Malahide Castle and Gardens

Malahide Castle is the best castle visit within easy reach of Dublin city, and an excellent half-day outing for families and couples. It stands in a large wooded demesne beside the seaside village of Malahide, about a twenty-five-minute drive or a short DART journey north of the centre. The remarkable thing about it is its continuity: the Talbot family arrived with the Anglo-Normans in the twelfth century, were granted the lands in 1185, and lived here, apart from a brief interruption under Cromwell, for around eight hundred years until the last of the family sold the estate to the state in the 1970s. The result is a house that grew organically over the centuries, from a medieval tower house to a comfortable country home with Georgian additions and those distinctive round corner turrets. Guided tours lead you through the principal rooms. The Oak Room, panelled in dark carved oak, is the oldest and most atmospheric, while the Great Hall, lined with family portraits, holds the castle's most poignant legend: on the morning of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, fourteen Talbot cousins are said to have breakfasted together here, and none returned. Guides also tell of the castle's ghosts, including Puck, a jester. Outside, the gardens are as much of a draw as the house. The Talbot Botanic Garden and the walled garden hold a fine collection of plants, many from the southern hemisphere, built up by the last Lord Talbot; the Butterfly House is filled with free-flying tropical butterflies; and the Fairy Trail and West Lawn give children space to run. The castle and gardens are open daily from morning to early evening, with free parking.

Planning your visit: allow at least two hours, and many visitors make a half or full day of it. Book castle tour times online in advance, especially in summer and at weekends, as tours run in small groups and fill up. A good order is to take an early tour of the castle, then spend the rest of the morning in the walled garden and Butterfly House, with lunch in the café and shop in the courtyard. Children will want time on the Fairy Trail and the playground in the surrounding park, which is free and popular with local families. In summer, big outdoor concerts are held on the grounds, which can affect access on show days, so check the calendar.

Getting there: the DART runs from Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse stations in the city to Malahide, about twenty-five minutes, and the castle is around ten minutes' walk from the village through the park. Dublin Bus routes 32 and 42 run from the city centre to the village, and route 102 runs from Dublin Airport, which is only about ten minutes away by car, making Malahide a good first or last stop on a trip. Drivers will find free on-site parking.

Making a day of it: Malahide village has a pretty main street, a marina and some of the best seafood restaurants and pubs on the north side of Dublin, and a coastal path runs along the estuary toward Portmarnock's long sandy beach. Combine the castle with Howth, on the same side of the bay, for a full day on the coast, or come back into the city for an evening in Temple Bar. Malahide is also a good base in its own right for travellers with a car or early flights. On a fine evening, the walk from the castle back through the park and along the estuary to the village, with the light on the water, is one of the gentlest pleasures of a Dublin trip.