OPW missed two key chances to buy land at centre of Castletown dispute

Thousands of families have enjoyed days out at Castletown Estate in Celbridge, Co Kildare, but there is a warning on its website for those planning a trip this Easter.

"Castletown House is currently closed. The Courtyard cafe is closed for the foreseeable future. The opening hours of Castletown Estate have been reduced due to ongoing issues."

The stark warning comes after the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Killross Properties and Springwood Ltd, which last year bought a large parcel of land adjacent to the house, failed to reach an agreement about the access route from the M4 motorway, the main gate and the main car park for the house.

For 15 years entry to the estate was via the M4 access route.

However, the