Facilities

This a an easy parkrun to get to by public transport with buses and trains available to Malahide. There is a large car park near the start line also. Toilets are available about a five minute walk from the start line, but there are no changing facilities.

Course

The shape of this course is a little difficult to describe, but it is effectively one small loop followed by a larger loop. It’s easy to find your way around, not least because of the volume of people that take part in this run, but there are also permanent signposts for each turn along the run. The surface is a mixture between paved surfaces and tightly packed gravel, and the course is fairly flat, though there is a noticeable climb for the last few hundred metres. Despite this small climb I would recommend this course for a PB attempt because it is mostly flat, but also because of the large numbers of people that run here it is easy to find a running mate to push you along. The park surroundings are very beautiful, with tree lined avenues, open fields, ancient ruins, decorative houses, and of course the castle.

Coffee

There is a cafe about a five minute walk from the finish line which serves a delicious breakfast and parkrunners get a 10% discount. Beware, however, that a little patience may be required as the cafe gets through the large numbers that go there after parkrun.

X Factor

This event holds a very special place in the Irish parkrun community because it was the first parkrun in Ireland. The fact that it is still going is testament to the enduring strength of parkrun as an idea.