The following 26 OPW managed properties have been used for non-Government organised events in 2004: Dublin Castle; Royal Hospital Kilmainham; Farmleigh; 51-52 St. Stephen's Green; the Atrium Altamont Gardens, County Carlow; Donegal Castle, County Donegal; Phoenix Park, Dublin 8; Garden of Remembrance, Dublin 1; St. Stephen's Green Park, Dublin 2; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2; National War Memorial Gardens, Dublin 8; Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin 14; St. Enda's Park, Dublin 16; National Botanic Gardens, Dublin 9; Athenry Castle, County Galway; Castletown, County Kildare; Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny; Emo Court, County Laois; Desmond Hall, County Limerick; Bru na Boinne, County Meath; Hill of Tara, County Meath; Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon; Mainguard, Clonmel, County Tipperary; Roscrea Castle, County Tipperary; Dungarvan Castle, County Waterford; Tintern Abbey, County Wexford. The arrangements made for the use of the properties may vary depending on the property concerned and the nature of the event.
Dublin Castle is the main OPW property in which non-Government events are held. For the first six months of 2004, Dublin Castle was not available for private hire because it was being used exclusively for meetings and events of the Irish EU Presidency. To date in 2004 only two non-Government organised events have been held there. Application to use Dublin Castle is made through local management and, if agreed, is subject to a standard hiring contract. The majority of such events would be conferences, seminars, exhibitions or receptions and would have no impact on local communities. However, for the past number of years outdoor public concerts have been held in Dublin Castle on the May bank holiday weekend. These concerts were held under planning permission granted by Dublin City Council to the organisers and this permission contained conditions designed to minimise impact on the surrounding community. In 2004 these concerts were held on the June bank holiday weekend and were subject to recent regulations governing the holding of certain outdoor events. These regulations require that certain outdoor events must have an event plan drawn up by the organisers and agreed with the statutory authorities such the gardaí, emergency services, planning authority and so on. Apart from ensuring the health and safety of attendees the purpose of this agreed plan is to minimise disruption to local communities.
The hiring contract to which I referred provides that the person organising the event must provide evidence of adequate public and employer liability insurance. Fees are charged for the use of the properties within Dublin Castle. There is a number of different event venues within the Dublin Castle complex and each has different capacities. Hire charges range from €1,460 to €12,700 per day depending on the venue chosen. There is no formal set of criteria drawn up to assess the suitability of events. In deciding whether to allow use of the property local management has regard to the nature of the event, its appropriateness in terms of form and content and its potential impact on both the image and fabric of Dublin Castle.
The OPW manages the north range of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham as an event venue on behalf of the Irish Museum of Modern Art which is a tenant of that property. As with Dublin Castle, the RHK was not available for private hire in the first six months of 2004 due to the EU Presidency. Only two non-Government events have been held in this property to date in 2004. The same provisions governing the use of Dublin Castle apply at this property also.
Farmleigh is not available for non-Government organised use. However, from 24 July 2004 to 30 July 2004, as part of the Farmleigh public access events programme, RTE, in conjunction with OPW, will present the RTE Farmleigh proms- a week long series of concerts free to the public. The proms were held in 2003 also. RTE will be required to produce evidence of insurance for this event. There is no charge for use of Farmleigh for this event. Planning permission has been granted for use of Farmleigh for public events such as the proms. A detailed traffic management plan formed part of the planning application.
Most of the events held at the other 23 properties on the above list, with the exception of the recent large concert in the Phoenix Park and the national country fair at Emo Court, have been on a small scale ranging from poetry and musical recitals, launches and receptions to sporting events. They were predominantly organised by local community groups or charitable and sporting organisations, and local communities were consulted as appropriate. All such events organised at heritage properties are covered by public liability insurance.
Each application to stage an event is examined on its merits with reference to the nature and purpose of the event, to the social and cultural benefits obtaining, the infrastructure and conservation needs of the site and the integrity of the property in question. I refer the Deputy to the replies given to Questions No. 502 of 7 October 2003, No. 53 of 16 October 2003 and No. 146 of 1 June 2004 on events held in the Phoenix Park.
A fee was charged for the holding of the national country fair in Emo Court. The site and facilities were particularly appropriate for such an event but the main consideration was to raise the profile of and to publicise, and disseminate information about this magnificent but relatively unknown property nationally.
