An idyllic escape for locals and a must-see for visitors to Dublin, Malahide Castle and Gardens is a vast beautiful location, especially on a sunny afternoon! There is a fascinating history attached to this place, which was originally built by the Talbot family and remained their home for almost 800 years. This expansive demesne includes stunning walled gardens, walks, a playground and a tasty Avoca café, so you’re spoilt for choice.
I would highly recommend the castle tour which also provides access to the two walled-gardens – a picture says a thousand words so I’ll let them do the talking! The gardens are simply stunning at this time of year, bursting with colourful blooms. If you can manage it, aim for a mid week visit, there will be fewer tourists around and it feels like your very own secret garden 🙂 The entrance price for the gardens, including the castle tour is €12.50 per adult which I thought was reasonable and there is no time limit to your stay.
The castle itself is one of the oldest in Ireland and belonged to the Talbot family for most of it’s lifetime. The building is excellently maintained and our tour guide, “Bronwyn” provided an insightful entertaining account of the castle’s history since 1175, with a nicely timed 45-minute tour. My favourite item was the old one-eyed teddy bear in the upstairs bedroom, look out for him!
Another alluring aspect of the west lawn garden area is the remarkable trees, here are two of my favourites, the “Lebanese Cedar Tree” which has been keeping a watchful eye over the castle for the last 300 years! Along with the wise “Sessile Oak” – a native Irish tree which is a symbol of strength, it has the look of a fairy tree with unusual gnarled branches trailing down across the lawn.
If you’ve already completed the tour and visited the gardens, it is still a beautiful spot to return to for an afternoon stroll, run, catch up with friends or just pick a bench and people watch! And if you happen to be tempted into the Avoca café for some lunch or a coffee, nab a table overlooking the rose garden, if you’re lucky enough an inquisitive peacock might just join you! Plus if you don’t feel like splashing out – homemade picnics are all the rage!
Where do you love to escape to?………………………………………..
A coco travels 