Photo: Harold Strong · CC BY-SA 2.087% of Newcastle West’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Parks and playing fields in Newcastle West add up to 1.3 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1. Footpaths add up to 9 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 0.5 for every square kilometre. 7% of the land within 5 km is protected for nature, the nearest site being Stack's to Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle SPA.
How Newcastle West 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.
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.
Newcastle West has the 7th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (6,258 to 8,280 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From O'Connell Street (8.1 km per km²) to Roscommon (0.2 km per km²).
Newcastle West falls furthest behind on path per km², where 33 of the 39 others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O'Connell Street Dublin | 8.1 | 0.6% | 0.1% | 7% |
| 2 | Temple Bar Dublin | 7.9 | 1.1% | 0.1% | 6.2% |
| 3 | Christchurch Dublin | 7.8 | 0.7% | 0.1% | – |
| 4 | South Gate Cork | 6.8 | 1% | 1.3% | – |
| 5 | Castleknock Dublin | 6.2 | 9.1% | 0% | – |
| 6 | Dubber Dublin | 5.7 | 2.1% | 0% | – |
| 7 | Ballybough Dublin | 5.5 | 1.4% | 1% | 9% |
| 8 | Turner's Cross Cork | 5.3 | 2.5% | 1.3% | – |
| 9 | Clongriffin Dublin | 5 | 0.2% | 6.6% | 31% |
| 10 | Cherry Orchard Dublin | 4.6 | 0.5% | 0% | – |
| 11 | Santry Dublin | 4.4 | 2.8% | 0% | – |
| 12 | Baldoyle Dublin | 3.7 | 0.3% | 11% | 40% |
| 13 | Perrystown Dublin | 3.6 | 1.8% | 0% | – |
| 14 | Eyre Square Galway | 3.4 | 1.2% | 14% | 36% |
| 15 | Marino Dublin | 3.3 | 2% | 2.8% | 10% |
| 16 | Farranshone Limerick | 2.8 | 1.5% | 11% | – |
| 17 | Walkinstown Dublin | 2.8 | 0.3% | 0% | – |
| 18 | Dalkey Dublin | 2.6 | 3.5% | 0.2% | 60% |
| 19 | Dock Limerick | 2.5 | 1.3% | 12% | – |
| 20 | Kinsealy-Drinan Dublin | 2.3 | 1.8% | 1.1% | 8.3% |
| 21 | Howth Dublin | 2.2 | 2.4% | 18% | 75% |
| 22 | Dunboyne Meath | 2.2 | 2.5% | 0.4% | – |
| 23 | Frankfield and Grange Cork | 2.1 | 4.3% | 2.1% | – |
| 24 | Sallins Kildare | 1.6 | 0.8% | 0% | – |
| 25 | Dunshaughlin Meath | 1.5 | 0.4% | 0% | – |
| 26 | Monaghan Monaghan | 1.3 | 8.7% | 0% | – |
| 27 | Kells Meath | 1.3 | 6.3% | 1.1% | – |
| 28 | Caherdavin Limerick | 1.2 | 3.4% | 12% | – |
| 29 | Westport Mayo | 1.2 | 7.1% | 3.3% | 10% |
| 30 | Ballytruckle Waterford | 1 | 1.2% | 5.1% | – |
| 31 | Fermoy Cork | 0.8 | 6.3% | 4.8% | – |
| 32 | Clane Kildare | 0.6 | 1.9% | 1.5% | – |
| 33 | Thurles Tipperary | 0.5 | 2.8% | 1.2% | – |
| 34 | Newcastle West Limerick | 0.5 | 1.5% | 7% | – |
| 35 | Bandon Cork | 0.4 | 5.6% | 0% | – |
| 36 | Edenderry Offaly | 0.4 | 7% | 1.7% | – |
| 37 | Loughrea Galway | 0.4 | 1.7% | 4.7% | – |
| 38 | Ballinasloe Galway | 0.3 | 3.7% | 9.6% | – |
| 39 | Buncrana Donegal | 0.3 | 3.3% | 12% | 23% |
| 40 | Roscommon Roscommon | 0.2 | 2.3% | 3.9% | – |
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Newcastle West’s urban area.
How close Newcastle West’s homes are to 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).
About 900 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
7% of the land around Newcastle West 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.
One protected site lies within 5 km of Newcastle West. 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.
Killarney National Park is 52 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.
Killarney National Park
Burren National Park
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Newcastle West.
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).
9 km of footpaths cross Newcastle West
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+.
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Newcastle West has less footpath per km² than 86% of Irish towns and less woodland than 74% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
One waymarked trail starts near Newcastle West
9 km of footpaths are mapped in Newcastle West and the kilometre around it, 0.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
One cycling or paddling trail also starts within 5 km.
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.
The best walking months in Newcastle West: 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 137 | 109 | 92 | 74 | 71 | 72 | 76 | 88 | 88 | 115 | 135 | 149 |
May is the driest month (71 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.7 hours of daylight in December, and 149 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Newcastle West →
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
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next to Newcastle West
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
| Town | Near a park | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Paths (km/km²) | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle West | 87% | 1.3 | 0.5 | 7% |
| Rathkeale 11 km | 83% | 7.3 | 0.4 | 0.8% |
| Askeaton 18 km | 100% | 3.5 | 0.3 | 14% |
| Abbeyfeale 18 km | 55% | 2.4 | 0.2 | 13% |
In Askeaton, 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here. Rathkeale and Askeaton have at least twice Newcastle West’s green space per resident.
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 Newcastle West
Is there protected countryside near Newcastle West?
Yes: 7% of the land within 5 km is protected, in one site. The nearest is Stack's to Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle SPA, 2.8 km from the edge of town.
What are the best walks near Newcastle West?
One waymarked trail starts within 5 km: the Limerick Greenway.
How many people in Newcastle West live near a park?
87% 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 Newcastle West?
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 Newcastle West near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Killarney National Park, 52 km south-west of the town’s edge; it covers about 104 km². One more is within 100 km.
Where Newcastle West’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
- 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).