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seasonal · Wednesday 1 July 2026 · 9am-6pm 
Irish National Stud & Gardens Summer Fun
At Irish National Stud & Gardens · Kildare Town, Co. Kildare
At Irish National Stud & Gardens · Kildare Town, Co. Kildare
The Irish National Stud’s Summer Fun series turns one of Ireland’s most famous working studs into a proper family day out from July through August. This is not simply a walk past horses in a field - it is a full programme of entertainment, living history, and gardens considered among the finest in Europe, all packed into a single admission ticket. Families with younger children get good value here, with structured activities running twice a week throughout the school holidays alongside the permanent attractions.
The Summer Fun activities run every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 July to 24 August, between 12 noon and 4pm. Included in the general admission are live music performances, craft stations led by skilled artisans, stilt walker performances, storytelling sessions, circus shows, and temporary tattoos for the kids. These sit alongside the year-round draws that make the Stud worth visiting in any season.
The Japanese Gardens are the centrepiece - laid out in the early 1900s under the direction of Japanese master gardener Tassa Eida, they trace the journey of human life through symbolic planting, stone lanterns, arched bridges, and tranquil ponds. They are regularly cited as the finest Japanese gardens in Europe. Adjacent St Fiachra’s Garden, the monastic-style garden opened for the millennium, has a quieter, wilder character with a Waterford crystal grotto at its heart.
Inside, the Irish Racehorse Experience tells the lifecycle of the Irish thoroughbred through interactive displays - from breeding and foaling to race day. Visitors can see mares and foals in the paddocks as well as the Living Legends, retired racehorses who had careers on the track. Guided public tours cover the working yard and explain how a national stud operates.
Kildare town is on the main Dublin to Cork/Limerick rail line; trains from Heuston Station run regularly and take around 35 to 40 minutes. The Irish National Stud is a short taxi or 15-minute walk from Kildare train station. By road, leave the M7 at junction 13 and follow signs for Kildare town; the Stud is signposted on the R445. There is ample free parking on site.
Kildare town itself is worth a wander - the round tower and cathedral at its centre date to the early Christian period, and the Curragh racecourse a few minutes away is one of the great flat-racing tracks in Ireland. There is more to see in Kildare and across Co. Kildare.
Heading to Irish National Stud & Gardens in Kildare? Kildare has plenty more to see. Read the Kildare area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.