MALAHIDE CASTLE

Just 30 minutes from Dublin’s city centre and only 15 minutes from the Dublin Airport, you will find the stately Malahide Castle. King Henry II gifted the land on which the castle stands to Richard Talbot in 1185 for his services to the crown. From 1185 all the way up to the 1970s, this castle has been in the Talbot family (and although there was a brief interval between 1649 and 1660 when the land was taken by Cromwellian soldiers, the Talbot family regained hold of the castle!) In 1973 when the final Baron de Malahide passed away, his sister inherited the estate. As the taxes to own such a place are so great, she sold it to the Irish State in 1975. Since then, Malahide Castle has welcomed thousands of locals and international tourists alike each year.

CJ and I booked a guided tour of the castle, and it was so worth it. We visited on a Monday, and only had one other family on our tour with us. However, be warned that if you go on the weekend, your tour could have upwards of 50 people in attendance. Our tour guide told us tales of usurpers and wars where Talbot family members would fight and only one would return alive. Townspeople paying rent to the Talbot family in a special “rent room,” and cool origin stories of phrases like, “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” “saving face,” and “getting plastered.”

inside Malahide Castle looking out onto the lawn

After your tour of the castle, enjoy the surrounding gardens! There is the West Lawn, which consists of over 20 acres and a variety of rare trees, brought in by a Talbot who took an interest in the landscaping. If you have little ones with you, there is a Fairy Trail on the West Lawn, and it is as mystical and cute as it sounds! Then there is the Walled Garden, where we ran into a peacock, and there is also a Butterfly House (open during certain times of the year, so be sure to check the website)!

There is also a Visitor Centre (where you will start your journey and pick up your tickets), a very large Avoca store, and an Avoca café. Avoca, Ireland’s oldest weaving mill dating back to 1723 has since expanded into stores and cafés. At Malahide Castle in particular, the Avoca café overlooks the Walled Garden, which is where we sat and ate our lunch! We had sausage rolls and a variety of veggie sides, which were delicious.

just outside the walls of the Visitor Centre

Malahide Castle is full of rich familial history, intertwined with the history of Ireland itself. Make a trip out to the castle to see it up close and learn about it firsthand!

24 HOURS IN DUBLIN