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Mr. Brian Hayes, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), today announced the opening of the new Stable Wing Conference and Event Centre at Castletown House, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. The Centre was officially opened this morning by Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, whose Department funded the project, through Fáilte Ireland, in the amount of €3.9M.

Speaking at the opening Minister Hayes said: "Today is a landmark day in the history of Castletown House and Demesne. All of the work done on the House to date, taken together with the Stable Wing Event and Conference Centre, and the restoration of the demesne and walkways at this historic property, means Castletown can play a leading role in providing quality dining and conference support infrastructure to the conference sector."

The Minister continued: "Castletown is considered by many to be Ireland’s grandest Palladian mansion and is a flagship property in the OPW’s Heritage Services portfolio, contributing significantly to the leisure and business tourism infrastructure. It is expected that this investment will now contribute to the generation of jobs and employment in Kildare and surrounding areas. Castletown, together with Dublin Castle, Farmleigh, Royal Hospital Kilmainham and Rathfarnham

The Minister concluded: "The importance and historical significance of Castletown House cannot be underestimated. Visitor numbers have been rising steadily while this development work has been advancing, with an emphasis on cultural events and tours of the House. Some 2,500 visitors attended the Christmas Fair here in the Stables last Sunday. Some 40,000 have visited the House in 2011, a huge increase in numbers since the 10,000 that visited in 2006. It is also estimated that an additional 100,000 have visited the parkland over the course of the year."