Access road to Castletown House to reopen after OPW acquisition

Ellen O'Donoghue

Vehicular access for visitors of the Castletown demesne via the M4 access road is to reopen on December 22nd, following the successful acquisition of the access road and carpark by the Office of Public Works in November 2025.

Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, with responsibility for the OPW, made the announcement on Thursday.

OPW site staff have overseen repairs to the roadway and a new compacted hardcore surface has been applied to the carpark in the last few weeks.

The house will remain closed for the winter, but the parklands and riverside walks will remain open throughout the holiday period.

Toilet facilities are available in the West Wing of Castletown House seven days a week, and an outdoor coffee van will provide hot drinks and snacks from Mondays to Thursdays, inclusive.

Mr Moran said that he is delighted to see the road reopening.

"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.

Further works are to be carried out in the future in accordance with the overall development plan for the site, with tours of the House due to resume in mid-March 2026.

The OPW acquired the lands at the historic Castletown House in November following a long standoff.

The lands were previously privately owned and, over the years, the OPW sought to purchase them without success. Most recently, in 2022, the OPW was outbid in a commercial best-bids process, and the lands remained in private ownership.

Since then, issues around access to the Castletown Estate have arisen, and as a result, Castletown House was closed to the public in September 2023.