Located in Ranelagh and extending to 1 hectare (2.47 acres), the gardens were originally part of 5 hectares of pleasure gardens developed in 1775 by a businessman who called them after Lord Ranelagh from Co. Wicklow. Lord Ranelagh had similar pleasure gardens beside the Thames in London. The first hot air balloon flight in Ireland was launched from the pleasure gardens by Richard Crosbie. The gardens were later sold to a teaching order of nuns and in 1840 the convent there became totally enclosed and the gardens forgotten.

When the lands were developed for housing in the mid 1980's, the current small park was designed to include an ornamental pool thereby restoring the two-hundred years historical connection with the original Ranelagh Gardens.