Malahide Castle (Irish : Caisleán Mhullach Íde), parts of which date to the 12th century, lies close to the village of Malahide, nine miles (14 km) north of central Dublin in Ireland. It has over 260 acres (1.1 km2) of remaining parkland estate, forming the Malahide Demesne Regional Park.
The estate began in 1185, when Richard Talbot, a knight who accompanied Henry II to Ireland in 1174, was granted the "lands and harbour of Malahide." The oldest parts of the castle date back to the 12th century and it was home to the Talbot family for 791 years, from 1185 until 1976, the only exception being the period from 1649 to 1660, when Oliver Cromwell granted it to Miles Corbet after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland; Corbet was hanged following the demise of Cromwell, and the castle was restored to the Talbots. The building was notably enlarged in the reign of Edward IV, with towers added in 1765.[ citation needed ]
The estate survived such losses as the Battle of the Boyne, when fourteen members of the owner's family sat down to breakfast in the Great Hall, and all were dead by evening, and the Penal Laws, even though the family remained Roman Catholic until 1774.[ citation needed ]
In 1918 during the First World War a mooring-out base for airships was established in the grounds of the castle, used by airships from RNAS Anglesey in Wales which conducted anti-submarine operations in the Irish Sea. There were plans to base airships here from 1919, but these were abandoned at the end of the war. [1]
In the 1920s the private papers of James Boswell were discovered in the castle and sold to American collector Ralph H. Isham by Boswell's great-great-grandson Lord Talbot de Malahide. The papers have since passed to Yale University, which has published popular and scholarly editions of his journals and correspondence. A second cache was discovered soon after and also purchased by Isham.[ citation needed ]
Malahide Castle and its demesne was eventually inherited by the 7th Baron Talbot who had wanted to donate it to the state. On his death in 1973, the castle passed to his sister, Rose who had lived there as a caretaker in the 1950s. She had death duties to pay, and the government would not accept valuables, so they had to be sold. In 1975, Rose ceded the castle to the Irish State, with regret to fund the outstanding inheritance taxes. Many of the contents, notably furnishings, which had been sold, had caused some controversy. Private and governmental parties were able to retrieve some back from the purchasers. [2]
The castle, along with its subsidiary attractions, was for many years operated as a tourist attraction by Dublin Tourism, working with Fingal County Council, which owns the whole demesne. The operating partner is now Shannon Heritage, which has in turn appointed subsidiary partners, most notably, for shop and café facilities, Avoca Handweavers.
The castle itself can be visited for a fee, on a guided-tour-only basis. In addition, it is possible to hire the famously Gothic Great Hall for private banquets. The castle's best-known rooms are the Oak Room, and the Great Hall, which displays Talbot family history. In the courtyard behind the castle are a café and craft shop, and other retail facilities.
The Talbot Botanic Gardens, situated behind the castle, comprising several hectares of plants and lawns, a walled garden of 1.6 hectares and seven glasshouses, including a Victorian conservatory. Many plants from the southern hemisphere, notably Chile and Australia, are featured. The gardens showcase the plant collecting passion of the 7th Lord Talbot de Malahide in the mid 20th Century.
The demesne is one of few surviving examples of 18th century landscaped parks and has wide lawns surrounded by a protective belt of trees. It can be visited freely, with a number of entrances and car parking areas.
In addition to woodland walks, and a marked "exercise trail," the park features sports grounds, including a cricket pitch and several football pitches, a 9-hole par-3 golf course, an 18-hole pitch-and-putt course, tennis courts and a boules area.
Adjacent to the golfing facilities, and containing the access to them, is a pavilion which also contains a café and other facilities.
There is an extensive children's playground near the castle.
A seasonal road train operates in a loop from the vicinity of the castle to the railway station and back. A Malahide castle and coastal tour bus begins its journeys in Malahide Castle and continues to Howth, with two daily departures. [3]
Two major exhibits were required to move away from the demesne in 2010–2011, as the park was prepared for a relaunch under new management. One has since reopened, the other is pending:
The cricket venue is located in the Lady Acre field and is home to Malahide Cricket Club. It also attracts international fixtures with teams such as Australia, England and Pakistan. [8] In September 2013 using temporary grandstands and hospitality pavilions over 10,000 spectators were accommodated, a record for the Island of Ireland. [9]
The main entrance to the demesne is off the Malahide Road, with access also possible from Malahide village. Dublin Bus route numbers 42, 102 and 142 lie along one side of the park, and Malahide Railway Station is near the castle end of the park.
The grounds at Malahide Castle were opened as a new concert venue by Fingal County Council in summer 2007, with concerts by Arctic Monkeys, Pink, Joe Cocker, Al Green and Bell X1 amongst others. In 2008 performers included Neil Young, [10] [11] Radiohead, [12] and Eric Clapton. [13] Prince performed at the Castle on 30 July 2011.
In the summer of 2017 two more bands played at the venue, with a capacity of 20,000 people. The band Arcade Fire brought their 'Everything Now' tour to the venue. [14] The next day, The 1975 performed. [15]
More artists played the grounds in June 2018, including Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Liam Gallagher, Gorillaz, Kodaline, and LCD soundsystem. [16]
June 2019 saw more artists perform in the venue, over a longer period of time compared to previous years. Snow Patrol were followed by The Cure the following day, and Mumford & Sons performed on both the Friday and Saturday of the second weekend, with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds playing on Sunday. George Ezra performed on the Friday of the third and final weekend, with Lana Del Rey playing on the Saturday. [17] In June 2023, Depeche Mode concert is taking place in this venue.
The grounds of the castle was to have been the base camp of the 16th World Scout Moot, to be hosted by Scouting Ireland in July and August 2021. [18] [19] The event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [20]
Swords, the county town of Fingal, is a large suburban town on the east coast of Ireland, situated ten kilometres north of Dublin city centre. The town was reputedly founded c. AD 560. Located on the Ward River, Swords features Swords Castle, a restored medieval castle, a holy well from which it takes its name, a round tower and a Norman tower. Facilities in the area include the Pavilions shopping centre, one of the largest in the Dublin region, a range of civic offices, some light industries, the main storage facility and archive of the National Museum of Ireland and several parks. Dublin Airport is located nearby.
Malahide is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, situated 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of over 17,000.
Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of the 7th Earl of Rosse and his family, and as such the residential areas of the castle are not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the demesne are publicly accessible, and include a science museum and a café, a reflecting telescope which was the largest in the world for decades and a modern radio telescope.
Sutton is a residential suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It occupies the tombolo which links Howth Head to the mainland, some of the lower slopes of Howth Hill, and a little of the adjacent coasts. The area lies within the jurisdiction of Fingal County Council. There is a small commercial core at the Sutton Cross road intersection.
Enniskerry is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 1,889 at the 2016 census.
Carton House is a country house and surrounding demesne that was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster for over 700 years. Located 23 km west of Dublin, in Maynooth, County Kildare, the Carton Demesne is a 1,100 acres estate, from an original estate of 70 000 acres. For two hundred years, the Carton Demesne was the finest example in Ireland of a Georgian-created parkland landscape. In the 2000s, much of the demesne was redeveloped into two golf courses and the house into a hotel complex.
Marlay Park is an 86 hectares suburban public park located in Rathfarnham in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. Lying about nine kilometres from Dublin city centre, the parkland comprises woodlands, ponds and walks. Recreational spaces include a nine-hole, par-three golf course, tennis courts, six soccer pitches, five GAA pitches, a cricket pitch,a dog park, two children's playgrounds and a miniature railway run by the Dublin Society of Model and Experimental Engineers. There is also a craft courtyard with home craft shops and a coffee shop.
Castle Avenue Cricket Ground, also known as Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, is a cricket ground in the suburb of Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. It is one of two grounds of Clontarf Cricket Club, the other being at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, and is also home to two rugby union pitches belonging to Clontarf FC. The ground is one of only three One Day International grounds on the island of Ireland.
Kildangan is a village in County Kildare in Ireland.
Castle Saunderson is a castle near Belturbet in County Cavan, Ireland. It was the former family seat of the Saunderson family, and is now in ruins. The Finn River flows along the north-eastern edge of the Castle Saunderson Demesne, where the river enters a narrow channel of Upper Lough Erne. The castle is about a half a mile west from Wattlebridge, a small hamlet in the south-south-east of County Fermanagh.
Malahide RFC is an Irish rugby club based in Malahide, Fingal County, playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League. The club was founded in 1922 but disbanded in 1944 because of a lack of members during World War II. The club was reformed in 1978 and in 2006 the club moved into its new grounds on Estuary Road. The club colours are black and amber, the same colours as Malahide Cricket Club and Malahide Yacht Club.
Malahide Cricket Club was founded in 1861 and is situated within Malahide Castle demesne, near the railway station. The club has over 400 members and is open all year round. The club currently fields 20 teams.
The R106 road is a regional road in north Dublin, Ireland. It runs from Sutton, passing Baldoyle, Portmarnock and Malahide before finishing in Swords.
Milo John Reginald Talbot, 7th Baron Talbot of Malahide, was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, British diplomat, and accomplished Irish botanist and horticulturist.
Malahide Cricket Club Ground or The Village is a cricket ground in Malahide, Ireland situated in the Lady Acre field of Malahide Castle grounds. The ground is owned by the Malahide Cricket Club. The ground has been developed to a capacity of 11,500 making it Ireland's biggest cricket venue and officially opened for international cricket in 2013. In November 2017, it was confirmed as the venue for Ireland's first Test match, when they played Pakistan in May 2018.
The Casino Model Railway Museum at Malahide, Ireland is the display home for the Fry Model Collection in the refurbished Casino cottage building in central Malahide. It opened to the public on 22 January 2020.
| External 3D model | |
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 3D model of Malahide Castle (linked at Sketchfab). |
Coordinates: 53°26′41″N6°9′54″W / 53.44472°N 6.16500°W
