During the period 1920-1922, the fighting in the Irish Civil War destroyed the track in a number of places and a lot of business was lost.
As buses were becoming more popular, less people were travelling on the tram. The tramway company cut the price of travel but it was not enough to stop the flow of passengers to the new forms of transport. The last tram to Blessington left Terenure at 6:15 p.m. on Sunday 31st December 1932. It was followed by a tram that went to Tallaght at 10:30 p.m. that night. The tram ran for 44 years in total.
A working model of the Dublin to Blessington Steam Tram can be seen at the Fry Model Railway in the grounds of Malahide Castle in County Dublin.