Located on the N81 at Firhouse. Shaped by the Dodder River, this wonderful linear park runs from the Dublin mountains through South Dublin. Historically, the Dodder and its tributaries have provided an essential source of water to the citizens of Dublin. The Poddle River was adequate for this supply until the 13th century when the weir at Firhouse was repaired and improved in order to take additional water from the Dodder.
Water was diverted through a number of sluices in a manmade channel, two miles long, known as the “City Watercourse”, part of which is incorporated into the park. The Firhouse Weir is one of the main features of the Dodder Valley with a splendid artificial waterfall. Spawell House was a popular meeting place for Dublin’s 18th-century nobility and remains a feature of today’s park.