Carrauntoohil, Ireland
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Ranking Ireland’s National Parks by Elevation, Age & Size

ByChris Cagle Updated on

What is the highest point in each of Ireland’s 6 national parks? Which Irish national park is the largest by area? We have the answers to these questions below.

The Highest National Parks in Ireland

The highest point in Ireland is Carrauntoohil, at 3,407 feet (138 meters) which is not located within an Irish national park. The national park with the highest elevation is an unnamed peak in Wicklow Mountains National Park. It stands 2,822 feet, or 860 meters above sea level.

RankNameRegionMax PointElevation
#1Wicklow Mountains National ParkCounty Wicklowunnamed peak2,822 ft(860 m)
#2Killarney National ParkCounty KerryMangerton Mountain2,750 ft(838 m)
#3Connemara National ParkCounty GalwayBenbaun2,379 ft(725 m)
#4Wild Nephin (Ballycroy) National ParkCounty MayoSlieve Car2,366 ft(721 m)
#5Glenveagh National ParkCounty DonegalSlieve Snaght2,225 ft(678 m)
#6Burren National ParkCounty ClareKnockanes673 ft(205 m)

Irish National Parks by Acreage

Wicklow Mountains National Park is not only the highest, but also the largest National Park in Ireland. It has just over 50 thousand acres, with Glenveagh National Park coming in second place with about 8,000 acres less.

RankNameRegionAcres
#1Wicklow Mountains National ParkCounty Wicklow50,560
#2Glenveagh National ParkCounty Donegal42,240
#3Wild Nephin (Ballycroy) National ParkCounty Mayo37,120
#4Killarney National ParkCounty Kerry26,240
#5Connemara National ParkCounty Galway4,928
#6Burren National ParkCounty Clare3,712

Irish National Parks Ranked by Age

The oldest national park in Ireland is Killarney National Park, which was created in 1932. It stood as Ireland’s only national park until Connemara National Park was designated as one in 1980.

RankNameRegionCreated
#1Killarney National ParkCounty Kerry1932
#2Connemara National ParkCounty Galway1980
#3Glenveagh National ParkCounty Donegal1984
#4Burren National ParkCounty Clare1991
#5Wicklow Mountains National ParkCounty Wicklow1991
#6Wild Nephin (Ballycroy) National ParkCounty Mayo1998

I love traveling the United States. I hunt down fantastic places to visit in the summer and great slopes to ski down in the winter. The first national park I ever visited was the Smokies, but since then, I've been to dozens. However, my favorite by far has been Zion.

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