Minister for finance Charlie McCreevy will be getting out his chequebook next month to pay the balance of the £23 million for the State's purchase of Farmleigh, the Guinness house and 23-acre estate bordering Dublin's Phoenix Park. An interdepartmental committee has been set up comprising the Taoiseach's Office, the Department of the Arts, and the OPW to examine its overall condition before the State gets possession on December 15th.
Both the library collection and the furniture will remain in the house for the forseeable future.
Minister Martin Cullen says OPW architects have been surveying Farmleigh to assess the refurbishment, safety and security needs which will make it more suitable for use by the State. Art historians have been carrying out an inventory. It is most important, he says, to see how public access can be achieved. "The OPW will be responsible for managing it and our intention is to maximise its use and make it a living property like Dublin Castle."
Farmleigh will be ready by October 2000 to become the State guesthouse and meeting rooms. And no, there are no plans for a millennium party there. Ditto with Dublin Castle, the Government has booked it for December 31st, but doesn't know what to do with it. It was the best way, Quidnunc hears, of fending off both queries and requests about its use on the night.
Quidnunc is at rholohan@irish-times.ie