First pick
Reilly's Hill
Wood or forest
15 ha0.4 km of path
1.2 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Maj Adev · CC BY-SA 2.031%near a park
Outdoors in Portrane · parks, paths & countryside
Portrane is on the coast
The sea makes up 49% of the area within 5 km. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 31% of residents. Parks and playing fields in Portrane add up to 7.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1.
Near a park
31%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
7.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
20 km
1.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
4.6%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: North-West Irish Sea cSPA
Woodland
2%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
The sea
49%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Portrane?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast49% of the area within 5 km is sea.Protected land nearbyNorth-West Irish Sea cSPA reaches the edge of Portrane.Parks can be a walk away69% of residents live more than 400 m from a park or playing field.
Portrane’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by protected land close by. Where it falls short is how far some homes are from a park.
Against other towns
How Portrane 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 walk31%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
0out of 100
Public green space7.8 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
73out of 100
Footpaths1.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
41out of 100
Protected for nature4.6%of the land within 5 km
70out of 100
Woodland2%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
39out of 100
The sea49%of the area within 5 km
98out 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
Portrane has the 14th most footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (1,262 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
Portrane1.4
Towns its size0.7
Co. Dublin towns5.4
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Portrane7.8
Towns its size4.1
Co. Dublin towns7.6
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Portrane31%
Towns its size83%
Co. Dublin towns100%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Portrane stands out most for path per km²: only 13 of the other 39 have more. It falls furthest behind on homes near a park, 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 | Portrane Dublin | 1.4 | 2% | 4.6% | 49% |
| 15 | Grange Upper Waterford | 1.4 | 1.5% | 6.6% | – |
| 16 | Blarney Cork | 1.4 | 14% | 0% | – |
| 17 | Kilbarry Waterford | 1.3 | 1.6% | 5.1% | – |
| 18 | Bantry Cork | 1 | 4.4% | 0% | 18% |
| 19 | Ballina Tipperary | 0.9 | 1.8% | 4.7% | – |
| 20 | Moate Westmeath | 0.7 | 2.4% | 2.4% | – |
| 21 | Callan Kilkenny | 0.7 | 0.1% | 2.3% | – |
| 22 | Kingscourt Cavan | 0.7 | 12% | 0% | – |
| 23 | Kenmare Kerry | 0.6 | 7.2% | 6.5% | 6.4% |
| 24 | Athboy Meath | 0.6 | 1.1% | 1.5% | – |
| 25 | Bundoran Donegal | 0.5 | 2% | 5.1% | 35% |
| 26 | Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow | 0.5 | 3.9% | 2.9% | – |
| 27 | Skibbereen Cork | 0.5 | 1.7% | 1.6% | – |
| 28 | Kinnegad Westmeath | 0.3 | 4.5% | 4.5% | – |
| 29 | Donegal Donegal | 0.3 | 4% | 4.1% | 12% |
| 30 | Boyle Roscommon | 0.3 | 3.2% | 0% | – |
| 31 | Bailieborough Cavan | 0.3 | 10% | 0% | – |
| 32 | Castleisland Kerry | 0.3 | 1.7% | 12% | – |
| 33 | Kanturk Cork | 0.3 | 0% | 5.1% | – |
| 34 | Baltinglass Wicklow | 0.2 | 4.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 35 | Ballyhaunis Mayo | 0.2 | 2.8% | 3.4% | – |
| 36 | Kilrush Clare | 0.2 | 9.8% | 37% | – |
| 37 | Ballyjamesduff Cavan | 0.2 | 7.6% | 0% | – |
| 38 | Gort Galway | 0.2 | 4.3% | 24% | – |
| 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 Portrane’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 Portrane
The biggest is Reilly's Hill, 15 ha (37 acres).
New Ballymastone Pitches
Park or garden · 140 m outside town
4.2 ha
1.5 km south-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
3 in 10 Portrane 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 (31%)Further (69%)
Portrane31%
Co. Dublin towns100%
Typical Irish town92%
About 900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
4.6% of the land around Portrane is protected for nature
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 Portrane10%
Within 5 km4.6%
Co. Dublin towns0.2%
Typical Irish town1.8%
8 protected sites lie within 5 km of Portrane. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 5.9% 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.
North-West Irish Sea cSPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 2,333 km² · reaches Portrane
NPWS pageRogerstown Estuary SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 6.5 km² · reaches Portrane
NPWS pageRogerstown Estuary SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 5.4 km² · reaches Portrane
NPWS pageMalahide Estuary SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 7.9 km² · 0.7 km from the edge
NPWS pageRockabill to Dalkey Island SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 273 km² · 1.7 km from the edge
NPWS pageMalahide Estuary SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 7.7 km² · 1.9 km from the edge
NPWS pageLambay Island SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 6.0 km² · 4.0 km from the edge
NPWS pageLambay Island SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 4.0 km² · 4.0 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 30 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
30 km south-west223 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
20 km of footpaths cross Portrane
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
20 km
over 14.6 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
2%
about 0.3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
PortraneCo. Dublin townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths1.4
03.57 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PortraneCo. Dublin townsTypical Irish town
Woodland2%
0%50%100%
Portrane has less footpath per km² than 59% of Irish towns and less woodland than 61% 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 Portrane
20 km of footpaths are mapped in Portrane and the kilometre around it, 1.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
No waymarked trail starts within 5 km of Portrane; 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 Portrane: May to July and 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 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 47 | 49 | 48 | 52 | 58 | 57 | 67 | 60 | 74 | 79 | 66 |
February is the driest month (47 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 79 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. The climate in Portrane →
The coast
The coast and bathing waters near Portrane
49% of the area within 5 km of Portrane is sea. 5 bathing waters are within 5 km, each with its latest class.
Portrane, the Brook BeachGood (2025) · 0.1 km from town
beaches.ieDonabate, Balcarrick BeachExcellent (2025) · 0.9 km from town
beaches.ieRush, South BeachGood (2025) · 1.7 km from town
beaches.ieRush, North BeachExcellent (2025) · 3.0 km from town
beaches.ieLoughshinny BeachGood (2025) · 4.8 km from town
beaches.ie2 of the 5 are rated excellent, Donabate, Balcarrick Beach among them.
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
5 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.
Per resident, playgrounds stand out most: Portrane has 3× as many as the typical Irish town.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 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 Portrane
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
DonabateRushLuskMalahidePortmarnockKinsealy-DrinanPortrane
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrane | 31% | 7.8 | 1.4 | 4.6% |
| Donabate 2.5 km | 90% | 15.2 | 2.8 | 2.8% |
| Rush 3.3 km | 90% | 1.4 | 1.1 | 3.7% |
| Lusk 4.6 km | 100% | 2.9 | 1.1 | 1.3% |
| Malahide 6.8 km | 100% | 11.3 | 2.4 | 2.1% |
| Portmarnock 8.0 km | 98% | 9.2 | 2.7 | 7.9% |
| Kinsealy-Drinan 8.5 km | 100% | 4.1 | 2.3 | 1.1% |
In Lusk, 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here.
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 Portrane
What is the biggest park in Portrane?
New Ballymastone Pitches, 4.2 ha (10 acres), just outside the built-up area. 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Portrane?
Yes: 4.6% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 8 sites. North-West Irish Sea cSPA reaches Portrane.
Where can you swim near Portrane?
The nearest bathing water is Portrane, the Brook Beach, 0.1 km from town: Good (2025). Check beaches.ie before swimming: a notice can close a beach for the day.
How many people in Portrane live near a park?
31% 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 Portrane?
On the town’s 1991–2020 averages and its daylight: May to July and September, when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light for the place.
Is Portrane near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 30 km south-west of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
Sources
Where Portrane’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
- Bathing water. EPA: bathing water quality, 2025 season
- 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).