It may not be the most architecturally significant house (in some correspondents' opinions), but to anyone The Irish Times spoke to at its official opening on Saturday afternoon, Farmleigh House was shining.
Whether it was the glorious July sunshine, the splendour of the refurbishment or the free wine, the house and seven and a half thousand guests alike were beaming.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who opened the house, said Farmleigh had "passed from being a private demesne and has become a major public building and public space". The palatial Victorian building, which is situated just beside the Phoenix Park in Dublin, near Chapelizod and Castleknock, was bought by the State for £23 million in 1999. The Office of Public Works spent £18 million refurbishing and restoring the house and 79 acres of surrounding lands. It will now be used to entertain and accommodate visiting dignitaries and as a venue for high-level Government meetings.
Though Mr Ahern said on Saturday that he told the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, last week that Farmleigh would be "no Chequers", that there would be "no machine guns and no one met at the door with dogs" and that "Farmleigh was for the Irish people", its function will be that of an Irish Chequers. Pat and Eimear McAuliffe, from Cabinteely in Dublin, enjoyed their tour of the house. Eimear said she thought it more impressive than the White House, which she had also toured.
Some 12,000 invitations to the opening were given out - some by national and local radio stations as prizes to people around the State. Others were sent directly to residents around the Castleknock and Chapelizod areas, the 600 people who worked on Farmleigh as well as members of the Oireachtas, by the OPW. Among the entertainments were a vintage car show, a parachute show, a dog show, the Army Number 1 Band and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Farmleigh will be open to the public every weekend in August.
