Ireland's Padel Map, September 2026: 302 Courts, and Two Counties Off Zero
Verified 1 September 2026. Every venue below was checked against a live booking system, an official planning record or the operator's own site. This is the monthly update to Ireland's padel court tracker.
The headline numbers
Ireland now has 302 open padel courts across 88 venues on the island, with 194 courts at 65 venues in the Republic and 108 courts at 23 venues in Northern Ireland. We track 140 locations in total once courts in build and in planning are counted.
August was not a month of big openings. It was the month two counties got their first courts at all — and the month the planning refusals started getting as much attention as the approvals.
Newly open: two counties off zero
Sligo finally has padel
Let's Go Padel Sligo opened in August on Finisklin Road in Rathedmond, Sligo (F91 XF38) — the first padel club in County Sligo. Until this month, anyone in the county wanting a game was driving to Letterkenny or Ballina.
Four courts: two indoor doubles, one indoor singles court, and one outdoor doubles court. All four are panoramic — full glass at the back rather than mesh. Three courts under a roof is what makes this venue work on the Atlantic coast: an indoor slot booked in November is a slot you actually play.
The singles court is the unusual part. There are very few in Ireland, and they are genuinely useful — cheaper per head and far easier to fill at short notice than finding three other people.
Court prices: doubles €30 for 60 minutes off-peak, €36 peak; 90 minutes €45 and €54. The singles court is €18–20 an hour. Coached intro sessions around €16 per person, club socials around €12.50. Open Monday to Friday 11am–11pm, weekends 9am–9pm, booking through Playtomic. The official grand opening is Saturday 5 September.
Split four ways, an off-peak hour is about €7.50 each — roughly what one hired racket costs at most clubs. See where to play padel in Sligo.
Clare's first courts, three at a time
Banner Padel Ennis is open at Quin Road Business Park, Ennis (V95 D592) — the first padel venue in County Clare. The site has six indoor courts built, but it is trading on a soft opening with three of them in play. Classes and socials are scheduled from 5 September.
We count three, not six. Under our own rule a court is only open when you can book it today. The other three will go on the map when they are bookable. See where to play padel in Clare.
The Padel League of Ireland launched
On 1 August the Padel Federation of Ireland launched the Padel League of Ireland — an all-island competition with 33 clubs, 106 teams and more than 1,000 players in its first season.
That is the number worth holding onto this month. Courts can be announced, delayed and recounted. A thousand players entering a competitive league in a single month is demand you cannot inflate with a press release.
Approved in August: three courts in Stillorgan
St Benildus College, Kilmacud Road Upper, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin — three enclosed courts, applicant PM Padel Limited. Granted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on 18 August 2026 under six conditions (ref D26A/0479/WEB).
This was a second attempt. An earlier application for the same three courts was refused on 23 April 2026 (ref D26A/0157/WEB) because the site falls within the reserved corridor for the Dublin Eastern Bypass. We can find no record of an appeal against that refusal — the applicant simply reapplied and got a different answer.
Just outside the month: Listowel, Co. Kerry — two modular courts for Padel Sports 100 Limited on John B. Keane Road, granted 31 July 2026 (Kerry ref 2660061).
The refusals are now part of the story
On 25 August the Irish Times published "Ireland's padel court building boom in full swing despite high-profile planning refusals" — the first mainstream coverage to give the refusals equal billing. The list is substantial:
- Padel Tennis Ireland, Bishopstown, Cork — 8 courts, refused February
- Spencer Dock, Dublin — 2 courts, refused February
- Swords Pavilion — 10 courts, refused March on MetroLink land reservation
- Mount Pleasant, Ranelagh — stalled on objections in July
Twenty courts refused across three decisions, plus one stalled. Set that against the 82 courts we track as coming soon and the 44 with permission granted, and the refusal rate starts to look like a real constraint rather than a footnote.
The St Benildus case is the template: refused in April on a transport corridor reservation, granted in August after reapplication. Padel in Ireland is increasingly being built in the gaps between other people's infrastructure plans.
Coming soon: what to watch
- West Wood Club Leopardstown, Dublin — 8 indoor courts and 2 pickleball courts in an air dome. The operator said end of August; as of 1 September there is no bookable listing and directories still show it as coming soon.
- House of Padel Belfast, Redcar Street — 8 courts (6 doubles, 2 singles) plus 3 pickleball courts across 33,000 sq ft, a £1.5m development. Confirmed for end of September.
- Indoor Padel Ireland, Navan, Co. Meath — 6 courts (5 doubles, 1 singles) at Mullaghboy Industrial Estate. Listed on Playtomic with no bookable slots yet.
- Park Padel at Waterpark RFC, Waterford — 4 courts, delayed, now expected within weeks.
- Padel 100 at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Sligo — 3 outdoor courts. If it lands, Sligo goes from nothing to seven courts across two venues inside a year.
- Kingfisher Padel Club, Templepatrick, Co. Antrim — announced in May as Padel Society's second site. Its Playtomic listing still reads "Coming Soon" and we have not been able to confirm a court count from any source. Announced, not open.
Corrections this month
Three court counts changed, all downwards, all for the same reason — we had been counting what was announced rather than what was bookable.
- Let's Go Padel Sligo: 10 courts → 4. The ten came from an early announcement. Playtomic lists the courts individually and there are four.
- Banner Padel Ennis: 6 → 3. Six built, three in play on a soft opening.
- Let's Go Padel Newry: 4 → 2. Confirmed against the operator's own locations page.
We have changed the rule that governs this. Court counts now come from the operator's live booking system — Playtomic, Rallyd or Matchi, where courts are listed individually and can be counted one by one. A press release is a lead, not a figure.
That matters beyond our own tracker. The Padel Federation of Ireland told the Irish Times that 254 courts have been built in the State since the first Dublin court in 2012. We count 194 you can book today. "Built" and "bookable" are different questions — but the gap between them is worth knowing about before you drive somewhere.
How we verify
Nothing goes on this map because someone said so. Open venues are confirmed by live, bookable slots on a booking system or by the operator's own site, and we count only the courts actually in play. Planned venues are confirmed against the planning authority's own record — application number, description and decision date. Applications merely lodged are labelled as such, not as approved. Where we cannot verify a court count, we do not publish one.
Browse every venue on the Ireland padel court finder, see how your county ranks in the County Padel Density League, or check what it costs to play in the Irish Padel Price Index.
New to the sport and need a racket before your first session? Our padel racket range ships from Waterford in 1–3 working days, with free delivery over €75 and no customs charges.
Spotted a court we're missing, or something we've got wrong? Get in touch and we'll verify and update.