First pick
The Inter Communication Park
Park or garden
0.5 ha
0.6 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Liz McCabe · CC BY-SA 2.0100%near a park
Outdoors in Killala · parks, paths & countryside
Killala is on the coast
The sea makes up 29% of the area within 5 km. Wild Nephin National Park begins 15 km away. 3 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Killala, among them the Kilcummin Loop Walks - Red Loop and Kilcummin Loop Walks - Blue Loop.
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
3.7 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
4 km
0.5 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
5%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SPA
Woodland
3.9%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
The sea
29%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Killala?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast29% of the area within 5 km is sea.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Countryside close byWild Nephin National Park starts 15 km west.Few mapped footpaths0.5 km of path per km²; the typical Irish town has 2.1.
Killala’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by parks close to every home. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Against other towns
How Killala 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 space3.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
47out of 100
Footpaths0.5 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
13out of 100
Protected for nature5%of the land within 5 km
73out of 100
Woodland3.9%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
66out of 100
The sea29%of the area within 5 km
88out 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
Killala has the 14th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (587 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
Killala0.5
Towns its size0.7
Co. Mayo towns0.6
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Killala3.7
Towns its size3.9
Co. Mayo towns2.6
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Killala100%
Towns its size87%
Co. Mayo towns85%
Typical Irish town92%
Against towns its size, Killala stands out most for homes near a park: 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
| 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 | Killala Mayo | 0.5 | 3.9% | 5% | 29% |
| 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 Killala’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 Killala
The biggest is The Inter Communication Park, 0.5 ha (1 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 Killala 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%)
Killala100%
Co. Mayo towns85%
Typical Irish town92%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
Protected sites cover 5% of the land within 5 km of Killala
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 Killala3.4%
Within 5 km5%
Co. Mayo towns3.4%
Typical Irish town1.8%
3 protected sites lie within 5 km of Killala. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 5% 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
Wild Nephin National Park is 15 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
Wild Nephin National Park
15 km west171 km²
National Park
Connemara National Park
85 km south-west21 km²
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Killala.
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 Killala
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
3.9 km
over 8.6 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
3.9%
about 0.3 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
3
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
KillalaCo. Mayo townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.5
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
KillalaCo. Mayo townsTypical Irish town
Woodland3.9%
0%50%100%
Killala has less footpath per km² than 87% of Irish towns and more woodland than 66% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
3 waymarked trails start near Killala
4 km of footpaths are mapped in Killala and the kilometre around it, 0.5 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Walking trail
Kilcummin Loop Walks - Red Loop10.3 km
Kilcummin Loop Walks - Blue Loop8.6 km
Kilcummin Loop Walks - Green Loop4.7 km
For a shorter walk, the Kilcummin Loop Walks - Red Loop is 10.3 km, graded moderate. One cycling or paddling trail also starts within 5 km.
One more waymarked walk on OpenStreetMap
National
Western Way - Mayo6.8 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Killala: 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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 136 | 111 | 96 | 76 | 77 | 76 | 87 | 96 | 98 | 126 | 145 | 148 |
June is the driest month (76 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 18 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.4 hours of daylight in December, and 148 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Killala →
The coast
The coast and bathing waters near Killala
29% of the area within 5 km of Killala is sea. One bathing water is within 5 km.
Ross Beach, KillalaExcellent (2025) · 1.9 km from town
beaches.ieOne of the 1 is rated excellent: Ross Beach, Killala.
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
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.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Killala
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
EnniscroneBallinaCrossmolinaKillala
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killala | 100% | 3.7 | 0.5 | 5% |
| Enniscrone 8.4 km | 100% | 8.6 | 0.5 | 2.6% |
| Ballina 12 km | 83% | 1.6 | 0.8 | 3.5% |
| Crossmolina 14 km | 79% | 3.0 | 0.1 | 7.2% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Killala. Enniscrone has at least twice Killala’s green space per resident.
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 Killala
What is the biggest park in Killala?
The Inter Communication Park, 0.5 ha (1 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Killala?
Yes: 5% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 3 sites. Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SPA reaches Killala.
What are the best walks near Killala?
3 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Kilcummin Loop Walks - Red Loop, Kilcummin Loop Walks - Blue Loop and Kilcummin Loop Walks - Green Loop.
Where can you swim near Killala?
The nearest bathing water is Ross Beach, Killala, 1.9 km from town: Excellent (2025). Check beaches.ie before swimming: a notice can close a beach for the day.
How many people in Killala 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 Killala?
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 Killala near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wild Nephin National Park, 15 km west of the town’s edge; it covers about 171 km². One more is within 100 km.
Sources
Where Killala’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
- 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).