Ireland has an abundance of beautiful castles and ruins, symbols of a different era. Of course, there are so many castles that no one could possibly see them all. You need to prioritize. So, why not start discovering the Irish Castles with the very accessible Malahide Castle and its amazing gardens?
The castle stands in Malahide Demesne Regional Park, a huge green area North of Dublin City. It’s ideal for spending the day out with the family, or just to take a blanket and a book and enjoy a few hours of peace and quiet in these beautiful surroundings.
How to get there
Malahide village is about 30 minutes north of Dublin on the DART (local train), so it makes for an easy day or half-day trip from Dublin City. From any of the stations on the DART green line, take the train towards Malahide or Dundalk/Drogheda.
The cost for a return ticket is 6.25€ (unless you have a Leap card), and the journey to Malahide takes about 30 minutes from Dublin City Center.
From Malahide Station, take the stairs directly towards the path leading up to the Castle Visitor Center. It’s a 15-minutes easy walk from the train platform.
Alternatively, if you drive from Dublin, head to the Castle’s Main Park where you will find free parking.
Last but not least, you can choose a guided tour from Dublin. It’s a popular tour that will get you to Malahide Castle and Gardens and then to the picturesque Howth village.
About Malahide Castle and Gardens
For almost 800 years (yes, 800!), Malahide was the residence of the powerful Talbot family. They came here in 1185 when Richard Talbot received the land as a gift for his services from King Henry II.
The family extended and improved the initial fortress throughout the centuries to the castle we see today. The Talbots lived here with only a short 11-years interruption when they were cast away by Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers.
The last Talbot to live in Malahide, Lord Milo Talbot, had a passion for Botanics. His work allowed him to travel throughout the world, and he collected precious plants and flowers for the Gardens in Malahide. The result lies in the beautiful Walled Gardens we see today.
The property was sold to the Irish State in 1975 by Lord Milo’s surviving sister, Rose.
What to see in Malahide
The Malahide Castle Tour
You can only see the interior of Malahide Castle on a guided tour. You can book the time when you buy the tickets at the visitor center or book online the tickets and tours. For social distancing reasons, the tours presently accommodate a maximum of 20 people at one time.
If you visit with children, you should book the Magical Castle Tour which includes more storytelling that will keep the little ones engaged. All tours inside Malahide Castle last around 45 minutes.
What you’ll see on the Malahide Castle Tour
The tour includes some facts about life in a defensive castle. You will get to visit the Oak Room, a typical paneled public room where the Talbots would receive people and conduct their affairs. The drawing-rooms will introduce you to the life of the ladies of the house. Notice the sofas here, with an extra seat for the chaperon. She was always there to listen to every word spoken between a young lady and her suitor. Life wasn’t easy back then for a girl.
The castle displays a lot of the original furniture. I was impressed by the guide’s knowledge of every piece’s origin and sometimes cost.
Our guide, Susan, was very good at explaining both the Talbots and the castle’s history providing context on Ireland’s situation at the time. She also introduced us to the local ghosts and their habits. I’ll let you find out more about them on the tour, suffice to say that one of them is still out there looking for her next husband!
Please note that the Great Hall is currently (summer 2021) closed for renovations.
The tour ends with a visit to the private rooms at the upper level. It is interesting to notice how they used original, but older items to restore these rooms. They managed to display a period before the last Talbots residing in the castle.
The West Lawn and the Fairy Trail
The West Lawn of Malahide Castle and Gardens is home to some majestic trees and to the popular Fairy trail. This is also the part of the gardens where you can take some of the best photos of Malahide Castle.
The Fairy Trail takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete and the kids simply love it. At the visitor center, you can buy an interactive booklet to help with solving clues along the way.
The Walled Gardens of Malahide Castle
What first started as a vegetable garden for the castle’s kitchen, was completely transformed by Lord Milo’s passion for plants. He gathered them from his trips to Asia and Southern America and brought them home to Malahide Castle.
I loved the small Chicken Garden (a.k.a. the Secret Garden) and its tower. From the outside, it almost looks like a corner of Tuscany.
Don’t miss the Victorian House and make your way to the giant Eucalyptus tree at the end of the garden. The refreshing smell around the tree will surprise you.
You can also enjoy the rose garden, the carved-wood statues scattered around the gardens, as well as the small pond close to the tower.
The Butterfly House
As you pass through the visitor center to the Walled Gardens, you will come across a small glasshouse. The Butterfly House in Malahide is the only one in Ireland and is home to more than 20 butterfly species.
It’s fun for the whole family to discover the colorful butterflies here. One thing I learned about them is that they love their banana peels.
Tickets and opening hours for Malahide Castle and Gardens
The Visitor Center
At the visitor center of Malahide, you can buy tickets for both the castle and gardens, book guided tours of the castle, or buy a souvenir. There is also an Avoca store and café as well as facilities.
Tickets
Tickets to any of the castle tours (classic or storytelling tours) cost 14€ for an adult and 6.50€ for a child. All tours also include admission to the gardens, the fairy trails, and the butterfly house.
There is also a family ticket option, 2 adults+2 children at 40€.
If you will skip the castle tour, the ticket for the gardens, butterfly house, and fairy trail costs 8 € for an adult, 5.50€ for a child, or 24€ for the family ticket.
The tickets don’t include the Fairy trail interactive booklet. You can buy it from the visitor center and it costs an additional 2€.
Memberships
One thing I noticed in Ireland is that you can buy annual memberships at several attractions. Malahide Castle and Gardens is one of them and you can purchase unlimited entrance for a year for 60€. There’s a family option too at 95€ and it comes with a few other perks you can check out here.
Opening Hours at Malahide Castle and Gardens
Malahide Castle and the Gardens are open every day (except Christmas days) from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The last entry and castle tour is at 4:30 PM and earlier during the winter months.
If you want to explore everything and take the castle tour as well, you should reserve about 3 hours for Malahide Castle and Gardens. However, you can easily spend a full day in good weather if you bring a picnic.
Disclosure
I was gifted this tour to Malahide Castle and Gardens. However, there is nothing I would have written differently had I not been sponsored for this tour.
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Have you been to Malahide Castle? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
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What a beautiful castle and garden. The tradition of a chaperon listening into every conversation does not sound very romantic, glad it was abandoned.
It must have been awful! Thanks for stopping by, Stefan.
I love a good castle tour!
I love Malahide Castle. One of my fave places in Dublin and a great escape from the city. Glad you enjoyed it to. The town of Malahide is nice for a stroll in to, soaking up the harbour and the estuary.
Yes, I had a great day exploring the castle grounds and the village. Lovely place!