Irish National Stud

Irish National Stud

The Irish National Stud was established in 1900 and is located on the limestone plains of County Kildare in central Ireland. Thanks to its mineral-rich soil and water, it provides an ideal natural environment for raising racehorses, earning a prestigious reputation across Europe and the world. The stud farm is just an hour from Dublin and is the only stud farm in Ireland open to the public.

The Irish National Stud houses some of Ireland’s finest racehorses and is situated between two of Ireland’s top horticultural heritage sites — the Japanese Garden and St Fiachra’s Garden. It primarily consists of four main areas: the National Stud, Japanese Garden, St Fiachra’s Garden, and the Horse Museum. Here, visitors can tour the horse breeding facilities, stallion paddocks, and stables, learn about the basics of horse breeding, and explore the Horse Museum. Among them, the Horse Museum showcases the stud’s glorious history and the skeletal remains of Arkle, the legendary Irish steeplechaser; Arkle won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times and was known to enjoy a post-race pint of Guinness.

In May 2011, during Queen Elizabeth II’s state visit to Ireland, the Irish National Stud was featured as a star attraction on her itinerary. It is said that Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather, King Edward VII, was the last reigning monarch to own the winner of the Epsom Derby — the world’s most prestigious flat horse race. That horse, named Minoru, was trained at the Irish National Stud.

Irish National Stud

Must-visit reason: Ireland’s finest racehorses

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Ireland[Ireland]

Province/state where the attraction is located: County Kildare [County Kildare]