Last updated: August 2026
Emerald Park is not a thrill seeker’s paradise, and it will not satisfy a craving for intricate theming or detailed dark rides but it is still more than worth a visit.
That is my honest verdict after a full day at Ireland’s only theme park. I would not tell you to fly to Ireland purely for this park. But if you live in England or elsewhere in Europe and fancy a genuinely beautiful holiday with a theme park attached, Ireland is a great option, and Emerald Park offers a very enjoyable day out within that trip.
Here is everything I made of the place, and everything you need to plan a visit.
What Emerald Park actually is
Emerald Park sits in Kilbrew, near Ashbourne in County Meath, about 25km northwest of Dublin and just over thirty minutes by car. It combines more than 20 rides and attractions with a full zoo on one 22-hectare site, and it is the only major theme park in Ireland.
It opened in November 2010 as Tayto Park, the idea of Irish entrepreneur Ray Coyle, the potato farmer who founded Largo Foods and bought the Tayto crisp brand in 2006. Coyle invested 8.5 million euros into turning County Meath farmland into a theme park.
In its early years the park was mostly zoo and playgrounds. Rides arrived slowly: a pony trek and an SBF Frisbee in 2014, then the park’s first roller coaster in 2015, and the Viking Voyage log flume in 2017.
In February 2022 the park announced it would rebrand after Tayto Snacks chose not to renew its sponsorship, and on 1 January 2023 it became Emerald Park, a nod to Ireland’s nickname of the Emerald Isle. That rebrand brought fresh investment, and the results opened the following year.
The rides
The Cú Chulainn Coaster
Still the best ride in the park and the number one must-do. Built by The Gravity Group and opened in 2015, this 32-metre wooden coaster became the park’s flagship ride the day it opened and has not been displaced since.
Tír na nÓg
The park’s first properly themed land opened on 22 May 2024, built around Celtic mythology at a cost of 22 million euros. It contains two intertwining Vekoma coasters: Na Fianna Force, a suspended thrill coaster running 750m with three inversions at up to 90km/h, and The Quest, a family boomerang. There is also The Celtic Dreamer, a waveswinger.
This was the largest addition to the park in years and it is what renewed enthusiast interest in Emerald Park. It was largely what finally convinced me to make the trip.
Viking Voyage
A must-do, with a warning: there is no staying dry. This log flume is remarkably efficient at throwing water directly into your shoes, no matter how carefully you tuck them under the seat.
Lost Valley: Land of Dinosaurs
Opened in 2026, and the one part of the park I have not seen, so treat this as reporting rather than a verdict.
The park rethemed the corner around Dino Dash into a prehistoric land with a new entrance archway, dinosaur footprints set into the pathways, themed food outlets and live Dino Meet and Greets led by Dino Rangers. It also brought a family swing ride, Swingosaurus.
Everything else
There is a good selection of flat rides, plus a couple of smaller coaster credits for anyone fattening up their count. The junior side includes a 10-metre Zamperla drop tower, a steam train, a Nissan-branded driving school, a spinning coaster and the Waterload of Fun splash pad.
The thing that impressed me most
Operations. Despite the park being relatively quiet on my visit, Na Fianna Force was running two trains. That is rare enough at parks several times this size, and I am looking directly at Alton Towers as I write this. The staff seemed to genuinely care, the guests were well behaved, and the whole place had an atmosphere that a lot of bigger parks have lost.
The zoo
The zoo is included in your ticket and is accredited by both BIAZA and EAZA, with a collection covering big cats, primates, exotic birds, rare farm breeds and native Irish birds of prey.
I am not the biggest fan of zoos, so take this with that in mind. It is fairly small. The petting farm was closed on the day I visited, which was a shame as that is the part I usually enjoy most. But Lemur Woods, where you walk through an enclosure with free-roaming lemurs, was open and I really enjoyed it.
One honest note: if a zoo is the main thing you are after, Dublin Zoo is the better choice. The zoo here is a genuine bonus alongside the rides rather than a destination on its own.
Shows and events
There are no large-scale shows. The show-like offerings all sit within the zoo, the biggest being the World of Raptors free-flying bird display, alongside keeper talks that I caught parts of and found genuinely interesting.
The park makes up for this with events through the year, and these are when the extra entertainment appears. Jingle Fest at Christmas is the largest, with an Enchanted Entertainment Tent, gingerbread decorating and festive performances. Halloween brings a treasure hunt plus an after-dark event.
Worth knowing that the Halloween event is firmly treats rather than tricks. Back in 2017, as Tayto Park, the park ran an adult-oriented haunted house called Morbid Manor. That is not the direction it goes now. Given how popular scare mazes have become it would be interesting to see another attempt, though it is not really this park’s demographic, so its absence is no shock.
Food, and why it beat my expectations
Food is one of the biggest things English theme park enthusiasts complain about, and rightly so. Compared to most of Europe, our offerings are embarrassing. So I did not know what to expect here.
The food at Emerald Park is better than anything at Alton Towers or Blackpool Pleasure Beach. All the usual fare is there, burgers, pizza, chicken and chips, and what I tried was fresher and higher quality than I would get at Towers. Sweet options are plentiful, and despite the sponsorship ending the gift shop still carries a good range of Tayto crisps.
The real surprise was The Lodge Restaurant. The park is too small for full table service, but the Lodge is a genuine middle ground: masses of indoor and outdoor seating and a range of hot food running from curry to a full roast dinner. A roast at a theme park is not something I can remember seeing at an English park in years, and I struggle to imagine it matching this if it existed.
Merchandise
Attraction-specific merchandise is one thing English parks genuinely do well, often better than Disney manages these days, and Emerald Park holds up. T-shirts, plush and pins themed to all the major attractions.
Tickets: which one to buy
We do not list ticket prices here on purpose. Parks change them every season and a page full of out-of-date figures helps nobody, so check the current rates on the park’s own site before you book. What follows is the part that does not change: how the tickets work, and which one you actually want.
The park used to run on zone tickets and payment tokens with a paid unlimited option. It has since moved to an all-access model, and there are five ticket types: All Access, Junior Zone, Senior citizen, an additional needs rate that includes free entry for a carer, and free entry for under-3s.
Two rules are worth knowing before you book. We highly reccomend buying tickets online, and the early bird rate only applies if you book before midnight the night before you visit. Book on the day and you pay noticeably more, assuming there is anything left.
Watch the Junior Zone ticket
This is the one that catches people out. A Junior Zone ticket is only marginally cheaper than All Access, but it excludes the ten rides in the All Access Zone plus Na Fianna Force and The Quest. In other words, the cheaper ticket excludes both of the park’s major coasters, and the saving is small enough that it is rarely worth it.
It genuinely makes sense in one case: if your child is under the 1.1m to 1.3m height requirements those rides carry, they could not ride them anyway, so you are not losing anything. If anyone in your group clears those heights, buy All Access.
Planning your visit
Book ahead, because it sells out
The park sells out on busy days and posts notices telling ticketless visitors not to travel. Turning up without a booking can be a wasted journey.
Getting there, and free parking
Kilbrew, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, A84 EA02. The park is not accessible by train, but there are bus routes from Dublin. We drove from Dublin and found that parking is free, which is an increasingly rare thing at theme parks and effectively knocks the usual sneaky charge off your day.
There is no accommodation at or near the park, so pairing a visit with a Dublin trip is the sensible approach.
Timings worth knowing
- Most attractions open within 30 minutes of the park opening, not at opening.
- Ride queues close 30 minutes before the park closes.
- Viking Voyage, the driving school, the carousel, Balloon Chase and the Cú Chulainn Coaster can close earlier still. If Cú Chulainn matters to you, do not leave it to the end of the day.
- No refunds for ride closures or bad weather. This is Ireland. Bring a coat.
So is Emerald Park worth it?
Yes, with the caveat I opened with. Emerald Park is small, and it is aimed at families rather than thrill seekers. The closest comparison I can give is Paultons Park in England. Theming is fairly lacking outside Tír na nÓg, and I would be lying if I called any single attraction world class.
I adored it anyway. I got lucky with a rare sunny March day, which always helps, though it was still cold enough that I do not think the weather is what sold me. It was the atmosphere, the operations, and a food offering that quietly embarrassed parks four times its size.
Do not fly to Ireland for the theme park. Fly to Ireland for Ireland, and put Emerald Park in the middle of it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a theme park in Ireland?
Yes. Emerald Park in County Meath is the only major theme park in Ireland, combining more than 45 rides with a zoo on one site about 25km from Dublin.
Is Emerald Park the same as Tayto Park?
Yes. Tayto Park was renamed Emerald Park on 1 January 2023 after the crisp brand’s sponsorship ended. Same park, same site, and the gift shop still sells Tayto crisps.
How long do you need at Emerald Park?
One day is more than enough. The park is small, and a single visit is comfortably enough time to do everything worth doing, zoo included.
What is the best ride at Emerald Park?
The Cú Chulainn Coaster, Ireland’s only wooden roller coaster. After that, The Quest, Na Fianna Force and Viking Voyage are all must-dos.
Which Emerald Park ticket should I buy?
All Access, unless everyone in your group is under the 1.1m to 1.3m height requirements. The cheaper Junior Zone ticket saves very little but excludes both major coasters. Book online before midnight the night before to get the early bird rate, and note that parking is free.
How do you get to Emerald Park from Dublin?
By car it is just over thirty minutes. There is no train, but buses run from Dublin. Parking at the park is free.
Is Emerald Park good for thrill seekers?
Only partly. There are two good coasters in Cú Chulainn and Na Fianna Force, but this is a family park at heart. Go in expecting Paultons Park rather than Alton Towers and you will have a good day.