Castletown House entrance and car park reopen today after two-year access dispute

ACCESS TO THE Castletown House estate via the M4 access road in north Kildare is set to be reopened today, bringing an end to more than two years of restricted public access to one of Ireland’s most visited historic estates.

The reopening follows the Office of Public Works’ (OPW’s) acquisition of the access road and adjoining car park last month, part of a 235-acre deal that finally reunified the Castletown estate after a prolonged and contentious standoff with private landowners.

Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, confirmed the reopening last week, saying repair works had been completed in time for the Christmas period.

OPW staff have carried out remedial works on the roadway in recent weeks, while a new compacted hardcore surface has been laid in the car park.

While Castletown House itself will remain closed for the winter, the wider parklands and riverside walks are open throughout the holiday period.

Toilet facilities are available daily in the West Wing, and an outdoor coffee van will operate from Monday to Thursday, offering hot drinks and snacks.

Minister Moran said he was “delighted” to see access restored, describing Castletown’s grounds as a major amenity for local communities and visitors alike.

“Road repair works have been completed promptly, and the wonderful parklands will be open for the enjoyment of many visitors over the Christmas period,” he said.

Local campaigners also welcomed the move.

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The Castletown House ‘Gate Protectors’, who had staged regular protests during the closure, said they were “thankful of this development” and expressed hope that visitors would enjoy the “newly and significantly larger reunited demesne”.

The reopening marks a significant milestone in a saga that began in 2021, when surrounding lands critical to access and parking came onto the market.

The OPW was outbid in a commercial process in 2022, leaving the lands in private ownership and triggering ongoing access disputes.

By September 2023, Castletown House was closed to the public entirely, cutting off a site that had previously attracted up to one million visitors a year.

The OPW ultimately purchased the lands in November 2025 for €11.25 million — a figure that has since prompted political scrutiny.

At an Oireachtas committee last month, Kildare North Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly questioned how much the prolonged closure and delayed purchase had cost the taxpayer.

Farrelly suggested the overall cost of the saga, when security, staffing, lost revenue and rising land values were taken into account, could be between €5 million and €8 million higher than if the lands had been acquired earlier.

OPW chairman John Conlon rejected those estimates as “speculative”..

The OPW has said a business case for the purchase will be published “in due course”.

Tours of Castletown House are expected to resume in mid-March 2026.

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