Today, there are six National Parks in Ireland - from the oldest in Killarney to the northernmost in Glenveigh, from the Wicklow Mountains to the Mayo boglands.
The term "National Park" is used according to the definition of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, denoting areas with ecosystems not materially altered by humans, where flora, fauna, geomorphological sites or habitats are of special interest or exceptional beauty. It also entails a government effort to prevent exploitation or occupation, at the same time allowing visitors to enter.
And enter you may ... at these six National Parks, all of which are free to visit and easily accessible:
Ballycroy National Park - County Mayo
Ballycroy National Park was established in November 1998 and is Ireland's youngest National Park. Situated in northwest Mayo, it has 11,000 hectares of Atlantic blanket bog and mountainous terrain. Slieve Carr, the highest mountain in the area, peaks at 721 metres above sea level. Owenduff bog, one of the few remaining intact and active blanket bog systems in Europe, is a highlight of the Ballycroy National Park.
Find out more about the Ballycroy National Park ...
Burren National Park - County Clare
The Burren National Park can be found in the southeastern corner of the vast Burren, it is approximately 1,500 hectares in size and was bought by the Irish government for both nature conservation and public access. All the major habitats found within the Burren are also present in the Burren National Park - the moonscape that is the limestone pavement, calcareous grassland, hazel scrub, woodlands, turloughs (seasonal lakes) and fen areas. Highest point in the park is Knockanes at 207 metres.
Find out more about the Burren National Park ...
Connemara National Park - County Galway
Connemara National Park in County Galway, opened in 1980, is an archetypical "Irish" landscape, nearly three thousand hectares of scenic mountainside, bogs, heathlands, grasslands and woodlands. Mountains in the Connemara National Park are part of the "Twelve Bens". A large part of the Connemara National Park used to be part of the Kylemore Abbey Estate and the Letterfrack Industrial School, but the lands are today owned by the State and set aside solely for National Park purposes.
Find out more about the Connemara National Park ...
Glenveagh National Park - County Donegal
Want to get away from it all? Here is your chance: Glenveagh National Park nestles in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains, in the rugged-yet-beautiful north-west of County Donegal. The more than 16,000 hectares of the Glenveagh National Park contain the former Glenveagh Estate, the quartzite hills around Crocknafarragh and the peatlands of Lough Barra bog. You can also visit Glenveagh Castle, built between in 1867 and 1873 as the nucleus of a planned hunting estate.
Find out more about the Glenveagh National Park ...
Killarney National Park - County Kerry
Maybe Ireland's best-known and most-loved national park, the Killarney National Park lies just south and west of Killarney Town and comprises woodlands at the foot of the McGillycuddy's Reeks (the highest mountains in Ireland ) and the famous Lakes of Killarney. More than 10,000 hectares of lands are part of the Killarney National Park, the earliest parts coming into state ownership in 1934 as the Bourn Vincent Memorial Park. Muckross House and Gardens as well as the traditional farm at Muckross form part of the Killarney National Park.
Find out more about the Killarney National Park ...
Wicklow Mountains National Park - County Wicklow
The Wicklow Mountains National Park comprises more than 20,000 hectares of upland mountain scenery right on Dublin's doorstep - making it extremely popular with weekend visitors and day-trippers from the capital. To get the best from the Wicklow Mountains National Park, you should really come during the week and outside the holiday season. The Wicklow Mountains National Park was established in 1991 with a core area around Glendalough. In many areas of the park traditional communal land-use rights still exist, including grazing as well as turf and wood collection. So you may see locals actually exercising these rights in the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
Find out more about the Wicklow Mountains National Park ...
