First pick
Poultallin Wood
Wood or forest · 200 m outside town
7.0 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.7 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Sean an Scuab · CC BY-SA 3.0100%near a park
Outdoors in Foynes · parks, paths & countryside
Foynes is more wooded than 9 in 10 Irish towns
Mapped woodland takes up 13% of Foynes and the kilometre around it. Protected sites cover 37% of the land within 5 km; the nearest is Lower River Shannon SAC. 1 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 0.2 for every square kilometre.
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
4.4 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
1 km
0.2 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
37%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Lower River Shannon SAC
Woodland
13%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Foynes?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Wooded country13% mapped woodland in and around town, more than 97% of Irish towns.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Protected countryside37% of the land within 5 km is protected, including Lower River Shannon SAC.Few mapped footpaths0.2 km of path per km²; the typical Irish town has 2.1.
Foynes’ strongest suit is its woods, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Against other towns
How Foynes 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 space4.4 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
55out of 100
Footpaths0.2 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
1out of 100
Protected for nature37%of the land within 5 km
100out of 100
Woodland13%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
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
Foynes has the 3rd fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (512 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
Foynes0.2
Towns its size0.7
Co. Limerick towns2.5
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Foynes4.4
Towns its size4.1
Co. Limerick towns4.7
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Foynes100%
Towns its size87%
Co. Limerick towns91%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Foynes stands out most for homes near a park: none of the other 39 has 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 | Foynes Limerick | 0.2 | 13% | 37% | – |
| 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 Foynes’ 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 Foynes
The biggest is Poultallin Wood, 7.0 ha (17 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 Foynes 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%)
Foynes100%
Co. Limerick towns91%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
Protected sites cover 37% of the land within 5 km of Foynes
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 Foynes0.9%
Within 5 km37%
Co. Limerick towns9.6%
Typical Irish town1.8%
3 protected sites lie within 5 km of Foynes. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 16% 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
Burren National Park is 40 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
Burren National Park
40 km north21 km²
National Park
Killarney National Park
66 km south-west104 km²
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Foynes.
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 Foynes
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
1.4 km
over 9.3 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
13%
about 1.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
FoynesCo. Limerick townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
FoynesCo. Limerick townsTypical Irish town
Woodland13%
0%50%100%
Foynes has less footpath per km² than 99% 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 Foynes
1 km of footpaths are mapped in Foynes and the kilometre around it, 0.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
No waymarked trail starts within 5 km of Foynes; 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 Foynes: 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) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 121 | 100 | 84 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 83 | 94 | 88 | 108 | 126 | 132 |
April is the driest month (67 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.7 hours of daylight in December, and 132 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Foynes →
Things to do
1 viewpoint and 2 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.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Foynes Island Viewpointin town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 2
Plus 2 slipways 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 Foynes
Gardens, national parks, nature sites and islands within 15 km of the town’s edge, each with its own page.
Knockpatrick GardensGarden · 1.5 km from town
Its pagePlaces to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
Next door
Next to Foynes
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
AskeatonRathkealeNewcastle WestShannonFoynes
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foynes | 100% | 4.4 | 0.2 | 37% |
| Askeaton 8.5 km | 100% | 3.5 | 0.3 | 14% |
| Rathkeale 15 km | 83% | 7.3 | 0.4 | 0.8% |
| Newcastle West 18 km | 87% | 1.3 | 0.5 | 7% |
| Shannon 19 km | 90% | 1.8 | 1.8 | 35% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Foynes.
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 Foynes
Is there protected countryside near Foynes?
Yes: 37% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 3 sites. Lower River Shannon SAC reaches Foynes.
How many people in Foynes 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 Foynes?
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 Foynes near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Burren National Park, 40 km north of the town’s edge; it covers about 21 km². One more is within 100 km.
What is there to do outdoors around Foynes?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 1 viewpoint and 1 picnic site; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Foynes’ 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).