The usual market and events at Farmleigh House are cancelled for 2026, OPW says

John Rogan answered the phone on Monday while changing a wheel on his van on the banks of the River Inny in Co. Westmeath.

“Look, I'm semi-retired now. I have a little business,” he said at the start of the call. He’s been a vendor at Farmleigh Food & Craft Market since it started, about 25 years ago. 

Then, in December, he said he heard from the Office of Public Works (OPW), which runs the official state guest house and its surrounding estate – across Phoenix Park from the President’s official residence, Áras an Uachtaráin. 

The market would be off for 2026, he says he was told.

The reason? Farmleigh would be needed while Ireland leads the presidency of the Council of the European Union, from July to December this year, he says.

During those six months, Ireland expects to host an informal meeting of EU heads of state or government, a meeting of the European Political Community, bringing together leaders from 47 European countries, 22 informal ministerial meetings, and more. 

Other vendors said they learned later via a WhatsApp group that the market, which has in the past operated roughly monthly at Farmleigh, was off for 2026.

Rogan mentioned his respect for the OPW personnel repeatedly. He said he spoke to them about this and was told basically, their hands are tied.

“There's no come-back,” Rogan said. “It's been closed for the year. And you're just out the door.” 

Pascale Van Riet,who runs Phoenix Delite, which makes sugar-free, diabetic-friendly chocolate, says the market is financially vital for her. 

She said the markets’ year starts at Easter, and that’s April. So, “2027 – That's a year and a half without the income. So that's it, so you have to look for other markets,” she said.

Rogan’s Smokehouse

John Rogan’s daughter, Emma Rogan, worked for the family business, Rogan's Smokehouse, at Farmleigh back in the day, and now she brings her two young kids to visit.

She says it’s magical at Christmas: with multiple choirs, puppet shows, magicians, the crib. And at Easter with the egg hunt, various easter bunnies.

“There'd be lots of different activities all around that part of the estate, you know, around the house. So thousands of families would go to it as well, right?” she said.

Emma said she’s mostly in a wheelchair these days, so she also values how accessible the site is.

He used to have a big business, John said. He caught and smoked eels.

He started the call with a quick history lesson on the eel: "We're all related to the eel,” he said. “The creature was one of the first creatures to transcend land and water…”  Anyways, “the state shut us down years ago.” 

Laws changed and the business did too. “So anyway we ended up with what we’re doing. We do smoked bacon and smoked sausages,” he said.

2026

This year, the farmers’ market is off, an OPW spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“Farmleigh house and Estate will be used for a wide range of functions throughout the Presidency,” the spokesperson said via email. 

“So it is necessary to undertake essential preparatory works to various elements across the Estate,” they said. “As a result of these planned works, it will not be possible to host the usual schedule of events across the Estate, including the food and craft markets.”

They said they look forward to welcoming traders and performers back in 2027.

The OPW also said in an email to Emma Rogan that there will be “significant” building and maintenance works on the house and estate.

The Georgian home on the estate was once owned by the Guinnesses, but the Irish government bought it in 1999. It has since hosted foreign leaders like US President Barack Obama, the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II, and the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

The estate hosts a series of events throughout the year. For example, last August’s schedule included a performance by St Mary’s Brass and Reed Band, an India Day celebration, an introduction to shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), and more.

Could they move elsewhere?

“The OPW is in touch with providers to explore whether an alternative site nearby is feasible, and is working to minimise the impact of the works as far as possible,” the spokesperson said by email on Tuesday.

But vendors Karen Marshall and Pascale Van Reit said they hadn’t heard anything from the OPW about this. 

John Rogan, of Rogan’s Smokehouse, said the spot the farmers’ market is held in Farmleigh is an ideal location, for both ambiance and logistics. 

“You see there's all the electrical points and everything, like, that are set up around that car park,” he said. 

But Marshall, founder of Happy Tails, which makes natural dog treats, chew toys, dog birthday cakes, said she can’t see why they couldn’t just relocate. 

They hold events all over Farmleigh. They bring generators, Marshall said.

“There's markets all over the city, you know, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, every week. And they would just have a generator on site,” she said.

Kieran Galvin of Stinky and Scorchy, which sells oils and hot sauces, said he liked the venue at Farmleigh, and the market was well-organised. 

Plus now Bushy Park’s Farmers Market is off too. “Bushy Park is continuous from March right through to November, so it was a constant income every week,” he said. 

Between the two, it’s really bad for the business, Galvin said. “Definitely it's a double whammy,” he said.

Galvin said he’s been in the food business long enough to know change is the name of the game. “So we've got to find, try and find new events for the summer, right?” he said.

2027

Marshall said she questions whether the market would reopen at Farmleigh in 2027, she said.

“I think they'll take the opportunity now not to [re]open it,” she said. “They might do cultural days and things like that, because they tend to do that.”

The OPW spokesperson said by email later that, “The team at Farmleigh is proud of the events programme that is hosted in the House and Estate and is looking forward very much to welcoming traders and performers back to Farmleigh in 2027.”

Even if the market does reopen, Marshall said she’s not sure if she’d return. “It depends what happens in the meantime. Like, if I start doing another market that's better? Maybe not. I don't know.”

Other vendors say they would come back in 2027 assuming it opens.

Van Riet said she’ll be back because the situation these days is, if you can get a spot in a market, that’s a lot. “There's more traders than markets,” she said.

For Rogan, the great thing for the last 25 years at Farmleigh is who works alongside him. He lists them off from memory.

There's an organic farmer. A fruit man from Co. Carlow. “There's Bob's pizza,  then there's a guy that makes his own donuts,” he said.

“And then you have about maybe 20 craft people, a woman that comes, does all her own knitting,” he said. “And you know, you have another man that comes there, he sells maps,” he said.

“That's why. People,” Rogan said. “That's why it's a success. And people keep coming.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.