Blanchardstown combines major swimming facilities with park paths and a cultural programme. This gives you a choice of different priorities when planning your trip: swimming pools and a water park, the Sport Ireland Campus, green spaces or theatre. What suits your stay depends on which activities you want to focus on.

Swimming and AquaZone

The Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre has two distinctly different pools. The diving pool is an international FINA-standard pool measuring 25 × 16.5 metres, with a maximum depth of 5 metres and a movable floor. The diving facilities are set at heights of 1, 3, 5 and 10 metres. Alongside it is an internationally standard-compliant swimming pool with 10 lanes and dimensions of 50 × 25 metres. Two movable pool floors allow it to be reconfigured for other uses. The details make the different formats clear: on one side are lanes and a large swimming pool; on the other, a dedicated diving pool with diving facilities.

AquaZone, an indoor water park with eight slides, rides and other experiences for all ages, is located in the same centre. This offers something different from the focus on pool dimensions and lanes. Facility details may change, so check the latest information before visiting.

Sports facilities and green spaces

The Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown covers 500 acres and is dedicated to a wide range of sporting activities. The grounds have bicycle stands and repair stations, including at the entrances to the Sport Ireland National Aquatics Centre and the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena. Facilities may change; if you plan to use these stations, check the latest campus information as needed.

Another option is Millennium Park, a 24.4-hectare site right next to Blanchardstown Town Centre. Tree-lined paths lead to meadows, woodland and walled gardens; there is also a playground. This means you can choose between sports facilities and paths through different areas of the park. As park features may change as the site develops, it is worth checking the latest park notices before visiting.

Cultural programme and planning your visit

Draíocht Arts Centre in Blanchardstown offers a varied programme for families and young people, including family drama, pantomimes and musicals. Individual programmes change, so check current performances if you have a particular date in mind. Together with the sports and parks on offer, the arts centre provides another way to tailor your stay to your interests.

For travel from the city centre, bus routes 38 and 38A run from O’Connell Street and Hawkins Street to Snugborough Road in Blanchardstown. Bus routes and stops may change, so check current transport information before travelling. This lets you match your journey with the kind of visit you have in mind, without limiting your plans to a single facility or activity.

More landscapes in County Fingal

The wider destination of County Fingal also offers coastal landscapes. The coastline runs from Sutton to Balbriggan; its length is given as 88 kilometres, depending on the measurement method used. It includes three protected estuaries, salt marshes and 13 major beaches. Velvet Strand in Portmarnock is a five-kilometre-long sandy beach. Balcarrick Beach in Donabate stretches for 3.4 kilometres and features sand, dunes and rock pools. Another landscape option is the Howth Cliff Path, with four circular routes between 6 and 10 kilometres; the cliff paths offer views of Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island. These examples add distinctive coastal and cliff scenery to your exploration of County Fingal.

County Fingal also has a cultural history to explore: Skerries Mills is a restored complex featuring two windmills, a watermill and a 19th-century bakery. On guided tours, visitors can grind flour traditionally using a millstone and see the waterwheel in action. Tour arrangements may change, so check current tour availability before making this a firm part of your plans.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Gormanston, Donabate, Portmarnock, Sutton, Na Sceirí, Garristown, Santry, Tyrrelstown.

Back to the main travel guide: County Fingal.