Emerald Park's Na Fianna Force at their first fully themed and immersive land, Tír Na nÓg Get the latest on health and beauty, work life, parenting, fashion, features and more - all for FREE! More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you.
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More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice It's fair to say the first time I ever visited Emerald Park, formerly Tayto Park, I underestimated it massively. I've been to many theme parks across Europe and beyond and naively thought, 'ach this one is in Ireland, how scary can the rides really be?'. Well, I was wrong, massively! Set on a huge site in Ashbourne, Co Meath , Emerald Park is an absolute gem and probably up there with one of the best theme parks in Europe, in my opinion.
It has it all, huge rollercoasters, a zoo, entertainment shows and top-notch food on site. So we packed up the car with all the essentials for a summer day trip with our two children, including waterproofs because let's face it summer in this country is unpredictable. But luckily for us, we landed on some rare sunshine, and the waterproofs weren't needed.
Read more: We visited the family adventure centre just off the M1 that's great for all ages Read more: We tried the Co Tyrone food institution now run by a sporting legend Our tickets had been pre-booked in advance and we joined a queue at the gate for online bookings, while there's a separate one for those who just arrive on the day. Both moved quickly enough and within about ten minutes we were through the other side, wristbands on and ready to explore. With our two children aged 6 and 3, our first port of call was the Junior rides section, which is just a short stroll from the main entrance.
It was full of great rides with something for all ages. while I took our three-year-old on the Sherriff's Shuttle, my husband and six-year-old tried a few more adventurous rides. I have to admit, the Sheriff's Shuttle is not for the faint-hearted, I kid you not, while our three-year-old who had never been on any amusements like it before squealed and laughed with delight both during and after the ride, I emerged with my head spinning and feeling a little ill! I'm blaming the sun and lack of water in my system for that feeling and thankfully recovered quickly to enjoy the rest of the rides.
Our six-year-old proved the most adventurous of us all, wanting to go on all the big rollercoasters, and just touching the 1.2m height restriction he was well fit for them and none of them took a flinch out of him at all, whereas my husband emerged from the Endeavour ride feeling a little like how I did at the start of the day. Upside down on the new ‘Na Fianna Force’ rollercoaster There was so much to explore and it's a really easy site to navigate, with a fun water area as well, perfect for the day we were there for kids to enjoy splashing around in and shooting the cannons at one another.
The park has just recently opened a whole new area entitled Tír Na nÓg marking a substantial investment of €22 million at the theme park and zoo. A first of its kind in Ireland, the 6.5 acre site includes three new attractions called Na Fianna Force, The Quest and The Celtic Dreamer.
The new land also includes new food outlets, retail spaces, and an entrance that will create real excitement and wonder with Irish mythology and fantasy theming across the site. This was a huge hit with us as it really transports you into a fantasy land which our six-year-old loved. The Zoo and petting farm attractions were also big hits, as was the World of Raptors, a flying demonstration where you can see and discover some of the world's most impressive birds of prey.
There's honestly too much to see and do at Emerald Park mention them all individually, I did take on the Cú Chulainn Coaster but I was reluctant to let my six-year-old take it on, despite the fact he really wanted to, I was just worried he would freak out at the top where there's no way out but down! Needless to say, I had to promise we would return next year when he's seven where he can go on it as many times as he'd like. The petting farm was a big hit We did go on the Flight School rollercoaster together which he loved and it gives a nice little starting point to rollercoasters for that age range, and also captured brilliant pics during the thrilling ride, which of course we had to purchase to take home as a keyring, ready for his schoolbag in September. For little ones like my three-year-old the firm favourites were the Leap Frogs, The Honey Pot Bears and of course the Grand Carosel.
She also loved the Steam Train and Pony Trail. With regards to queues, it was a busy Saturday when we visited but waited no more than 30-40 minutes for some of the bigger rollercoasters which I expected, the longest wait for the little ones was actually for the Nissan Driving School, but that's due to the really interesting Highway Code lesson they give the children before letting them loose on the course in their mini Nissans. Overall, Emerald Park is a fantastic day out for the whole family, it's only been a couple of weeks since our visit and my two are constantly asking when we can return! Join our Belfast Live breaking news service on WhatsApp Click this link or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live.
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