Malahide Castle facts for kids

Malahide Castle, a historic home near Dublin

Malahide Castle with its special hidden ditch, called a ha-ha

Malahide Castle (which is Caisleán Mhullach Íde in Irish) is a very old castle. Parts of it were built way back in the 1100s! It's located near the village of Malahide, about 14 kilometers (or nine miles) north of central Dublin in Ireland. The castle is surrounded by a huge park, over 260 acres (about 1 square kilometer), which is now called the Malahide Demesne Regional Park.

The Castle's Long History

The story of Malahide Castle began in 1185. That's when a knight named Richard Talbot was given the land and harbor of Malahide. He had come to Ireland with King Henry II in 1174. The oldest parts of the castle are from the 12th century.

The Talbot family lived in Malahide Castle for an amazing 791 years! They owned it from 1185 until 1976. The only time they didn't own it was for a short period from 1649 to 1660. During that time, Oliver Cromwell gave the castle to Miles Corbet after his army took over Ireland. But when Cromwell's power ended, Corbet was punished, and the castle was given back to the Talbots. The castle was made much bigger during the time of King Edward IV, and new towers were added in 1765.

The castle and the Talbot family survived many tough times. For example, during the Battle of the Boyne, fourteen members of the family who lived there died in one day. The family also stayed Roman Catholic even during the Penal Laws, which made it hard for Catholics in Ireland.

During the First World War in 1918, a special base for airships was set up on the castle grounds. These airships came from Wales and helped look for enemy submarines in the Irish Sea.

In the 1920s, some very old and important papers belonging to a writer named James Boswell were found in the castle. These papers were later sold to a collector in America and are now kept at Yale University.

The last owner from the Talbot family, the 7th Baron Talbot, wanted to give the castle to the Irish government. When he passed away in 1973, the castle went to his sister, Rose. She had to sell many of the castle's valuable items to pay taxes. In 1975, Rose sadly gave the castle to the Irish State. Luckily, some of the items that were sold were later bought back and returned to the castle.

Visiting Malahide Castle Today

Today, Malahide Castle is a popular place to visit. Fingal County Council owns the whole park, and a company called Shannon Heritage helps manage the castle for visitors.

You can take a guided tour inside the castle to see its famous rooms, like the Oak Room and the Great Hall. The Great Hall tells the story of the Talbot family. There's also a cafe and shops in the courtyard behind the castle.

Malahide Castle is surrounded by a large, beautiful park.

The Talbot Botanic Gardens are located behind the castle. These gardens have many different plants and beautiful lawns. There's a large walled garden and seven glasshouses, including an old Victorian one. Many plants from places like Chile and Australia grow here. These gardens show how much the 7th Lord Talbot de Malahide loved collecting plants in the mid-1900s.

The park around the castle is one of the few remaining examples of 18th-century designed parks. It has wide open lawns and lots of trees. You can visit the park for free, and there are several entrances and parking areas.

Besides lovely walks through the woods, the park also has many sports areas. These include a cricket pitch, football fields, a 9-hole golf course, a pitch-and-putt course, tennis courts, and a boules area. There's also a cafe near the golf facilities.

Near the castle, there's a big playground for children. You can also take a fun road train that goes from the castle to the railway station and back during certain times of the year. There's even a bus tour that starts at Malahide Castle and goes to Howth.

Past Exhibits at the Castle

Two popular exhibits used to be at Malahide Castle but moved in 2010–2011:

• Tara's Palace Museum of Childhood was a museum of toys and dolls. It moved to Powerscourt Estate in 2011.
• The Fry Model Railway was a museum with amazing model trains. It was at Malahide Castle from 1988 to 2010. After some time, it reopened in 2020 at the restored Casino House, which was once a hunting lodge for the Talbot family.

Cricket at Malahide

The castle grounds are home to the Malahide Cricket Club. This cricket venue is also used for big international matches, with teams from countries like Australia, England, and Pakistan playing here. In 2013, over 10,000 people came to watch a match, which was a record for Ireland!

How to Get to Malahide Castle

The beautiful park at Malahide Castle.

You can enter the park from the Malahide Road or from Malahide village. Several Dublin Bus routes (42, 102, and 142) pass by the park. Malahide Railway Station is also very close to the castle.

Concerts at the Castle

Since 2007, the grounds of Malahide Castle have been used as a concert venue. Many famous bands and singers have performed here, including Arctic Monkeys, P!nk, Neil Young, Radiohead, Eric Clapton, and Prince.

In recent years, even more big names have played at the castle, like Arcade Fire, The 1975, Liam Gallagher, Gorillaz, Snow Patrol, The Cure, Mumford & Sons, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, George Ezra, and Lana Del Rey. In June 2023, Depeche Mode also had a concert here.

Concert History

World Scout Moot Event

The castle grounds were supposed to be the main camp for the 16th World Scout Moot. This is a big international event for older Scouts and Guides. It was planned to be hosted by Scouting Ireland in July and August 2021, but it had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

See Also

In Spanish: Castillo de Malahide para niños

• Baron Talbot of Malahide
• Thomas Talbot
• List of tourist attractions in Ireland