Free public park around the castle, open daily from 10am (closing 7pm in April and October, 5pm November to January, later in summer); main car park off Rathfarnham Road, a second entrance off Castleside Drive and pedestrian gates from Grange Road, Rathfarnham Wood and the Castleside estate. Woodland paths, lawns, two ponds and two playgrounds. Dogs: Dogs allowed on a leash under South Dublin County Council's parks bye-laws; not inside the castle.
About
Rathfarnham Castle is an Elizabethan fortified house in south Dublin, built in the 1580s for Adam Loftus, a Yorkshire clergyman who rose to be Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Its four angled flanker towers and musket loops made it defensible, yet it was radically modern for its time, and in the late eighteenth century the Loftus family had it remodelled on a splendid scale by Sir William Chambers and James Athenian Stuart, whose Gilt Room ceiling, Long Gallery and ballroom survive. The collection includes portraits by Angelica Kauffman, Sir Peter Lely and Hugh Douglas Hamilton, and the castle now hosts changing exhibitions and cultural events, with guided tours and a tea room. Around it, South Dublin County Council's free Rathfarnham Castle Park offers woodland walks, ponds and two playgrounds where dogs may go on a lead. In winter the castle opens Wednesday to Sunday only, and entry is free to everyone on the first Wednesday of the month.
ClosedPick a day for times and prices
Notice: There is currently no phone/internet connectivity in Rathfarnham Castle. We apologise for any inconvenience
- Until 22 Dec
- Wed–Sun 10:30–17:00
- 23–29 Dec
- Closed
- From 30 Dec
- Wed–Sun 10:30–17:00
Today, Saturday 24 October
- Rathfarnham Castle10:30 – 17:00
Prices, non-members
- Adult€5.00
- Concession€4.00
- Child€3.00
- Family€13.00
Opening times may change at short notice.
From October to April the castle opens Wednesday to Sunday and bank holiday Mondays, 10.30am to 5pm, last admission 4.15pm; from May to September daily 9.30am to 5.30pm, last admission 4.45pm; closed 23 to 27 December inclusive. Guided tours are available and group tours must be booked by phone or email. Free admission for everyone on the first Wednesday of each month, first come first served. The council park around the castle opens daily from 10am, closing at 7pm in October, 5pm in November to January and later through the summer.
OPW notes that the castle currently has no phone or internet connection, so the published number may not answer. Wheelchair ramps give full access to the tea room and the castle, with a lift inside, accessible toilets and designated parking; baby changing, bicycle parking and a cafe on site; no shop listed.
Dogs: Pet dogs on a lead may use the free council park around the castle but are not admitted inside the castle, where only assistance dogs are allowed. Dogs on a leash may walk the paths, woodland and pond areas of Rathfarnham Castle Park during park hours; whether they may enter the playgrounds is not confirmed.
Photo: Rathfarnham Castle's whitewashed Elizabethan house with its square corner towers and a rounded Georgian bay, and the low courtyard range to the left, under a broken blue sky. PaulT, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IRL_Dublin_Rathfarnham_Castle_01.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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