• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Emerald Park (Formerly Tayto Park), Dublin: General Discussion

From what I've seen I'm very impressed with the area especially considering the budget which comes to €22/£18.7 million according to the park, the STC looks great and I'm loving all of the rockwork, this area would have gone down great at let's say Drayton Manor if they relocated the zoo animals to WMSP.

Let's see how it comes along though as the park have made it quite clear that the area is still a work in progress.
 
Martin said:
Is it not the case one of the buses from the airport goes through one of the towns the bus to the park goes and you can change there?
Click to expand...
Actually yes, you’re right. Take the 109A from the airport to Ashbourne and then change there and get the 105 to the park. Looks like it takes about 1hr 20mins in total according to Google Maps.
 
Finally visited yesterday, day tripped it flying out from Liverpool at 7.30am and back at 9.40pm. Flights weren't full either which was very nice.

First impressions the park has a very nice entry building and the Emerald Park logo is very nice. Not entirely sure why now but was also given a wristband to wear to prove we'd paid to get in. (we sort of hadn't as we were all Pleasure Beach season pass holders so got a days free entry, a nice saving of €42).

Sadly it's school trip season so we went left on entry and visited SBF visa land to ride Ladybird Loop. Felt like the shortest cycle I'd ever had on one of those.

Next up was the parks 2nd coaster, Flight School, a fun family coaster. Really nice themeing to airport security. And then Dino Dash another fun coaster were you could see how they'd stepped up the themeing again.

From there we headed to Tir Na Nog, the land of eternal youth. Which on the day I visited didn't open until 11am. The completed areas look really good and are another step up. No doubt once they get the Quests station building finished and the dining area done it'll be even better. Seemed like a lot of space behind the dining building for possible future attractions as well.

The coasters I had high hopes for having visited Tripsdrill a few weeks ago. And I'd say both are better, The Quest is for me the best junior boomerang layout as you keep up speed so much through the layout.

Fianna Force is so much fun, reridable (or it would be without the queues), and with a lot of its layout low to the ground again feels very whippy. A real elegant coaster.

After that we rode Cu Chullain which is probably showing it's age now but is still lots of fun managed over the day to ride front and back rows.

All in a really fun day out to a lovely park. Even had time for a pint of Guinness at a nearby pub before heading to the airport.
 
IDB said:
Hi. Did you hire a car on your trip?
Click to expand...
Yeah we got a hire car. About a 25 minute drive to the park from the airport car hire. Did have to get a shuttle bus to and from the airport to the car hire so take that into account as well especially when going back to the airport. Think after waiting for everyone to arrive then the shuttle bus and picking up the hire car and driving we got to Emerald Park about 20 minutes before it opened.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IDB
Going to take a visit up to this from my aunts house in County Wexford later this summer, first time at the park and in Ireland actually for a long time. Shocking revelation seeing as I am a duel English and Irish national.

Very much lookong forward to visiting though, get myself up the gorgeous Wicklow mountains too.
 
So what happened to the crisp factory tour now they aren’t sponsored by them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
pj said:
So what happened to the crisp factory tour now they aren’t sponsored by them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
No idea about the sampling on the park, but Tayto/Tandragee Castle up North still offers factory tours and samples. Potato-related fun for all ages and Northern Tayto are so much nicer beyond The Wall.

Tayto Tours

www.taytotours.com www.taytotours.com
 
pj said:
Thank you. So it was an attraction rather than a real factory? Will it be knocked down?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
It was the real Tayto Factory, there was a path in the park that took you into the visitor tour part of the factory.

Think they stopped offering it during covid and obviously around the same time the late owner of the park sold his remaining stake in the company, and then they rebranded to Emerald Park.
 
Last edited:
Just on the way home from Emerald now, only had a few hours but it was a really quiet day with everything more or less walk on, had a great time.

Most of the park looks nice and the new area will be great when finished (and there's work going on behind it, no idea what that's going to be)

The two older family coasters are perfectly adequate and look nice (but the dinosaur models are falling apart)

The woodie is a bit of a two halves ride. First half, great drop, solid airtime, run towards the overbank violent in the right way, overbank itself really fun. But after that it just sort of meanders around and the airtime dried up. Still good overall though.

Quest is a great example of a family boomerang (same model as Light Explorers at Energylandia)

Fianna is fantastic, especially at the front. Big forces, lots of whip, great layout and interactions with Quest. I'd have maybe put a third inversion near the end as a finale, but otherwise loved it. They let us stay on to lap it repeatedly by the end too.

Didn't see too many animals in the zoo, think they were hiding because it was a bit chilly.

Would definitely come back 👍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top