New Ross parkrun

What to Expect

New Ross parkrun is a free, timed 5k run, jog or walk that takes place every Saturday morning at 9:30am inside the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, about 12km south of New Ross on the Hook Head peninsula. The arboretum itself is a serious piece of parkland to run through: 252 hectares and over 5,000 types of trees and shrubs, making it Ireland’s largest catalogued tree collection. It was opened as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy by Éamon de Valera in May 1968, funded through Irish American fundraising after Kennedy’s 1963 visit to his ancestral home nearby, and it is managed today by the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland on behalf of the Office of Public Works. Ground rises from 36 metres near the entrance up to 271 metres at the summit of Sliabh Coillte within the grounds, so the parkrun route uses paths through mature woodland and conifer plantations rather than flat open fields.

Like every parkrun in Ireland, it is entirely free, run by volunteers, and open to walkers, joggers and runners of any pace, with results and a barcode scan system used to time every finisher. First timers need to register once online in advance and bring a printed or saved barcode; after that it is simply a case of turning up each week. The event has become a fixture of Saturday mornings for New Ross runners and visiting parkrun tourists alike, drawn partly by the arboretum setting, which is unusual among Irish parkrun courses for its scale and tree collection, including an ericaceous garden with over 500 rhododendrons and azaleas.

Good to Know

• Every Saturday at 9:30am, year round except Christmas Day
• Venue: John F. Kennedy Arboretum, New Ross, Co. Wexford
• Free to take part; first time participants should register at parkrun.ie and bring a barcode
• A 5k course on arboretum paths, suitable for walking, jogging or running
• This listing is dated to the next occurrence; the event repeats every week

Getting There

The arboretum is signposted from New Ross town, about a 15 minute drive south via the R733, with parking available on site (a small vehicle entry charge normally applies to the arboretum itself, separate from the free parkrun). There is no direct public transport to the gates, so a car is the practical option for most participants.