I visited Emerald Park last week as part of a trip to Dublin.
The park felt like a mixture of Flamingoland and Paultons park. It had the unique thrill rides and zoo similar to FL but with more obvious effort for theming and family focus that’s apparent at Paultons.
There are a mix of areas with the park seeming to be in a state of transition, with some randomly placed kiddie coasters and flats with little to no theming and other areas (notably Tir na nog) with great theming.
Cu Chulainn Coaster - 3 rides
This was really on the cusp of enjoyable for me, the roughness was just about bearable but is very prevalent throughout the ride! This coaster really pushes the limits of what you can do with a traditional wood coaster. I had a row 3, row 8 and row 12 ride, and this for me is 100% a back row coaster. The air off the first drop is insane in the back row, and every airtime moment thereafter tries to throw you out of your seat. I hope some parts get re-tracked because both the double down into the overbanked turn and the turn itself are incredibly janky and the most uncomfortable parts of the ride. This is also such a long coaster and the use of tunnels is brilliant to give you another airtime moment when you least expect it. The theme / stylising does what it needs to and visually off ride it is very intimidating.
Fianna Force - 2 rides
Both rides on this I got close to the back and the back row. The ride is incredibly smooth and the inversions are intense. It’s also the first time I’ve experienced airtime on a suspended coaster which was a really unique feeling. The theming is complete now and has a great storyline to back it up. The interaction with the other coaster is also very well thought out and the sound systems around the ride make it very immersive and atmospheric.
The only downside is that the positive G force after the 1st drop immediately staples the restraint which makes what would be great airtime moments a little more dampened. There is also a slight rattle in some of the corners but this isn’t too noticeable.
An amazing addition as there are not many of that specific model in circulation yet.
The Quest
Not too much to say about this, solid theming again and good interaction with Fianna. Also goes over a small water pond which is cool. Boomerangs are fun but once you’ve done a few they are all quite similar.
Flight school & Dino dash
Two really good little family coasters, with dino dash having some great theming but flight school feeling slightly out of place and in need of TLC in the station area.
Viking Voyage
The flume hardware and length of this ride is solid, what lets it down is the theming that’s received no maintenance. There wasn’t a cohesive story here or any sound or lighting effects. There are multiple places you can see the structure of the inside and some obvious Styrofoam sticking out. I was genuinely shocked to learn that this was only introduced to the park in 2017. The rides is in quite the dilapidated state. You do get soaked though and it was a fun experience!
What would I like to see
I think the park is in need of a sit down steel thrill coaster. I’d love to see something like Taiga at Linnanmaki or even a dive coaster like the new one at Dorney park. I feel like a sit down thrill is needed alongside Cu Chulainn and Fianna Force to complete the ‘big ride’ line up. Even something like Alpenfury would be a great addition.
A dark ride would also be a great addition to one of the areas, perhaps Tir na nog. Something to eat the crowds that has great Celtic theming. More cohesive themed areas would also be more desirable, there are some sight lines that aren’t the best but will improve as the landscape grows.
Final thoughts
I actually really liked this park and it has a lot of potential. The unique rides and effort on theming for new additions is apparent.
There does seem to be an issue with upkeep, with many of the ride structures receiving little to no maintenance or upgrades.
I wish i had more time to explore the animal exhibits and the shows they have on in the park, it’s great to see they are investing in shows.
Staff were lovely and operations were as good as they could be considering all coasters were on 1 train.
I’m surprised the park is not more heavily advertised in Dublin. Getting there is also a mission via public transport. I was intending to get 2 buses, one of which never showed up and I had to Uber the rest of the way.
Well worth a visit, i’m glad they’ve dropped the potato chip brand in preference for Emerald Park which sounds a lot better.
I love the influence of Irish history and culture on this park, it’s so apparent and so tastefully done.
The park felt like a mixture of Flamingoland and Paultons park. It had the unique thrill rides and zoo similar to FL but with more obvious effort for theming and family focus that’s apparent at Paultons.
There are a mix of areas with the park seeming to be in a state of transition, with some randomly placed kiddie coasters and flats with little to no theming and other areas (notably Tir na nog) with great theming.
Cu Chulainn Coaster - 3 rides
This was really on the cusp of enjoyable for me, the roughness was just about bearable but is very prevalent throughout the ride! This coaster really pushes the limits of what you can do with a traditional wood coaster. I had a row 3, row 8 and row 12 ride, and this for me is 100% a back row coaster. The air off the first drop is insane in the back row, and every airtime moment thereafter tries to throw you out of your seat. I hope some parts get re-tracked because both the double down into the overbanked turn and the turn itself are incredibly janky and the most uncomfortable parts of the ride. This is also such a long coaster and the use of tunnels is brilliant to give you another airtime moment when you least expect it. The theme / stylising does what it needs to and visually off ride it is very intimidating.
Fianna Force - 2 rides
Both rides on this I got close to the back and the back row. The ride is incredibly smooth and the inversions are intense. It’s also the first time I’ve experienced airtime on a suspended coaster which was a really unique feeling. The theming is complete now and has a great storyline to back it up. The interaction with the other coaster is also very well thought out and the sound systems around the ride make it very immersive and atmospheric.
The only downside is that the positive G force after the 1st drop immediately staples the restraint which makes what would be great airtime moments a little more dampened. There is also a slight rattle in some of the corners but this isn’t too noticeable.
An amazing addition as there are not many of that specific model in circulation yet.
The Quest
Not too much to say about this, solid theming again and good interaction with Fianna. Also goes over a small water pond which is cool. Boomerangs are fun but once you’ve done a few they are all quite similar.
Flight school & Dino dash
Two really good little family coasters, with dino dash having some great theming but flight school feeling slightly out of place and in need of TLC in the station area.
Viking Voyage
The flume hardware and length of this ride is solid, what lets it down is the theming that’s received no maintenance. There wasn’t a cohesive story here or any sound or lighting effects. There are multiple places you can see the structure of the inside and some obvious Styrofoam sticking out. I was genuinely shocked to learn that this was only introduced to the park in 2017. The rides is in quite the dilapidated state. You do get soaked though and it was a fun experience!
What would I like to see
I think the park is in need of a sit down steel thrill coaster. I’d love to see something like Taiga at Linnanmaki or even a dive coaster like the new one at Dorney park. I feel like a sit down thrill is needed alongside Cu Chulainn and Fianna Force to complete the ‘big ride’ line up. Even something like Alpenfury would be a great addition.
A dark ride would also be a great addition to one of the areas, perhaps Tir na nog. Something to eat the crowds that has great Celtic theming. More cohesive themed areas would also be more desirable, there are some sight lines that aren’t the best but will improve as the landscape grows.
Final thoughts
I actually really liked this park and it has a lot of potential. The unique rides and effort on theming for new additions is apparent.
There does seem to be an issue with upkeep, with many of the ride structures receiving little to no maintenance or upgrades.
I wish i had more time to explore the animal exhibits and the shows they have on in the park, it’s great to see they are investing in shows.
Staff were lovely and operations were as good as they could be considering all coasters were on 1 train.
I’m surprised the park is not more heavily advertised in Dublin. Getting there is also a mission via public transport. I was intending to get 2 buses, one of which never showed up and I had to Uber the rest of the way.
Well worth a visit, i’m glad they’ve dropped the potato chip brand in preference for Emerald Park which sounds a lot better.
I love the influence of Irish history and culture on this park, it’s so apparent and so tastefully done.