Peter Thiel's private Irish retreat at five-star Powerscourt Hotel cancelled

Powerscourt Estate, on which the five-star Powerscourt Hotel and Spa is located, said it was relieved to announce the Dialog event has been cancelled

Co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, Peter Thiel is planned a retreat this summer in Dublin with an elite network of over 220 tech, financial and political figures, including NATO Europe commander Alexus Grynkewich and US Senator Ted Cruz. (Photo by Marco Bello/Getty Images)

A private retreat planned by PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, which was set to bring more than 220 tech, financial and political figures to the five-star Powerscourt Hotel in Wicklow has been cancelled, a spokesperson for Powerscourt Estate has said. 

In June, information regarding the Palantir chairman's invitation-only group Dialog and its upcoming retreat in Ireland was leaked online, with planned guests including US senator Ted Cruz and NATO Europe commander Alexus Grynkewich. The retreat was scheduled to last four days from August 12-16 at Powerscourt Hotel.

Now, a spokesperson for Powerscourt Estate, on which the five-star resort is located, said: "Following a period of great concern for Powerscourt Estate and on foot of discussions with The Powerscourt Hotel, we are relieved and pleased to announce the Dialog event planned for August at the Powerscourt Hotel has been cancelled.

"Powerscourt Estate wish to thank all of those who supported us through this difficult and challenging time. Including our staff, neighbours, friends, supporters and legal team."

A spokesperson for Powerscourt Hotel said: "Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa confirms that a publicised event scheduled to take place in August will now not be taking place at the Hotel.

"We have no further comment."

Following the news of the retreat, Powerscourt Estate said that it had sought legal advice as to whether or not it could influence the event. 

In a statement on June 19, the estate said it became aware through media coverage of the event taking place on the premises of Powerscourt Hotel and Spa, a long-standing tenant of the estate.

Powerscourt Hotel, Co. Wicklow

"The Estate wishes to unreservedly state that if it were within their remit they would cancel the event planned. However, as they have a legally binding lease with MHL Hotels, this is not possible," a spokesperson said.

"Powerscourt Estate are currently taking legal advice as to whether or not they can affect the planned event."

Powerscourt Hotel is operated by the MHL Hotel Collection, the second largest hotel group in Dublin City. Among its portfolio are the Spencer Hotel, Hilton Dublin, and the Intercontinental Dublin. It also operates The Glenlo Abbey Hotel and Golf Course in Galway and the Limerick Strand Hotel.

Internal leaked records from Thiel's private group named participants and revealed personal details that were intended to remain private. 

Leaked event schedule

Dialog has never disclosed its members, but the leak listed several participants involved in the August trip to Powerscourt, naming 222 people in total and their respective membership status, which included labels such as "active member" and "guest."

The same leak also revealed a program of off-the-record events scheduled for the August retreat, which included: "Money (Does?) Buy Happiness,” “Bring Back Nuclear,” “Navigating WWIII,” “Battlefield Technologies,” and “How’s Your Sex Life?” 

Other events included talks such as “Build-a-Cult,” moderated by the founder of the Christian networking site Pray.com, and “Build-a-Party,” run by a former White House national security official.

In addition to Ted Cruz and Alexus Grynkewich, the directory lists potential guests including sitting Trump administration officials, six former members of PayPal, and a sitting ambassador to the United States, along with the founders and directors of some of the largest surveillance, data-broker, and advertising-data companies in the world.

Dialog founder Peter Thiel has become one of the most politically influential entrepreneurs and political activists in the US. An early investor in Facebook and co-founder of payments giant PayPal, Thiel is also the co-founder and chairman of Palantir, which has been criticised for its role in human surveillance, military operations and privacy breaches.

Palantir's customer base includes federal agencies, governments and private companies. It has previously partnered with US immigration police to develop software for the agency, and in 2024, the company entered a strategic partnership with Israel, providing its defence ministry with AI models and data analysis tools to support the country's war efforts.

The venture capitalist is also a vocal supporter of Trump and was one of the first in Silicon Valley to endorse the president during his first campaign in 2016.