Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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203. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of plans by the OPW to enhance the user and visitor experience at Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare (details supplied). [34033/21]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The OPW keeps visitor facilities and experience at Castletown under continuous review. In 2018 the Commissioners of Public Works, having restored the pleasure gardens at Castletown, installed a visitor experience there which catered exclusively for parents and young children. This children's garden features a play area with play equipment, picnic benches and seats, a fairy trail and specially commissioned animal sculptures. The OPW is currently working to expand the offering with dedicated children's trails on the subjects of ecology and biodiversity. It is planned to further enhance the facilities for parents and children in this part of the site.

Castletown is a very significant site for biodiversity and is the recipient of a Green Flag Award for good management of the estate and has also won the All-Ireland Pollinator award. The great majority of the parkland surrounding the great house is managed to maximise the benefit to wild flowers, meadowland plants, insects,  animals and birds. The meadow grass and associated wild plants are encouraged to grow naturally and local management does not encourage people to stray off the paths as this has a disastrous effect, particularly on ground nesting birds. Walking pathways have been cut through the meadowland to allow visitors to appreciate them and management encourage people to confine themselves to using these paths and to the extensive network on hard paths throughout the estate.

There are currently no plans to introduce a treetop or canopy walk at Castletown as it considered that this would not be appropriate to the estate.