Corkagh Park – Clondalkin's family park

Overview

Corkagh Park has a purpose-built road cycling track and a past louder than its quiet lawns let on. From 1716 to 1733 Nicholas Grueber ran gunpowder mills on the estate, and explosions were a hazard of the trade: one in 1787 was felt in Dublin city and flattened a mill building. Today it is open grass, woodland and water on the western edge of the city at Clondalkin, with the River Camac (Páirc Chorcaí takes its name from corcach, ‘marsh’) running through it. It opened to the public in 1986.

It is a working local park rather than a day-trip sight, busy with dog-walkers, anglers and families at weekends. If you have children, head for the playground; if you have a bike, the track is the draw. Entry is free.

What to do

The cycle track is a traffic-free road-cycling loop, the long-running project of Mick Lawless of the South Dublin Cycling Club. Check South Dublin County Council’s park page for track arrangements before planning a group ride or club training.

For families, the playground has separate areas for younger and older children. Elsewhere in the park the council’s page and signs show what else is on offer, from the lakes and sports pitches to the pet farm, fairy wood and rose garden that visitors have long associated with the park; check what is currently open before you set out, as these change. Fishing on the lakes is subject to the council’s own arrangements, so confirm these before you bring a rod. There is plenty of flat, open walking on marked trails.

The Park House Café and Hub, with its charred-timber walls and a six-metre wooden sculpture of birds and animals, has public toilets, an events space and somewhere to get a coffee. The council also lists a dog park near the Camac Valley car park.

History under the grass

The Finlay and Colley families held Corkagh Demesne from the 18th century until 1959, and the estate’s two big houses are gone – the last burned down in the late 1970s. Dublin County Council bought the land in 1983, and South Dublin County Council has run it since 1994. The most recent surprise came in 2023, when council archaeological work investigated a castle and moated site in the centre of the demesne, older by far than anything else above ground here. Little of either survives above ground.

Nature

The park’s trees, some 20,000 of them planted in the 1980s and 1990s, include ash, oak, lime, beech, walnut, cedar and chestnut. Kestrels nest in the grounds, and the protected pipistrelle bat and common frog are both present; hawfinch and great spotted woodpecker turn up occasionally for sharper-eyed visitors.

Getting there and practical notes

• By car: the park is just off the N7 at Clondalkin, with entrances on the Naas Road (R810) and the R136, among others. Check signs at the entrance you use.
• By public transport: use the TFI journey planner to check the nearest stop to your chosen entrance.
• On foot or by bike: the council provides walk recordings for the St John’s and Naas Road entrances. The Camac Greenway gives a traffic-free link to Clondalkin village and its round tower.
• Camping: the adjacent Camac Valley Caravan and Camping Park lies near the N7 entrance; check its own website for current details.

Car parks are a different matter from the park gates: some bays may close earlier than the park itself, so check the times on the signs at the entrance you use before you settle in for the afternoon.

Opening hours

The council lists a 10am opening, with seasonal closing times as below.