Downshire Gallery is Blessington’s place to visit
One place to visit is mapped inside Blessington’s urban area, with 3 more within 5 km of its edge. The mix takes in an art gallery, a historic house and a castle. A longer outing takes you to Dublin Castle, 27 km off.
Top of the list in Blessington
Behind Downshire Gallery on the list are a historic house, a castle and an attraction.
Historic houseRussborough House and Parklands2.4 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleThreecastles Castle2.5 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionNational Bird of Prey Centre2.5 km outside town, to the southwestEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The lie of the land
Most of the 3 out of town lie to the southwest.
The dashed line is Blessington’s urban area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · CSO 2022 outline
A breakdown by kind
The list holds an art gallery, a historic house and a castle.
Green: inside Blessington. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
The complete list
First the one in town, then the 3 within 5 km of its edge.
The one inside Blessington comes first, then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches, protected structures and monuments belong to the History page, not here.
Monuments and historic buildings in Blessington → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Blessington →
Out of town
Day trips number 12; the best known is Dublin Castle, 27 km off.
Abbey or prioryGlendalough23 km southeast
CathedralSt Patrick's Cathedral26 km northeast
Big drawMuseumNational Museum of Ireland27 km northeast · 783K visitors a year
MuseumNational Library of Ireland27 km northeast
Historic houseLeinster House27 km northeast
National parkWicklow Mountains National Park19 km southeast
Big drawZooDublin Zoo26 km northeast · 1.3M visitors a year (2022)
CathedralChrist Church Cathedral26 km northeast
Garden · Office of Public WorksSaint Stephen's Green27 km northeast
Museum · Office of Public WorksKilmainham Gaol25 km northeast
Art galleryNational Gallery of Ireland27 km northeastPlaces well known beyond Blessington (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Office of Public Works or National Parks and Wildlife Service property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Know before you go to Blessington
What are the main attractions in Blessington?
The place to visit inside Blessington’s urban area is Downshire Gallery. In all, 1 place to visit is mapped inside the town, and 3 more within 5 km.
Does Blessington have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Blessington: Downshire Gallery.
Is there a Heritage Ireland (OPW) or national park property near Blessington?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Dublin Castle (Office of Public Works), 27 km northeast.
What are the best-known days out near Blessington?
Within 40 km: Dublin Castle (27 km), Glendalough (23 km), St Patrick's Cathedral (26 km), National Museum of Ireland (27 km).
How is this list made?
From Fáilte Ireland’s open data on attractions (museums, castles, historic houses, abbeys, gardens, national parks, landscapes, islands, zoos and visitor farms: restaurants, pubs, shops and tour operators are left out), OpenStreetMap (places open to visitors; a ruined castle on farmland needs a sign it can be visited) and Wikidata (what each place is, who looks after it, its Wikipedia articles), merged into one list and placed in the town’s CSO 2022 outline or within 5 km of its edge.
Places to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in each town’s CSO 2022 outline. Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (13)
- Russborough House and Parklands: Ramón, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Threecastles Castle: Hamish Bain, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glendalough: Schcambo at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Patrick's Cathedral: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Museum of Ireland: Photograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net )., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Library of Ireland: YvonneM, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Leinster House: Jean Housen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wicklow Mountains National Park: Joe King, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dublin Zoo: Harold Strong, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Christ Church Cathedral: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Saint Stephen's Green: Dronepicr (edited by King of Hearts ) Edit corrects CA and sharpens image, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kilmainham Gaol: Nol Aders, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Gallery of Ireland: Copyright © 2006 Kaihsu Tai, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
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).