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Adare - Main Street (N21) - Adare Heritage CentrePhoto: Suzanne Mischyshyn · CC BY-SA 2.0
86%near a park
Outdoors in Adare · parks, paths & countryside

Adare has more park space per resident than 9 in 10 Irish towns

There are 48.2 ha of parks and playing fields for every 1,000 people in Adare, against 4.1 in the typical Irish town. Woods cover 12% of Adare and the kilometre around it. 4 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 0.4 for every square kilometre.

Near a park
86%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
48.2 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
4 km
0.4 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
1.3%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Lower River Shannon SAC
Woodland
12%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character

What kind of outdoors town is Adare?

Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.

Adare’s strongest suit is plenty of park space, followed by its woods. Where it falls short is footpaths.

Against other towns

How Adare 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 walk86%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
typical 92%0100
39out of 100
Public green space48.2 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
typical 4.1 ha010+
98out of 100
Footpaths0.4 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
typical 2.1 km010+
10out of 100
Protected for nature1.3%of the land within 5 km
none100
45out of 100
Woodland12%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
typical 2.7%040
97out 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

Adare has the 14th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size

The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (1,224 to 3,141 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.

Adare 0.4
BallybrackSixmilebridge
0510 km per km²

From Ballybrack (8.6 km per km²) to Sixmilebridge (0 km per km²).

Footpath, km per km²
Adare0.4
Towns its size0.7
Co. Limerick towns2.5
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Adare48.2
Towns its size4.1
Co. Limerick towns4.7
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Adare86%
Towns its size85%
Co. Limerick towns91%
Typical Irish town92%

Against towns its size, Adare stands out most for park space per resident: none of the other 39 has more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 26 of the others do better.

Every town in the comparison
TownPaths (km/km²)WoodlandProtectedThe sea
1Ballybrack Dublin8.68%0.2%36%
2Sunday's Well Cork7.32.7%0.4%–
3Blackpool Cork6.63%1.4%–
4Carna Dublin5.41.7%0%–
5Taylor's Hill Galway5.11.2%15%37%
6Togher Cork51.5%0.5%–
7Decies Dublin4.87.2%0%–
8Mayfield Cork4.75.3%3.3%–
9Kylemore Dublin43%0%–
10Edenmore Dublin2.83.6%5.9%24%
11Ballynanty Limerick2.55.7%12%–
12Claddagh Galway2.40.2%17%46%
13Murrough Galway2.35.1%10%26%
14Grange Upper Waterford1.41.5%6.6%–
15Blarney Cork1.414%0%–
16Kilbarry Waterford1.31.6%5.1%–
17Bantry Cork14.4%0%18%
18Ballina Tipperary0.91.8%4.7%–
19Moate Westmeath0.72.4%2.4%–
20Callan Kilkenny0.70.1%2.3%–
21Kingscourt Cavan0.712%0%–
22Kenmare Kerry0.67.2%6.5%6.4%
23Athboy Meath0.61.1%1.5%–
24Bundoran Donegal0.52%5.1%35%
25Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow0.53.9%2.9%–
26Skibbereen Cork0.51.7%1.6%–
27Adare Limerick0.412%1.3%–
28Kinnegad Westmeath0.34.5%4.5%–
29Donegal Donegal0.34%4.1%12%
30Boyle Roscommon0.33.2%0%–
31Bailieborough Cavan0.310%0%–
32Castleisland Kerry0.31.7%12%–
33Kanturk Cork0.30%5.1%–
34Baltinglass Wicklow0.24.9%0.5%–
35Ballyhaunis Mayo0.22.8%3.4%–
36Kilrush Clare0.29.8%37%–
37Ballyjamesduff Cavan0.27.6%0%–
38Gort Galway0.24.3%24%–
39Carndonagh Donegal0.14.9%5.1%5.8%
40Sixmilebridge Clare00.7%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 Adare’s urban area.

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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 Adare

The biggest is Graigue Wood, 30 ha (75 acres).

First pick

Graigue Wood

Wood or forest
30 ha
1.7 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside

Adare Town Park

Park or garden
1.4 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Adare
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

9 in 10 Adare 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 (86%)Further (15%)
Adare86%
Co. Limerick towns91%
Typical Irish town92%

About 200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.

Protected areas

Protected sites cover 1.3% of the land within 5 km of Adare

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 Adare0%
Within 5 km1.3%
Co. Limerick towns9.6%
Typical Irish town1.8%

2 protected sites lie within 5 km of Adare. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 1.8% 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.

Lower River Shannon SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 702 km² · reaches Adare
NPWS page
Curraghchase Woods SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 3.6 km² · 4.4 km from the edge
NPWS page

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

Burren National Park is 46 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.

20 km40 km60 km80 kmNBurren46 km northBurren National Park: 46 km north of Adare’s edge · 21 km²Killarney73 km south-westKillarney National Park: 73 km south-west of Adare’s edge · 104 km²Adare
National ParkThe 5 km around the town
National Park

Burren National Park

46 km north21 km²
National Park

Killarney National Park

73 km south-west104 km²

2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Adare.

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

4 km of footpaths cross Adare

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
4.2 km
over 10.5 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
12%
about 1.3 km² of mapped woods

Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap

AdareCo. Limerick townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.4
01.53 km per km²

Share of the land · mapped woods and forest

AdareCo. Limerick townsTypical Irish town
Woodland12%
0%50%100%

Adare has less footpath per km² than 90% of Irish towns and more woodland than 97% 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 Adare

4 km of footpaths are mapped in Adare and the kilometre around it, 0.4 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).

No waymarked trail starts within 5 km of Adare; 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.

History

2 historic parks, gardens and demesnes on the record in Adare

Parks, gardens, walled gardens and demesne walls in the town on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, each with its record.

Demesne walls/gates/railingsAdare Manorfrom 1820Regional rating (NIAH)
Demesne walls/gates/railingsDemesne walls, Main Street, Adarefrom 1830Regional rating (NIAH)

The oldest dated is Adare Manor, from 1820.

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 Adare: 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)8.29.811.713.915.716.816.414.712.610.58.67.7
High (°C)91011141619202018151110
Rain (mm)98817260637073817795101108

April is the driest month (60 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.7 hours of daylight in December, and 108 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Adare →

Things to do

1 playground

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

Playgrounds 1

Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.

Campsites 1

Adare Camping and Caravan Site1.1 km from town
Directions

Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.

Next door

Next to Adare

The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.

CroomRathkealeDooradoyleAskeatonBallinacurraDockAdare
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
TownNear a parkGreen space, ha per 1,000Paths (km/km²)Protected within 5 km
Adare86%48.20.41.3%
Croom 7.0 km100%16.10.40.7%
Rathkeale 11 km83%7.30.40.8%
Dooradoyle 12 km71%2.51.07.7%
Askeaton 13 km100%3.50.314%
Ballinacurra 14 km85%14.01.811%
Dock 15 km100%5.92.512%

In Croom, 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 Adare

What is the biggest park in Adare?

Adare Town Park, 1.4 ha (3 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.

Is there protected countryside near Adare?

Yes: 1.3% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 2 sites. Lower River Shannon SAC reaches Adare.

How many people in Adare live near a park?

86% 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 Adare?

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 Adare near a National Park?

The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Burren National Park, 46 km north of the town’s edge; it covers about 21 km². One more is within 100 km.

Which parks in Adare are historic?

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 2 historic parks, gardens and demesnes in the town, among them Adare Manor and Demesne walls, Main Street, Adare.

Sources

Where Adare’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).