Castletown Cost To Taxpayer Under Scrutiny As OPW Pressed On Missed Buyout Windows

Monday, 1 December 2025 10:32

By Martin Osborne - Head Of News

The OPW also confirmed the business case behind the multimillion-euro deal will be published - but only “in due course”.

The OPW is facing fresh questions over how much the long-running Castletown House saga has ultimately cost the taxpayer - and why opportunities to buy the surrounding lands in 2021 and 2022 were missed.

At an Oireachtas committee meeting, Kildare North Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly pressed OPW chairman John Conlon to account for the financial impact of the two-year closure, the security bill, and the dramatically higher price paid this year to finally reunify the estate.

Deputy Farrelly said some estimates suggest the delay may have added €5m to €8m to the overall cost - when rising land values, staff and security spending, and the final sale price are considered.

But Mr Conlon pushed back, calling the figures “speculative” and insisting the OPW “deals in facts”, not assumptions.

The lands were purchased last month at a price of €11.25m.

Lisney had advised that the market value of the lands stood at between €7.25 and €7.5 million in September, but the OPW says the higher price reflects the strategic importance of the purchase.

The lands were sold for €5m in 2023.

Mr Conlon said the State was prepared to pay up to 50% above market value this time, describing the purchase as a “strategic” move to achieve a long-term objective the OPW had pursued since 2021.

However, he admitted he could not provide exact figures on what the two-year standoff cost: staffing, security, maintenance, and managing incidents at both Castletown and Donaghcumper all added to the bill.

The OPW also confirmed the business case behind the multimillion-euro deal will be published - but only “in due course”.

Mr Conlon said the focus now is on reopening the gates and car park as "quickly" as possible and delivering a new masterplan with Kildare County Council, promising full public consultation.

Castletown previously attracted one million visitors a year, and the OPW says restoring that footfall is now a priority.

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