Phoenix Park motor racing circuit
Phoenix Park motor racing circuit at a glance
- Location
- Dublin 8, County Dublin
- Type
- public road circuit
- Length
- 2.78 km (1.73 mi)
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1929
- Owner
- Office of Public Works (park); Motorsport Ireland (former race organiser)
- Phone
- +353 1 820 5800
- Website
- phoenixpark.ie
Track map and layout
Phoenix Park's motor racing used the park's own tree-lined roads as a temporary circuit, reconfigured many times between 1929 and 2012. The original Grand Prix Circuit for the 1929-1931 Irish International Grand Prix ran a long 4.25-mile (6.84km) lap out along Chesterfield Avenue to Mountjoy Corner and back via North Road. From the 1960s onward, racing settled on shorter loops carved from the same road network: the Hawthorn Circuit (2.12 miles/3.41km) and, most often in later decades, the Oldtown Circuit (1.73 miles/2.78km), which turned off Chesterfield Avenue onto Furze Road to a hairpin before heading back towards Mountjoy Corner. With no permanent barriers, drivers raced past ornamental lampposts, boundary trees and the Wellington Monument's grounds on genuine public park roads, a throwback that eventually made the course impossible to license under modern safety standards.
Named corners and sections
- Mountjoy Corner. The turning point at the far end of Chesterfield Avenue, used by almost every circuit configuration over the decades.
- Furze Road hairpin. A tight hairpin on the Oldtown Circuit, the most-used late-era layout, reached via a right turn off Chesterfield Avenue.
- Ratra Corner. The point where the Hawthorn Circuit configurations departed the main Chesterfield Avenue straight.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Circuit | 6.84 km | Used 1929-1939 and briefly in 1969; the course for the Irish International Grand Prix |
| Hawthorn Circuit | 3.41 km | Named for Mike Hawthorn; used across various years including 1977, 1986 and 1988-1991 |
| Oldtown Circuit | 2.78 km | The most frequently used late-era layout, including the final 2012 races |
Events and race weekends
Motor racing at Phoenix Park is dormant, not active. After the Irish International Grand Prix ran on a park circuit in 1929, 1930 and 1931, racing returned intermittently from the late 1940s and became an annual fixture from the 1960s, peaking in popularity through the 1970s with Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic grids. Motorsport Ireland ran the last meeting in 2012, the 67th running of racing at the park, before rising costs, the loss of tobacco sponsorship and safety standards that fell well short of modern requirements on a barrier-free public road course brought the event to an end. No revival has been organised since, and Phoenix Park currently hosts no motor racing.
Getting there and parking
Phoenix Park sits 2-4km west of Dublin city centre, entered from Parkgate Street (near Heuston rail and Luas station) or Castleknock Gate on the western side; both main gates are open around the clock. Dublin Airport is about a 25-30 minute drive or taxi ride away. Dublin Bus routes serve several park gates, and a shuttle service links Heuston Station and the park's visitor centre.
- Dublin Airport (DUB) · about 25 min drive
Parking
Free car parking is available inside the park at several car parks near the Visitor Centre, Dublin Zoo and the People's Park; spaces near the main attractions can fill on busy weekends.
Heuston Station, at the Parkgate Street end of the park, is the easiest public-transport approach and puts you close to where the old Oldtown circuit's start area lay.
Hotels and camping near Phoenix Park motor racing circuit
There is no race meeting to plan around any more, so visitors interested in the park's motor-racing history simply stay in Dublin as they would for any city visit; hotels around Heuston Station and Dublin 7/8, immediately next to the Parkgate Street entrance, put you closest to the old circuit roads. Dublin city centre, a short taxi, bus or Luas ride away, has the widest range of hotel options and is the more typical base.
Where to look
Dublin 7/8 around Heuston Station and Parkgate Street for proximity to the park gates; Dublin city centre for the widest choice of hotels.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
There is no trackday or racing access of any kind at Phoenix Park: it is a public park with roads open to ordinary traffic, pedestrians and cyclists, and no organisation currently runs racing, demonstration or track-day sessions there. The Chesterfield Avenue straight and other former circuit roads can simply be driven, cycled or walked at everyday legal speeds.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula 1 demonstration (Chesterfield Avenue straight) | approx. 180mph | Derek Daly | Ensign N177 | 1978 |
Spectator guide
With no racing since 2012, there is no spectator event to attend and no ticketing, grandstands or bag policy currently in place. Visitors instead walk or cycle the old circuit roads freely, as part of a general visit to the park's attractions such as Dublin Zoo, Áras an Uachtaráin and the Wellington Monument.
Best places to watch
Mountjoy Corner and the Chesterfield Avenue straight remain identifiable and walkable, giving a sense of where the old racing line ran.
History of Phoenix Park motor racing circuit
Speed on the avenues
Motorsport in Phoenix Park dates to 1903, when Gordon Bennett Cup practice trials used Chesterfield Avenue for flying-mile and flying-kilometre speed runs, briefly requiring part of the Phoenix Monument's base to be dismantled so cars could pass. Proper circuit racing arrived in 1929, when the Royal Irish Automobile Club staged the first Irish International Grand Prix over two days on a 4.25-mile lap of the park's interior roads, run out along Chesterfield Avenue to Mountjoy Corner and back via North Road. Boris Ivanowski won in 1929, Rudolf Caracciola's Mercedes took the 1930 Eireann Cup, and Norman Black and Henry Birkin shared the honours in 1931 before the Grand Prix was discontinued.
Post-war revival and the 1970s heyday
Racing returned after the Second World War, resuming on shortened circuits from the late 1940s and becoming a regular fixture from the 1960s under a succession of layouts, including two named for world champion Mike Hawthorn. The 1970s were the park's motorsport heyday, coinciding with a boom in Irish Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic racing, and produced future stars such as Eddie Jordan, Eddie Irvine and Tommy Byrne, racing on narrow, tree-lined roads with virtually no run-off or barriers.
The end of the road
The Oldtown Circuit, a 1.73-mile loop using a hairpin off Furze Road, became the standard late-era layout, hosting most meetings from the 1990s to 2012. By the 2000s the event was squeezed by rising costs, the loss of long-standing tobacco sponsorship, and growing recognition that a barrier-free public road circuit could no longer meet modern safety standards. Motorsport Ireland ran the 67th and, to date, final meeting in 2012, after which the event lapsed.
Present day
No motor racing has returned since 2012, and no revival is planned. The roads once used for circuit racing remain in everyday use as ordinary park roads, shared by pedestrians, cyclists and traffic visiting Dublin Zoo, Áras an Uachtaráin and the park's other attractions, with only the road layout itself as a trace of the racing that once happened there.
Frequently asked questions
Does motor racing still happen at Phoenix Park?+
No. The last meeting was held in 2012, the 67th race held at the park since 1929, and no racing has returned since.
How long was the Phoenix Park racing circuit?+
It varied by era: the original 1929-1931 Grand Prix Circuit was 4.25 miles (6.84km), while the Oldtown Circuit used in most later meetings, including the final one in 2012, was 1.73 miles (2.78km).
Why did racing stop at Phoenix Park?+
Rising costs, the loss of long-standing tobacco sponsorship, and safety standards that fell well short of what a barrier-free public road circuit could meet in a modern era combined to end the event after 2012.
Can you still see the old circuit at Phoenix Park?+
Yes. Chesterfield Avenue, Mountjoy Corner and the other roads used for racing are still ordinary park roads open to pedestrians, cyclists and traffic, so you can walk or drive the old lines.
Who raced at Phoenix Park?+
The 1929-1931 Irish International Grand Prix featured drivers including Boris Ivanowski, Rudolf Caracciola and Henry Birkin; later decades produced Irish talents such as Eddie Jordan, Eddie Irvine and Tommy Byrne.
Is there a trackday or public driving event at Phoenix Park?+
No. It is an ordinary public park with no bookable racing, demonstration or track-day access of any kind.
Other tracks nearby
- Mondello Park · 30 km · road course
- Bishopscourt Racing Circuit · 118 km · road course
- Anglesey Circuit / Trac Môn · 123 km · road course
- Kirkistown Race Circuit · 134 km · road course
- Billown Circuit · 136 km · public road circuit
- Dundrod Circuit (Ulster Grand Prix) · 137 km · historic circuit (defunct)
Facts checked against 5 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.