Malahide Castle is situated in the coastal town of Malahide, County Dublin. The Castle is 3 stories high and dates back to the 12th century. It was owned by the Talbots for 791 years until it was purchased by Dublin County Council in 1975.

Guided tours run every 15 minutes or so. A guide will lead you to the starting point of the tour and then you can make your own way with the help of audio commentary. The tour lasts about half an hour and during this time you'll see original furnishings and paintings owned by the Talbots.

Opening times…

January to December: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm.
April to September: Sunday & public holidays 10am to 6pm.
October - March: Sunday & public holidays 11am to 5pm.
Closed for tours 12.45pm to 2pm.
The restaurant remains open during lunch.

Charges…

Adults: 7.25 Euro.
With concession: 6.10 Euro
Children (under 12): 4.55 Euro
Family: 21.00 Euro

You could really spend a whole day here. As well as the castle there are plenty other attractions on site.

Fry Model Railway: Railway engineer and draughtsman, Cyril Fry, originally started the collection in the 1920's and 1930's. You'll see models of the earliest trains through to present day examples. The attention to detail is just something else. Please note, as with Malahide Castle, you can only view the exhibitions at certain times. However, prior to entering, you'll have the opportunity to see some fine examples of railway memorabilia in the waiting area.

Tara's Palace and Childhood Museum: This attraction could be billed as "one big doll's house"! Created by Ron and Doreen Mc Donnell in 1980, the hard work and dedication put into this attraction really has to be seen. As with the Fry Model Railway the attention to detail is very prominent here.

The Talbot Botanic Gardens: Created by Lord Milo Talbot during the period 1948 to 1973, the gardens comprise of a vast area of shrubbery and include a walled garden. Lord Talbot himself actually collected many of the plants seen here in the gardens today. Plant lovers will note a strong emphasis on plants from the Southern Hemisphere, and will also be suitably impressed by the wide variety of plant life on show, for example, Olearia, Azara, Escallonia, Pittosporum, Syringa as well as many more species.

For a bite to eat there's the Malahide Castle Restaurant and Tearooms. You can choose from a variety of meals, snacks, desserts and refreshments. You can also stop by the craft shop for a souvenir, Celtic jewellery, confectionary, books, etc.

Malahide Castle has also been the setting for a few rock Concerts this year. Radiohead and Eric Clapton have already played here and Neil Young is due to take to the stage on the 29th of June.

Private functions can be booked for The Great Hall, which has been the Banqueting Room since 1475. Enjoy that "Olde Worlde" atmosphere with the resident String Quartet, playing from the Minstrels Gallery.

How to get here…

By bus: Bus 42 from city centre.
By train: Suburban rail and DART from Connolly Station to Malahide.