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THE REFURBISHMENT OF the famous gates of the Phoenix Park, which were removed in advance of the visit of Pope Francis, will cost just over €820,000.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) is hoping the gates will be rehung by the end of this year with restoration works on them due to be completed by September.
Records obtained following a Freedom of Information request show how the cost of refurbishment for the eight pairs of gates will cost €726,735, excluding VAT of 13.5%.
The contract for the work, which the OPW has described as highly specialised, has been awarded to Dublin-based Dunfox, also known as Bushy Park Ironworks.
The company has crafted and restored bespoke historic gates and railings at the Shelbourne Hotel, Blackrock College, Howth Castle, and the K Club, according to its website.
The gates, which range in age from 114 to 187 years old, were first taken down in August 2018 before Pope Francis said an open-air mass for 132,000 people in the Phoenix Park.
There have been some grumblings in the locality about how long it has taken for them to be rehung and for temporary gates to be removed.
However, the Office of Public Works said the project had been complex with a “full conservation assessment of each of the gates” required.
Gerard Kennedy of the OPW said: “[We had] to determine the extent and nature of the restoration works and repairs that would be necessary, with all works to be undertaken in compliance with conservation best standards.”
They decided to break the project into two separate contracts, one for restoration and a separate tender for the restoration of adjoining walls and support piers along with traffic management.
The original contract – valued at €726,735 excluding VAT – could only be given to a contractor with “demonstrable expertise” of this type of conservation work.
A number of tenderers visited the sites and examined the gates over a weekend in September 2019 with tender responses returned in October.
The winning bid by Dunfox (Bushy Park Ironworks) was described as the “lowest tender price received”.
It started work on the refurbishment of the gates in January with a nine-month timeline for completion of the project by the end of September.
The OPW also said that rehanging of the gates will be a significant piece of work, which may require temporary road closures.
A second contract to carry out masonry repairs to historic walls and piers will be required as well as removal of the temporary gates that have been in place.
It said it was likely the rehanging would take place over a number of separate weekends, the “programme for which will have to take account of any already scheduled events in the Phoenix Park to minimise any risks to the public or for the contractors”.
The OPW said this contract will be awarded towards the end of the summer to ensure that the gates can be back in place as soon as possible. No estimate of the value of that contract is available as yet.
Gerard Kennedy of the OPW said they were optimistic the gates would be back in place by Christmas.
However, traffic will have to be carefully managed particularly at the busy Castleknock and city centre gates, and it is still not fully clear how much repair works will be required to the adjoining walls and piers.
Two of the gates involved, the Islandbridge and Chapelizod entrances, date from 1833 while the entrance at Castleknock was put in place the following year.
Gates at Ashtown and Cabra followed in 1835 while newer gates at the North Circular Road and Blackhorse Avenue date from around 1906.
A separate set of gates at Knockmaroon Hill did not end up being removed for the Papal mass. However, restoration works on them will also go ahead.
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€820,000!!!! €2Billion+ for the hospital and let’s not mention the printer.. I fully understand it’s specialist work but come on the urine is been taking..
@Jason Cole: actually, considering the size, age and complexity of restoring them to a standard such that they are robust and functional in the irish climate, €100k per gate pair is actually quite cheap. These aren’t your garden gates you know
@Jason Cole: don’t mention the urine Jason, that’s going to bump the bill even higher?
@David Memery: bit of rust primer and a coat of hammerite is all they need
@David Memery: I know it’s not your average gates and some work will be needed, but it just smells of pockets being lined and the cost will end up a lot more than the €820,000 quoted
@Jason Cole: Have you ever done restoration work. Its slow and difficult and the price is not over the top at all
@Gary Kearney: In that case I wish they’d priced new replica gates.
To me that’s absolutely crazy, I understand some things that has heritage must be preserved, but a set of gates, get the boat, throw them out and make a new set, and build 3 house from the change out of the 800k
@Mick Hannigan: it isn’t one pair of gates and they are very old requiring specialists.
@Mick Hannigan: You should read the article Mick. Its 8 sets of gates. Now I dont know if that’s more expensive than it should be,but it seems like the headline was designed to get the reaction you had.Throwing the Pope into the mix is more click bait,this was happening whether he came or not.
@Mick Hannigan: oh yes let’s continue to just throw out all the old stuff and buy new gaudy stuff off lesser quality and beauty. Drive round Dublin and just look at all the beautiful old buildings falling to ruin while modern monstrosities overshadow them. Then drive round a UK city that has a national trust fund specific fir the refurbishment of historic sites. Or any other European city. Phoenix park is a major tourist attraction do you really think people want to see a set of gates from 2020 when the very purpose of their visit is the historic sites.
@LittleBee: I didn’t say let everything go to bits, and it doesn’t matter if it 8 sets of gates, to me it’s to much money, make new ones, same design, and use the remaining cash for other things that’s needed, I also did say I understand certain things need to be preserved, just my opinion,
@Mick Hannigan: how much would new ones cost?
@LittleBee: never heard of a tourist coming to Ireland to visit Phoenix Park!! And I’m in the tourism industry!!!
@Craic_a_tower: ‘Bout 8 million.’20,000 for a hammer, 30,000 for a toilet seat’ (Judd Hirsch, Independence Day, 1996).
@Michael Lynch: yeah you proved you don’t really care about reality and just want to moan. It never matter to you the reality of the world you have a chip on your shoulder
@mr magoo: the open top tourist buses literally drive through Phoenix park . People who are interested in historic sights appreciate them. My Dad who is a historian and an artist could stand and look at stuff like this all day and would blow your mind with his knowledge of historic sights. Maybe you’re in the other end of tourism.
@mr magoo: It’s on many Dublin itineraries though …
@Mick Hannigan: Why not leave the gates in council yard. It will save on expenditure. I’m all for heritage etc. This is simply taking the piss. Otherwise send the bill to Rome. The Vatican can well afford it. You will not see homeless in Vatican city.
I’ll do it for 2 fiddy
@Frank Discussion: Ya gotta love it how the public purse is abused!
But, this Craic can’t last!
@Dom Layzell: Thats restoration work by a team of skilled craftsmen and women. They would have charged the same rate to anybody else.
They really should get a second quote.
@Aimoo: as the article says contractors, not the use of the plural, conducted a site visit it sounds like they did at least try and get more than one quote
@Aimoo: a number of tenderers visited the site in September and this was the cheapest quote. Its 8 gates and highly specialised work and important for our heritage. There should be more funding for the refurbishment of historic sites , Dublin is a disgrace in parts
@Aimoo: There’s such a thing as a tender process?
@Aimoo: Any public sector spend over €25,000 requires a tender process.
@Aimoo: they got 3 quotes and this was the cheapest.
Absolute taking the pish. Jesus does any job that needs to be done in the greater Dublin area require two extra zeros being added on to the end of every price.
@Finnster: SF will organise it for free.
@Finnster: plus VAT
Some scam artists nearly €800000 and they wont rehang them for that . €90000 per set of gates .
Dig deep here to find who’s behind this
They only repairing leading and painting .
Nice rip off for us taxpayers . I do this regularly for fraction of cost with gates. they are not made of gold like . Sickening stuff . Someone knows someone . enquiry needed immediately hold any payments
@Seamus Healy: did you tender for the job?
@John Considine: tendering process is robust
Arf arf arf
@Seamus Healy: So you are a craftsman then and are qualified to restore antique gates. You should have quoted for the job
Don’t be surprised if there is a huge bill for storage as the gates were taken down in 2018 another Printer episode Will the gates come back like The Golden Gates of San Fran
Bin them and make 8 new gates at a fraction of that cost. I have driven through them thousands of times and never noticed anything particularly arresting about them. No-one seems to be held accountable for the waste of public funds in this country. I’m a taxpayer and I do not want 800K spent on gates. Build 4 new homes instead. Or put the money into home-care packages to help free up some hospital beds. Why do we need massive iron gates on a public park anyway?
@Paul Whitehead: they are historic gates , the historic sites of Ireland are a massive tourist attraction. If you’ve never noticed them then that’s your own ignorance but lots if people including cash loaded tourists like to admire historic sites. There is more then one budget and money can be spent in more then housing and hospitals. You’re a tax payer who on another thread. probably moans about free loaders getting free houses ,. . More money should be spent in historic sites Dublin is a disgrace the way some of the buildings and sites have been left to fall into ruin.
@LittleBee: Yet it’s fine for tourists to look at homeless people who have to roam the streets? The gates can go in a museum.
Great grandfather made the gates for Kew Gardens in London in the 1880s. They searched the Uk and Ireland for smiths with enough skills. The team had to move to London for months to do the work. This isn’t a job for your average local farm gate builder. Years of learning and skill. They are artworks and we should celebrate the craftsmen who built them and the craftsmen who restore them. We need more support for artists and makers in Ireland not begrudgery
Sounds like “Bill’s Gates get rehung for 800,000″
That’s a big bill for gates
Howya boss
@John Jones: their fav aftershave
That would pay a for lot of NURSES…
The Journal really should rename it self as ‘The Anti-Catholic’.
@Michael: nothing wrong with that!
Anyone remember swing gate.
It does say other prices were given and this is the lowest, but I would imagine it’s at least 90 % labour and very little materials , it does seem high
Should send the bill to the Vatican!
@David Kelly: why…the gates are being restored. despite the misleading headline, their removal has nothing to do with that and the cost of the renovation.
Have we really missed them ??? With people living rough in and around this beautiful park can we really justify spending this sum on gates ?
@Deirdre Gosson: Agreed.
O Yes, they are taking to OPW for a ride as USUAL, once they see it is a Government Contract the price about trebles every time. That is what happens all the time, and those in charge quest agree, it is not their money, they know it is way over the top but just let it go. Nobody responsible and nobody gets into trouble. Same old story, public money very badly spent.
Replacing historic gates is expensive and probably right to do. The real question is why were they removed? To enable the visit of the head of an international crime syndicate?
The pope enables abuse.
@: They would get ‘Pearly Gates’ for that money.!!
@: read the headline and stop being such a fool. they were removed to facilitate entry and exit from the park. they were also removed as the visit presented an opportunity to refurbish the gates. your a bit quick to fall for the anti church rubbish from the Journal……
@: an international crime syndicate? What an ignorant comment from a bigoted moron.
Bushy Park Ironworks – will now be known as Lushy Park Ironworks following this contract.
There seems to be a culture of “milk the government” when it comes to public service contracts in this state. If only they would realise they are ripping us all off, i.e. the Taxpayer.
I’m in the wrong job.
Why has it taken so long?
More like Cushy Payment Ironworks got the contract.
This is not highly specialised work any any competent fabricator with the correct equipment could easily complete this work. Another scandal and pure waste. Public servants dishing out lucrative contracts to beat the band. A change of government is pointless unless a change happens in the public service
I don’t mind spending on the public landscape, I just wish we were more consistent in our care for it. Aspects of it in Dublin are just a total disgrace, most notably in paving. It seems anyone can get permission to tear up brick or cobbled paving and just refill with a messy pool of tarmacadam. The money originally spent on that brickwork is just wasted if it’s not going to be respected in subsequent works.
Downright robbery .
How many gates are. Involved
@FlopFlipU: 8
@FlopFlipU: read the article!
Should get someone to do a nixer for 400k
What a joke why remove them at all, get the church to pay not the taxpayer
@Jim Harrington: why would the church pay Jim? Do you support the integration of church & state?
Sounds a bit like Broadband gate and Childrens hospital gate!
Why take them down in the 1st place, just keep them open you G**shites.
“Sorry We DON’T have the funding ” as in line with the usual response we get from the government for other more necessary projects …
Leave them off so! Unnecessary expenditure and plus they’re ugly looking.
Send that bloody bill to the Vatican! :/
When is ludicrous spending for such visits going to stop?
Should have scrapped them old iron gates and made new ones
No accountability anywhere under the foolish FFG government.
Typical click bait journalism .
“Sorry We DON’T have the funding ” as in line with the usual response we get from the government for other more necessary projects …
Build new gates for a fraction of the cost. Some things aren’t worth restoring. Put them in a museum if people want to see them….its a bloody gate not a piece of art. 8 new gates, what €20-30k each? Done
What a waste of money you have the gates all it needs is peer restoration. Grow up an get an honest person to restore them who is do a good job without robbing the taxpayers.
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