Bushy Park, Dublin

The Park’s life began in 1700, when “Bushe’s House” was built by Arthur Bushe, secretary to the Revenue commissioners. In 1772, John Hobson became the owner and he changed the name to Bushy Park, possibly to make it more like the London park of the same name. The house became the seat of Sir Robert Shaw in 1796 and it remained in their family until the Shaws sold it to Dublin City Council in 1953. The council sold the house and some of the grounds to sisters from the Religious of Christian Education (a Roman Catholic religious institute), who made it into a school for girls. But there’s still plenty of space for visitors: the park has woodland walks and ornamental ponds, plus the Dodder walk which starts in the south of Dublin and takes you out on an easy path by the river. There’s also a public skatepark - the first one in Dublin - and football pitches and boules courts which you can rent.