Coillte reveal top ten most visited forest parks — with no Munster spots on the list

The top ten list was revealed as €3 million of funding was announced to develop and upgrade visitor and recreational amenities at Coillte Forest Parks

Monaghan remains home to Ireland's most visited forest park, with Rossmore Park topping Coillte’s list of the most-visited non-ticketed forest parks in 2023.

Rossmore had more than 357,000 visitors last year, but Munster parks are absent from the most popular sites.

Ticknock Recreation Area in Dublin and Donadea Forest Park in Co Kildare both exceeded 200,000 visitors last year, earning them the second and third spots on the list.

The remainder of the top ten forest parks were Jenkinstown Wood in Co Kilkenny, Killykeen Forest Park in Co Cavan, Belleek in Co Mayo, Hazelwood in Co Sligo, Tintern Abbey in Co Wexford, Portumna Forest Park in Co Galway and Ards Forest Park in Co Donegal.

Glanteenasig in Co. Kerry missed a place in the top 10, with its 36,668 visitors earning it 11th place and making it Munster’s most visited forest park.

Farran Forest Park in Co. Cork is among Coillte's Munster sites. Picture: Denis Minihane.

In 2023, Coillte recorded over 2.74 million visits throughout 51 of its recreational sites using visitor counters and visits to its recreational areas remained relatively high in 2023 when compared to pre-pandemic figures.

The top ten list was revealed as €3 million of funding was announced to develop and upgrade visitor and recreational amenities at Coillte Forest Parks. The investment, part of a strategic partnership between the Department of Rural and Community Development and Coillte, will help to maintain and manage existing trails in Coillte forests and to develop new recreation opportunities. 

Projects to be delivered with the funding include new walking trails, car park improvements, installation of footbridges and new toilet facilities.

Some of the projects being funded include a €200,000 spend on the design and construction of a new car park entrance to Deerpark, Co Cavan, €150,000 for a wood pond rejuvenation project at Belleek, Co Mayo, trail surface improvements works costing €75,000 at Kilrush Recreation Forest Park, Co. Clare, and trail enhancement works at Castlegrove, Co Galway amounting to €115,000.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys said the rise in “adventure tourism” has played a part in the popularity of forest parks.

Heather Humphreys, TD pictured at Rossmore Park, Co Monaghan

“People want to be out and about enjoying our great outdoors whether it’s our beaches, lakes, mountains or of course our wonderful forests,” she said.

“We have seen a huge surge in visitor numbers to our forest parks in recent years and I want to see that continue.” 

Coillte has more than 440,000 hectares of forest and land and 260 forest recreational areas. CEO Imelda Hurley welcomed news of the funding, which she said will help in “further developing our recreational amenities”.

“This important funding will enable us to further enhance the experience for visitors to our recreational forests across the country,” she said.

“As Ireland’s largest provider of outdoor recreation, we’re delighted to welcome an estimated 18 million visits to our recreational areas from across Ireland and indeed, further afield.”