Perfect park for walking/cycling any time of the year, specially during summer time!…read more Sometimes I think it is not well-kept by the city council - some parts of it really deserve some attention... but the place looks lovely anyway. If you start from the Booterstown station you can have a view of Howth. There is a Martelo tower on the way to Blackrock. There's a lovely small lake with a little house in the middle. A flock of swans are always around. On summer days bring a book and enjoy yourself a little. A walk for Sandymount to Blackrock is about one hour and the view is just lovely all the way.

Blackrock Park is a space of sloping greenery and water overlooked by the DART-line. It's home to…read morea flock of swans (nastier than they look!) and an island in the middle of its small lake. The fountain which sprouts from the lake is known as the 'Peace Fountain' and was constructed in 1986 to mark the International Year for Peace. Has to be said though - the park itself is a little on the dilapidated side. The Blackrock area boasts a number of large offices blocks so you'll often see suited ladies and gents taking a break at lunchtime and enjoying the tranquillity of the park. You can peer at them as you whizz by next time on the DART. History buffs may be interested to know that Rock Road, which runs alongside the park, is said to be one of the oldest roads in the country. Apparently it was part of the ancient Slighe Chualann which was constructed by a King's order several centuries before St. Patrick!

St Stephens Green playground is a well maintained large playground with equipment for both smaller…read morekids and a separate playground equipment setup for the older kids. I think this is probably the 2nd best playground in central Dublin behind Herbert park. The ground is padded with the newly standard rubber playground material to keep the playground safe. There are multiple swing areas, again one for the younger kids and a separate set for older kids at the other side of the park. There are multiple sides and plenty of rope areas to climb up. This playground does get quite crowded and unfortunately at times, way too crowded. I think the reason may be the lack of other well maintained play areas around the city. Herbert park is great, but a little bit far from my location in central Dublin. Merrion Square has a playground and I generally will spend most of my time here, however it is definitely not as well maintained and could use a decent refurbishment. It may reduce some of the crowding here to have a few more well maintained play areas around central Dublin.

Great playground in a lovely park. It is totally enclosed, the parents are all attentive to their…read morechildren, and there are structures appropriate from age 1 to age 10. It is great to find a park that is safe yet challenging for kids in different age sets.

We visited this place by accident really few months ago. Wasn't sure but was ok. You have to take…read moreoff shoes outside which is good concise ring all little crawlers around but you still think that during the evenings it's pub open here so hopefully floor is clean on regular bass. Good spot for kids on raining days good range of toys to keep them busy when having coffee

I don't understand how people can give parks less than 5 stars - I mean c'mon - it's a space a city…read morehas turned into a chill spot for everyone and anyone. I walked here all the way from the hotel I was staying at - Hotel Clayton. The walk was quite nice, the park is located near some quaint neighborhoods. There are several entrances to the park so it isn't hard to miss. The park goes across streets so you have to cross certain parts of the park in order to fully see the WHOLE PARK. They have a bunch of flower beds that are really pretty as you walk thru the park. There is a little pond area where swans populate - I saw a couple people feeding them but I now know that isn't the best thing. So just FYI; it doesn't help them if you feed them. Even during a weekday - the park had a lot more people than I thought it would. And it was a gloomy day too - but let's face it - it's Ireland, it's gloomy sometime during the day everyday. lol. All in all - a great park!

Summer nights require playing ball in the park…read more Sunday there was some local kids playing a match on one of the pitches, it made me all nostalgic. Still a fan of the all weather courts chiefly because the space is surrounded by fencing so I don't have to run after any stray shots... I'm not the Maradona I once was... Ah age is a cruel thing as is copious amounts of beer over the years.

What a lovely spot. Walking past on a clear winter's morning, it's a strange sight to see: a…read morechildren's playground surrounding the remains of a deconsecrated church. The tower is all that is left but there's a plaque outlining its history. The playground is divided into three areas for children of different ages and seems very well maintained. What a great use of historical land in an inner city neighbourhood.

Carrying on from Ellen O's lunch theme in the talk threads, I was inspired to write this review…read more Ellen is looking for healthy packed lunch suggestions and I am looking for cheaper dining suggestions! I don't know about you lads but the cost of living in this country coupled with additional salary taxes makes budgeting a monthly juggling act. To counter it instead of buying my lunch, I make my lunch and I try to go here to eat it if the weather is permitting. I love the safe atmosphere of the spot. Nestled behind the fruit and flower markets. A modern playground very well maintained with benches scattered around. I get a kick out of seeing the diverse nationalities with their kids and the range of languages. Dublin 7 can be fairly dodgy in areas in no small park to the junkies but this is a safe oasis. You ever see a Mammy turn into a tiger if her kid is in danger? Yeah so I always feel safe here and it has a lovely innocent, happy colourful vibe in an area that always seems grey.

The Park in Ringsend is a nice wee spot to go for a run, walk the dog or child or for the various…read moresporting endeavours they cater for - there are a variety of pitches and courts open to the public but lord alone knows how you book them, I'm sure its not rocket science but on a quick inspection I couldn't see any way of doing so! The park is really nicely maintained, the flower beds neatly tended the gardens/ greens cut and trimmed. I guess my big mistake was taking my son with me when my sole purpose was to have a look around and write a review, we passed the playground with its myriad of swings, slides, monkey bars, spinning discs and stuff I never thought I see outside a torture dungeon, it looked truly terrifying. Gilles (oh he in the push chair) had an entirely different view of how the evening was about to proceed. an awesome battle of wills ensued.... ....later, after we had finished on the swings I took pics of the park, the opening times and the flower beds, all jolly nice. If I was to crib and you know I'm going to, I'd say the play area was not as clean as I'd like, a lot of chewing gum everywhere, but I guess its hard to keep these places as spick and span as picky fathers would like!

Extremely underrated space. I prefer coming here on weekends because Stephen's Green is very…read morecrowded and all I'm looking for is some peace and quiet. They have a sufficiently large playing area if you enjoy game of tennis or baseball but what I really love about this park are trees. Sitting under one of them on a sunny day curled up with a nice book watching dogs and people play is very entertaining.

It would be easy to be a bit cruel about the ark, it feels a bit basic and the staff are mostly the…read morearty type who are overly zealous proponents of "worthy" pursuits and they dress funny. The above is probably all true too... but that is not the point of the ark. For a start, I'm not the target audience; it doesn't cover the ethos of the place as a whole nor indeed does it even scratch the surface of the imagination, hard work, dedication and creativity of the staff. They seem to be able to tap into those parts of a child's brain that brings out the creative and possibly undoes some of the damage caused by too much spongebob. Brilliant place, I love it.

This is a wonderful place to inspire young children mostly interested in the arts…read more It boosts an indoor and also an outdoor theatre, gallery and workshop. The programmes are apparantly organised by children-and obviously for children. But trust me, you might doubt that once you've seen their work. A very educational centre definately worth visiting for the kids.

Built for the local kids this is a great resource right in the middle of the city centre. Yes, it…read moremay be a bit small and the wrong shape but it's immaculately kept and placed exactly where it needs to be. A small victory for the Housing and residential services department, well done.

I live in the buildings directly behind this football pitch. I've played here several times but…read moreit's dangerous and it' s noisy; however there is a simple fix.The pitch is surrounded by tall metal fencing which has been the source of several injuries I've seen. Of course in football there tends to be a little bit of pushing and shoving and I know it is a far from a pleasant experience to go crashing into the side of this pitch let alone from an accidental slip, a slide or just simply going for the ball. Not only this but every time the ball hits the side it makes an extremely loud, obnoxious "BANG" as a ball hitting any metal surface would. Every time I play there I cringe every time it happens because I know how well it can be heard inside the apartments. It is like playing in an over-sized cage. The simple fix is to put padding like what currently surrounds just the goal all around the pitch. It is actually one of the few small pitches I've seen that doesn't already have this. There should have been some more thought put into this pitch especially considering it's location right in the middle of Dublin City Centre. I won't be playing here again any time soon, at least not until these problems are addressed.

A very scenic and peaceful park, located close to UCD and Mount Anville. Climb the hill to enter…read morethe gates, and take a walk around, escaping the noise of the traffic outside or attempt the exercise points located in the park (there are bars for pushups, pullups etc.). This park is a favourite of both old and young, because of its unspoiled beauty and wide open spaces. Many joggers use this park, and there is a cycle track running throughout. A lovely green area in the heart of dublin.