Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
491. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he is aware of the closures of cafes, other businesses and museums in the vicinity of Dublin Castle to accommodate Ireland's EU Presidency; the engagement his Department has had with these businesses; if the businesses were given official notification of such closures and the supports offered to businesses affected. [39374/26]
View answerDublin Castle will be the primary State venue for events during Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the EU with more than one hundred events taking place including conferences, meetings, dinners, cultural events and receptions.
In order to finalise preparations for Ireland’s hosting of the Presidency, the State Apartments at Dublin Castle closed to the public from Tuesday 5 May. The wider Dublin Castle campus remains accessible to the public for a further period, including the Chester Beatty Library (including the Silk Road Café), the Dubh Linn gardens and the Census exhibition in the Coach House Gallery.
From mid-June 2026 for the six-month duration of the Presidency, the Dublin Castle campus will close to the public in its entirety. There will be no public access, and no through access from Dame Street (Palace Street Gate) to Ship Street for the duration.
It will be well understood that the detailed arrangements for access to the Dublin Castle Campus from mid-June onward have been the subject of extensive engagement and discussions between An Garda Síochána, the OPW and the Department of Foreign Affairs for approximately eighteen months. At all stages, the tenant organisations within the Dublin Castle campus were kept abreast of the developing position.
A final determination as to the need for closure of the full campus to the public was made at a meeting with An Garda Síochána (AGS) in February 2026 that was attended by the Chester Beatty Library, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the OPW, and reflects the firm determination of AGS that the security requirements of the Presidency are such that the closed area for Dublin Castle during the Presidency must encompass the full campus, including the Chester Beatty Library building.
The Silk Road Café, located within the Chester Beatty Library building, is a licensee of the Chester Beatty Library and operates within its premises. I understand that the Chester Beatty Library maintained contact and shared information openly with its licensee throughout the period of engagement, and formally communicated the final position in a letter to the licensee in early March.
The Chester Beatty Library is responsible for its own operations and that of the licensee. While I understand that the current engagements between the Library and its licensee do not relate exclusively to the EU Presidency, the OPW has no operational oversight in respect of either organisation, and no involvement in the procurement or operation of the license agreement for the Café.
