Castletown House and Parklands in Celbridge is more than a historic estate. For thousands of families, walkers, and vulnerable users from across Kildare and beyond, it is a place of calm, connection and open green space — a lifeline during the Covid years and long before.
This priceless heritage landscape was originally developed by the Conolly family in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1966, Desmond Guinness purchased Castletown House, rescuing it from dereliction. In 1994, he gifted the house to the State, with a vision that the full estate would one day be reunited and restored for public benefit. While most of the surrounding lands had already been sold to developers, that long-term goal remained alive.
For years, the Office of Public Works (OPW) accessed the house and parklands via a leased entrance from the M4 at Junction 6, as the historic gates were unsuitable for modern traffic. That arrangement came to an abrupt end in 2023 when the new landowner declined to renew the lease and physically blocked the only vehicle entrance.
Instead of engaging with the community, the OPW attempted to solve the problem by quietly constructing a new access road and car park through the riverside meadow at the Celbridge Gate — a cherished pedestrian entrance along Lime Avenue — without planning permission or public consultation.
That move sparked something extraordinary.
One local resident, out walking early one morning with her infant daughter, stood in front of the machinery and refused to move, citing safety concerns. Her quiet act of courage became the spark that lit a community movement. Cave Castletown was born.
From September 2023 to November 2025, local residents and supporters maintained a peaceful, determined presence at the Celbridge Gate. Through rain, hail and winter cold, they protected a place that belonged to everyone — ensuring that walkers, families, older people and vulnerable users would not be pushed aside by traffic and tarmac.For more than two years, the community kept going. They attended meetings. They proposed solutions. They even helped secure an offer of an alternative car park from a neighbouring company — an offer that was ignored. Three OPW ministers came and went. Still, the protesters held the line. And then, in November 2025, the breakthrough finally came.
On 16 November, the State purchased the adjoining lands, securing proper vehicle access and safeguarding the parklands for the future. The meadow at Celbridge Gate was saved. The vision of Castletown as a shared, open, historic landscape for everyone was protected.
This victory did not come from behind closed doors. It came from people standing together — quietly, persistently, respectfully — and refusing to give up.
It is a reminder that when ordinary people care deeply about something that matters, they can move mountains. Castletown stands today not just as a heritage landmark, but as a living symbol of what community action can achieve.
Power to the People.