dolphins Barn’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by plenty of park space.
Against other towns
How Dolphins Barn 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 space40.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
97out of 100
Footpaths8.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
99out of 100
Protected for nature0%of the land within 5 km
11out of 100
Woodland2.9%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
53out 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
Dolphins Barn has the 3rd most footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (15,598 to 22,667 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Esker (10.5 km per km²) to Tullamore (0.7 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Dolphins Barn8.4
Towns its size3.6
Co. Dublin towns5.4
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Dolphins Barn40.8
Towns its size4.1
Co. Dublin towns7.6
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Dolphins Barn100%
Towns its size97%
Co. Dublin towns100%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Dolphins Barn stands out most for park space per resident: none of the other 39 has more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esker Dublin | 10.5 | 2.1% | 0.1% | – |
| 2 | Old Bawn Dublin | 8.5 | 3% | 1.8% | – |
| 3 | Dolphins Barn Dublin | 8.4 | 2.9% | 0% | – |
| 4 | Stoneybatter Dublin | 7.5 | 1.6% | 0% | – |
| 5 | The Liberties Dublin | 7.4 | 0.5% | 0% | – |
| 6 | Carpenterstown Dublin | 7.3 | 11% | 0% | – |
| 7 | Mulhuddart Dublin | 6.6 | 4% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Stillorgan Dublin | 6.5 | 3% | 0.1% | 17% |
| 9 | Ballymun Dublin | 6.5 | 2.6% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Clonsilla Dublin | 6.4 | 3% | 0.1% | – |
| 11 | Ballinteer Dublin | 6.2 | 7.1% | 2.8% | – |
| 12 | Dundrum Dublin | 6.2 | 4.7% | 1.3% | 6.7% |
| 13 | Rathmines East Dublin | 5.9 | 2.3% | 0.1% | 13% |
| 14 | Rathfarnham Dublin | 5.5 | 4.8% | 0.1% | – |
| 15 | Crumlin Dublin | 5.4 | 0.8% | 0% | – |
| 16 | Templeogue Dublin | 5.2 | 3.8% | 0.1% | – |
| 17 | Cabinteely Dublin | 5.1 | 7.6% | 1.1% | 29% |
| 18 | East Wall Dublin | 4.1 | 1% | 3.5% | 27% |
| 19 | Maynooth Kildare | 3.7 | 3.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 20 | Sandymount Dublin | 3.6 | 1.2% | 3.6% | 35% |
| 21 | Leixlip Kildare | 3.6 | 7.7% | 0.5% | – |
| 22 | Clontarf East Dublin | 3.1 | 3% | 6.1% | 38% |
| 23 | Dún Laoghaire Dublin | 3 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 56% |
| 24 | Beaumont Dublin | 2.9 | 2% | 3.4% | 9.7% |
| 25 | Celbridge Kildare | 2.4 | 6.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 26 | Malahide Dublin | 2.4 | 3.4% | 2.1% | 32% |
| 27 | Greystones-Delgany Wicklow | 2.2 | 11% | 5% | 35% |
| 28 | Douglas Cork | 1.7 | 4.6% | 5% | – |
| 29 | Ashbourne Meath | 1.6 | 0.3% | 0% | – |
| 30 | Knocknacarra Galway | 1.6 | 3.4% | 32% | 34% |
| 31 | Ballincollig Cork | 1.3 | 8.4% | 0% | – |
| 32 | Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney Meath | 1.2 | 0.5% | 4.4% | 39% |
| 33 | Sligo Sligo | 1.2 | 6.1% | 9.5% | 18% |
| 34 | Clonmel Tipperary | 1.1 | 14% | 3.9% | – |
| 35 | Wexford Wexford | 1.1 | 3.8% | 13% | 22% |
| 36 | Dooradoyle Limerick | 1 | 2.6% | 7.7% | – |
| 37 | Carrigaline Cork | 0.9 | 6.5% | 0.2% | 6.7% |
| 38 | Mullingar Westmeath | 0.8 | 8.9% | 3.3% | – |
| 39 | Letterkenny Donegal | 0.7 | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.3% |
| 40 | Tullamore Offaly | 0.7 | 10% | 3.8% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dolphins Barn’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 Dolphins Barn
The biggest is Phoenix Park, 704 ha (1,739 acres).
All 10 named parks and woods by size: 753 ha (1,860 acres) and 106 km of path
Parks & gardens 753 ha
The two biggest, Phoenix Park and Royal Hospital Kilmainham, are 96% of the named green space and carry 97 km of path between them. 5 of the 10 are under 2 ha.
Royal Hospital Kilmainham
Park or garden
17 ha4.3 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Dolphins Barn
Directionsto a point inside
Irish National War Memorial Gardens
Park or garden · 360 m outside town
14 ha2 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
1.6 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Brickfield Park
Park or garden · 390 m outside town
11 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
1.2 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Formal Gardens
Park or garden
2.4 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
Centralin the middle of Dolphins Barn
Directionsto a point inside
Croppies Acre Memorial Park
Park or garden
1.7 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
1.0 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
James's Walk
Park or garden
1.2 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
Centralin the middle of Dolphins Barn
Directionsto a point inside
Bridgefoot Street Park
Park or garden
0.8 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.1 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 10 named parks and green spaces
Phoenix ParkPark or garden · 704 ha · 93.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsRoyal Hospital KilmainhamPark or garden · 17 ha · 4.3 km of path
DirectionsIrish National War Memorial GardensPark or garden · 14 ha · 2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsBrickfield ParkPark or garden · 11 ha · 1.9 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsFormal GardensPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsCroppies Acre Memorial ParkPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsJames's WalkPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsBridgefoot Street ParkPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSaint Audoen's ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsWeaver ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsNamed 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 Dolphins Barn 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%)
Dolphins Barn100%
Co. Dublin towns100%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
South Dublin Bay and River Tolka Estuary SPA is the nearest protected area, 3.7 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 Dolphins Barn0%
Within 5 km0%
Co. Dublin towns0.2%
Typical Irish town1.8%
2 protected sites lie within 5 km of Dolphins Barn. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 1.2% 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
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 10 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
10 km south223 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 Dolphins Barn
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
96 km
over 11.4 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
2.9%
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
Dolphins BarnCo. Dublin townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths8.4
0510 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Dolphins BarnCo. Dublin townsTypical Irish town
Woodland2.9%
0%50%100%
Dolphins Barn has more footpath per km² than 99% of Irish towns and more woodland than 53% 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 Dolphins Barn
96 km of footpaths are mapped in Dolphins Barn and the kilometre around it, 8.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Long-distance wayGreenway
National Famine Way168.6 km
Royal Canal Greenway Walking Trail121.4 km
Royal Canal Way146.3 km
Royal Canal Greenway - Drumcondra - Ashtown - Castleknock8.9 km
Grand Canal Way117.1 km
One cycling or paddling trail also starts within 5 km.
One more waymarked walk on OpenStreetMap
Other waymarked
Icon Walk0.3 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.
History
3 historic parks, gardens and demesnes on the record in Dolphins Barn
Parks, gardens, walled gardens and demesne walls in the town on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, each with its record.
GardenIrish Museum of Modern Artfrom 1690Regional rating (NIAH)
Garden structure miscIrish Museum of Modern Artfrom 1730Regional rating (NIAH)
Garden structure miscGarden structure misc, Saint Patrick's Hospitalfrom 1750Regional rating (NIAH)
The oldest dated is Irish Museum of Modern Art, from 1690.
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
When to get out
The best walking months in Dolphins Barn: 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) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 52 | 52 | 51 | 55 | 63 | 59 | 67 | 62 | 76 | 83 | 72 |
April is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 83 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. The climate in Dolphins Barn →
Things to do
4 viewpoints 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.
4Viewpoints5.8× the typical Irish town, per resident1Waterfalls7Picnic sites88Playgrounds3.6× the typical Irish town, per resident1Dog parks
Per resident, viewpoints stand out most: Dolphins Barn has 5.8× as many as the typical Irish town.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 4
Plus 4 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 88
Weaver's Park playground0.4 km from town
DirectionsPlay Forest0.8 km from town
Directionsgames room1.0 km from town
Directionssoft area1.0 km from town
Directionskindergarden playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsHill Street Playground1.7 km from town
DirectionsHamilton Gardens Public Playground1.9 km from town
DirectionsPlus 81 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Bark Parkin town
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Gardens & nature
6 gardens and nature sites to visit near Dolphins Barn
Gardens, national parks, nature sites and islands within 15 km of the town’s edge, each with its own page.
War Memorial GardensGarden · 0.6 km from town
Its pageIveagh GardensGarden · 1.6 km from town
Its pageSaint Stephen's GreenGarden · 1.7 km from town
Its pageMerrion SquareGarden · 2.0 km from town
Its pageNational Botanic GardensGarden · 2.9 km from town
Its pageSaint Anne's ParkGarden · 7.2 km from town
Its pagePlaces to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
Next door
Next to Dolphins Barn
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
The LibertiesKilmainhamStoneybatterCrumlinChristchurchTemple BarDolphins Barn
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins Barn | 100% | 40.8 | 8.4 | 0% |
| The Liberties 1.0 km | 100% | 0.9 | 7.4 | 0% |
| Kilmainham 1.6 km | 100% | 76.5 | 7.7 | 0% |
| Stoneybatter 1.6 km | 100% | 38.8 | 7.5 | 0% |
| Crumlin 1.6 km | 100% | 4.2 | 5.4 | 0% |
| Christchurch 1.7 km | 100% | 1.1 | 7.8 | 0.1% |
| Temple Bar 1.9 km | 100% | 3.1 | 7.9 | 0.1% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Dolphins Barn.
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 Dolphins Barn
What is the biggest park in Dolphins Barn?
Phoenix Park, 704 ha (1,739 acres), just outside the built-up area. Royal Hospital Kilmainham (17 ha) is second. 11 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the neighbourhood or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Dolphins Barn?
2 protected sites lie within 5 km, though together they cover under 1% of the land. The nearest is South Dublin Bay and River Tolka Estuary SPA, 3.7 km from the edge of town.
What are the best walks near Dolphins Barn?
5 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the National Famine Way, Royal Canal Greenway Walking Trail and Royal Canal Way.
How many people in Dolphins Barn 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 Dolphins Barn?
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 Dolphins Barn near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 10 km south of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Dolphins Barn?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 4 viewpoints, 1 waterfall and 7 picnic sites; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Which parks in Dolphins Barn are historic?
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 3 historic parks, gardens and demesnes in the town, among them Garden structure misc, Saint Patrick's Hospital, Irish Museum of Modern Art and Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Sources
Where Dolphins Barn’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
- Historic parks and gardens. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (CC BY 4.0)
- 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).