OPW spends almost €500k on art, antiques and redecorating Farmleigh since 2022

Farmleigh House was bought by the State in 1999 for €29.2 million to serve as accommodation for visiting heads of state and other dignitaries.

Almost half a million euro has been spent on redecoration, antique furniture, and artworks for the State guesthouse Farmleigh over the past three years.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has paid out €491,000 for new items and repair with almost €260,000 of that paid for historic furniture that was on loan from the Guinness family, the original owners of the mansion in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

Other costs include more than €4,000 for advisory services on how best to re-hang art at the house, which was originally built in the mid-18th century.

A further €5,452 was paid for the freezing of furniture with textiles in a 40-foot container to ensure there were no moths that could damage the delicate items.

Works of art were also bought including an outlay of €15,369 for two marble busts and €13,000 for a Kwaidan series of fine art Irish and Japanese prints.

Farmleigh House was bought by the State in 1999 for €29.2 million to serve as accommodation for visiting heads of state and other dignitaries. 

A further €23 million was spent on restoration of the house, its gardens, and glasshouses, with the house since becoming an immensely popular visitor attraction for both locals and tourists.

A breakdown of almost €500,000 in expenditure since 2022 shows that almost €20,000 was spent on general furniture and fittings for the public and staff working at Farmleigh. 

That included €1,180 for three wheelchair-friendly picnic tables, €1,250 for a gazebo, and around €5,500 worth of furniture for the Boathouse.

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However, the main costs were incurred buying antique items for the house with €99,000 spent on some of the original furniture from Farmleigh, which came up for auction in 2023.

A sum of around €39,000 was paid to an expert for conservation work on a set of 19th-century hand-embroidered French silk portiers and curtains after falling debris from ceilings.

The OPW spent €2,500 on a “moon jar” while €5,000 was paid out for the re-organisation of artworks throughout Farmleigh House.

Also listed in a database of costs was €800 for a pencil sketch by the famed Irish artist Mainie Jellett, just under €9,000 for four sets of photographs and a book, and a piece of Aubusson tapestry for the Nursery Corridor of Farmleigh that cost €5,850.

Other costs included €9,420 for special museum-quality display cases, an antique clock costing €1,793, and €645 for a fake fire for the ballroom “to eliminate any need for lit fires for ambience". 

A spokeswoman for the OPW said since the house had been acquired by the State, it had hosted numerous high-profile visitors including the late Queen of England and continued to be used for this important State function.