Dating back to a house built around 1700, Bushy Park is a large suburban park in Terenure on the south side of Dublin, covering some twenty hectares of woodland, ponds and playing fields. The original residence, first known as Bushe's House after its builder Arthur Bushe, was renamed Bushy Park by a later owner in 1772, possibly after the royal park of the same name in London. The estate grew when Abraham Wilkinson added almost forty hectares in 1791 and gave the property as a dowry when his daughter Maria married Sir Robert Shaw in 1796. The Shaw family, distant relatives of the playwright George Bernard Shaw, remained connected with Bushy Park until 1953, when the house and grounds were sold to Dublin Corporation. The River Dodder runs alongside the park within the Dodder Valley linear parkland, and the high rear wall has several access points to the riverside walk, one of the most pleasant in this part of the city. The park's mature trees, ornamental ponds and the well-known Dodder Walk give it a settled, established character. For local residents the park is a busy recreational hub, with Gaelic football pitches, tennis and padel courts, a boules area, a duck pond, a skatepark and a children's playground. It draws walkers, joggers and dog owners throughout the day and serves the neighbouring suburbs of Terenure, Rathfarnham and Templeogue. Across the road stands Terenure College, while the Georgian Bushy Park House and part of the grounds passed to a religious order in the 1950s before the council later reacquired a portion of the woodland. Quiet, leafy and a little off the tourist trail, the park offers visitors a glimpse of everyday Dublin life away from the city-centre sights. The park is open daily and free to enter, with several gates around its perimeter and parking nearby, and it is reachable from the city by bus to Terenure village a short walk away. Its combination of sports facilities, riverside walks and quiet woodland makes it popular with families, dog walkers and clubs throughout the year, and seasonal events and a weekend market have at times added to the draw. While it rarely features on tourist itineraries, Bushy Park offers a pleasant glimpse of residential Dublin and the green corridor of the Dodder valley, an easy detour for anyone wanting to see the city beyond its central landmarks.

Type: Outdoors

Address: 1 Bushy Park Road, Dublin, Ireland

Website: https://www.dublincity.ie