Explore the real places in Dublin that appear in The Witch Elm by Tana French. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Ivy House (The Ivy House, Ranelagh area), The Witch Elm in the Garden, Toby's Apartment, Dublin, The Pub Night Out, Hospital Recovery and 5 more.
Southside Dublin suburbs — the Hennessy family ancestral home
Ivy House is the sprawling family home of Uncle Hugo, where Toby spent childhood summers with his cousins Leon and Susanna. After the attack, Toby moves in with his girlfriend Melissa to care for Hugo, who is dying of a brain tumor. The house becomes the stage for the novel's central mystery, as family secrets surface and detectives circle the household.
The Ivy House is fictional, modeled on the large Victorian and Edwardian family houses found in Dublin's leafy southside suburbs. Such houses with long back gardens were typical of the professional middle class in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The southside suburbs around Ranelagh and Rathgar still feature grand redbrick houses, mostly private homes or divided into apartments. The house itself does not exist, and these homes are not open to visitors.
Back garden of Ivy House — where the skull is found
The wych elm at the bottom of the garden is where Leon's friend's children, and later Susanna's daughter Hannah and Leon's kids, discover a human skull in the hollow trunk. Detective Rafferty and Detective Sallow's team arrive, and the skull is identified as Dominick Ganly, a schoolfriend of Toby's who vanished a decade earlier. The find shatters Toby's belief in his own innocent past.
Wych elms are native to Ireland and Britain, and many were lost to Dutch elm disease in the 20th century. Large ancient specimens are rare and valued in Irish gardens.
The tree is fictional, but mature wych elms can still be found in Dublin parks and old gardens. The Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin hold a variety of historic trees.
Dublin city south side — where Toby lives before the attack
Toby shares a flat in the city with his girlfriend Melissa, living a carefree life of work and nights out. After the burglars beat him, the flat is where he returns, haunted by what happened. The break-in robs him of the easy confidence that defined him and makes the apartment feel unsafe.
Dublin's Georgian and Victorian districts south of the canal have long housed young professionals in converted flats. The area saw major development during the Celtic Tiger years.
The area around Grand Canal Dock and Ranelagh is a mix of apartments, cafes and offices. Individual flats are private residences.
Dublin city centre — the celebration before the attack
Toby celebrates with friends after escaping consequences at work, drinking and laughing in a Dublin bar. The night marks the last evening of his old, untroubled self. Hours later he is beaten by the burglars who break into his home.
Dublin's pub culture is central to the city's social life, with famous establishments in Temple Bar and around Grafton Street dating back centuries.
Temple Bar remains a lively nightlife district full of pubs and music venues open to the public.
Visit: Temple Bar (landmark)
Dublin hospital — Toby's treatment after the beating
After the assault, Toby is treated for a serious head injury, left with memory problems, a limp and lingering anxiety. Doctors warn that some damage may be permanent. His struggle with word-finding and recall shapes how he narrates the story, raising questions about how reliable his memory is.
Dublin has a long history of hospital care, with institutions like St James's Hospital and the Mater serving as major trauma centres. Neurological care has developed significantly in recent decades.
St James's Hospital remains one of Ireland's largest teaching hospitals, serving patients from across the country. It is a working medical facility rather than a tourist destination.
Dame Street — Garda and legal Dublin backdrop
While not a primary setting, Dublin Castle stands for the official, institutional city against which Toby's personal drama plays out. The investigation by the Garda detectives unfolds in the same city of old authority and buried secrets.
Dublin Castle was the seat of English and British rule in Ireland for over 700 years, built on the site of a Viking settlement. It was handed over to the Irish Free State in 1922.
The castle is a major tourist attraction offering state apartments tours, the Chapel Royal and gardens. It also hosts government events.
Visit: Dublin Castle (historic site)
Northwest Dublin — green space for reflection
Phoenix Park represents the Dublin outdoors where Toby might walk to clear his mind as he recovers and wrestles with fear. The novel's attention to nature, from the garden elm to city green spaces, mirrors Toby's attempts to find stability.
Phoenix Park, established in the 1660s, is one of the largest enclosed urban parks in Europe. It contains Dublin Zoo, Áras an Uachtaráin and a herd of fallow deer.
The park is open daily and free to visit, offering walking trails, the Wellington Monument and the zoo.
Visit: Phoenix Park (park)
College Green — Toby's educated, privileged world
Trinity represents the educated Dublin milieu of Toby's family and friends, whose ease and privilege shape how they treat him and others. Toby's old schoolfriend circle, including Sallow-adjacent acquaintances and the vanished Dominick, belong to this comfortable social world.
Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I and is Ireland's oldest university. It houses the Book of Kells in its Old Library.
Trinity is an active university and major tourist site, with the Book of Kells exhibition and Long Room open to visitors.
Visit: Trinity College Dublin (historic site)
Phoenix Park — where the investigation unfolds
Detectives Rafferty and Sallow interview Toby, Hugo's family and others as they work to identify the skull. Toby's patchy memory and defensive reactions make him a suspect in his own mind as well as the detectives'. The interviews expose the fault lines in the Hennessy family.
An Garda Síochána, Ireland's national police service, has had its headquarters in Phoenix Park since the early 20th century.
Garda Headquarters is a working government office and not open to the public.
South Dublin — Toby's walking routes
Toby walks along the Grand Canal as he tries to rebuild his strength and sort through half-formed memories. The calm waterway contrasts with his inner turmoil as he reassesses his relationships with Melissa, Leon and Susanna.
The Grand Canal was built in the 18th century to link Dublin with the River Shannon. Its banks became a popular urban amenity, with the Patrick Kavanagh bench a well-known landmark.
The canal banks are public walking and cycling routes lined with trees, cafes and waterside seating.
Visit: Grand Canal Walkway (park)
More by Tana French: In the Woods locations map · All Tana French books
More novels set in Dublin: Browse all Dublin books on Map A Story
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