I propose to take Questions Nos. 487 and 488 together.
Dublin Castle is 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.
A total of five venues across the Castle campus will host meetings and dinners including St. Patricks Hall, George’s Hall, the Printworks Conference Centre, the Hibernia Conference Centre and the Chester Beatty Library. There will be a media centre located in the former Werburgh Street labour exchange.
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 Dublin Castle steps are also closed, to allow completion of essential repair works to the brick building adjacent to the bottom of the steps. These are at an advanced stage and will be completed shortly.
The wider Dublin Castle campus remains accessible to the public at present, including the Chester Beatty Library, the Dubh Linn gardens and the census exhibition in the Coach House Gallery. The public is advised to check our websites and social media channels for updates on access arrangements at Dublin Castle during May and June 2026.
From mid-June 2026 for the six-month duration of the Presidency, the Dublin Castle campus will close the public in its entirety. There will be no public access, in particular, there will be no through access from Dame Street (Palace Street Gate) to Ship Street for the duration.
