A service vehicle was blocked from entering the Castletown House Estate in Celbridge in Co Kildare, via its Lime Avenue entrance, by a group of around twenty protesters amid an ongoing dispute about access to the site.
The van has since left.
Gardaí attended the scene and engaged with those taking part in the protest.
A dispute about access has meant that Castletown House has been largely closed to the public for 19 months and service vehicles have not been able to access the site since Christmas.
The Office of Public Works had published a notice to say that it would commence bringing service vehicles onto the site, via Lime Avenue, from today.
Lime Avenue is a traditional pedestrian route on the estate.
The OPW has said that it plans to escort service vehicles along the pedestrian route using a buggy that can travel at a maximum speed of 10km per hour.
However, protesters say that this it will not adequately protect members of the public who use this amenity.
Local Councillor Nuala Killeen of the Social Democrats confirmed to RTÉ News that local representatives have now invited the OPW to recommence mediated talks with the community to try and resolve the dispute.
In September 2023, following the private sale of nearby land, an entrance and car park near the M4 was closed to the public and OPW staff.
New access routes were proposed by the OPW near Celbridge village, but some locals objected and a group, who call themselves the Gatekeepers, have kept a presence at the gates ever since.
Gatekeeper spokesperson Jackie De Lacey said that between September 2023 and December 2024 they had agreed a compromise with the OPW to allow service vehicles to access the site via Lime Avenue with a person escorting them.
Ms De Lacey said that they want to see this continue until the wider concerns about access are addressed.
The Gatekeeper group object to the OPW's proposed use of a buggy instead of a walking escort, saying they are concerned about the welfare of those using the route.
Joggers, dog walkers and mothers with infants in buggies and prams were among the members of the public seen using Lime Avenue as the protest continued.
OPW staff were present today and spoke to with members of the Gatekeeper Group, as well as with representatives of another campaign group called Friends of Castletown and local representatives, including Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly and Fianna Fáil TD Naoise Ó Cearúil.
In a statement issued this afternoon the OPW said that "the proposed alternative of walking contractors for access is not feasible or practical."
The statement said that "the OPW manages hundreds of heritage sites across the country, and it is standard practice that pedestrians and vehicles share public spaces such as roadways and paths within the historic estates" and gave examples of St. Stephen's Green, the Phoenix Park, Kilkenny Castle, Doneraile Estate and the National Botanic gardens.
It said that it had planned "controlled, speed-limited access for essential service vehicles".
The OPW said that the contractors that were due on site today were "to allow maintenance of the life safety system, delivery of fuel supplies and other essential goods and services", and said once service vehicles have access to the estate, "Castletown House will operate a guided tour service from 9:30 to 16:30" and that the estate would be open "from dawn until dusk".
Gatekeeper spokesperson Jackie De Lacey said that "nothing has been resolved".
