South Dublin County Council has offered no reasonable explanation for the shift from their position in 2013 when the Seán Keating Garden was officially opened, in its own words ‘setting a new standard for access, through the inclusion of many accessibility features throughout the garden,’ to the current position as outlined in its Response to Recommendations in Castle Stables and Courtyards Master Vision Report and Public Consultation, ‘After considering expert input and public feedback, SDCC determined that the most appropriate location for parking is within Sean Keating Garden’.
It is positive to see the intention to provide parking for cars and bicycles alike at Rathfarnham Castle Park. It is a fact of life that many people rely on cars, particularly those with disabilities, mobility issues, the elderly, and young families, for whom walking, cycling, or public transport are not viable options. While the provision of such parking is to be welcomed, it should not be at the expense of the Sean Keating Garden, which many people regularly frequent and enjoy.
However, it is a matter of concern the way the Seán Keating Garden was overlooked in the 2024 public consultation, only surfacing as an issue when respondents dealt with the issue of parking. The Architectural Design Statement and Heritage Impact Assessment (April 2025) fails to recognise the relevance of the garden within the overall context of the site of Rathfarnham Castle Park.
With all that in mind, I’d like to make the following points and appeal to local representatives to support the retention of the Seán Keating Park and integrate it to the proposed developments of the Stables and Courtyard.
1 - There is little information on the ornamental garden now known as Sean Keating Garden in the Architectural Design Statement and Heritage Impact Assessment (April 2025), hereafter the assessment. The assessmentis rather dismissive of the garden and fails to recognise significance of the place within the overall context of the park. The assessment offers the opinion that the ornamental garden ‘does not have any relationship with the historic character of the site’.
To counter that opinion I will refer to the press release issued by SDCC in July 2013. The press release was archived for historical reasons on the SDCC website.
The press release notes, ‘it is appropriate that the garden is named after him (Seán Keating) for both the local connection but also for the combination of history, art and landscape that we find here in the grounds of Rathfarnham Castle Park. These themes were strongly embedded in the life and work of Seán Keating the artist’.
‘This new garden is modern in design and contrasts with the older Castle. The design reflects the modernising of Ireland whilst respecting the Ireland of the past as well as the historic location within which it is located. The garden is a restful place with water and plants and stone from both modern and older times combining to provide an oasis in a busy world. A strong focus for the garden has been on setting a new standard for access, through the inclusion of many accessibility features throughout the garden’.
‘……. Work with village based groups like the Rathfarnham Tidy Towns Committee has been on-going and the construction of this ornamental garden by South Dublin County Council is another positive step in the upgrading of the fabric of the Rathfarnham Castle landscape and nearby Rathfarnham Village with a particular focus on Walking Routes, Heritage Buildings/Features and Public Realm Focal Points’.
The press release includes photographs of the Keating family, the mayor and other local representatives, and the Fás trainees who built the garden. There is a particularly charming photograph of Seán Keatings great, great, grandson framed by the sculpture of the three dancing children in the foreground, and a blend of the new and the old historic wall in the background.
2 - The assessment concludes with the observation, ‘in recent years the construction of the Sean Keating Garden, situated north of the stables, has resulted in further loss of historic landscape’
That statement is misleading as it seems there wasn’t much there in the first instance. In 2005 a programme of archaeological monitoring was carried out within the northern extent of the proposed development area. This revealed modern material across the monitored area. No archaeological features or objects were revealed as a result of the monitoring. Source: IAC Archaeology Monitoring Method Statement Rathfarnham Castle, Rathfarnham, Dublin .
3 - The relevance of the garden is further diminished in the assessment under the heading Access, Traffic Management & Parking which alleges the garden ‘ has low footfall and dwell time and appears to be mostly used as a local pedestrian shortcut from Castleside Drive to the village’. There is no detail as to how that conclusion was reached, suffice to say if you plan that route on Google Maps it will take you on the shortest route which does not cut through Seán Keating Garden.
4 - From a personal perspective, the garden exudes calm, notwithstanding its proximity to Rathfarnham Road. It shares many of the characteristics of a sensory garden, such as sight, smell, touch, and sound, and has enormous potential to be developed further in that regard. The principal focus of the design, according to SDCC, was on setting a new standard for access, through the inclusion of many accessibility features throughout the garden. The health and well-being benefits of such gardens are well documented, particularly for those with autism or dementia. Ironically the main entrance to the garden has been locked for many years.
Within the garden a simple landscape theme prevails. Several carefully placed evergreen trees reflect the shape of the distant church steeple and the roofline of the nearby credit union. The curvilinear pathways and the beautiful sense of balance in the layout, particularly the way the pond area is designed, provides a sense of balance between the hard stone surface of the paved area and the liquid texture of the pond, could be considered as Celtic inspired, particularly when viewed from the air. The only negative is what is now known as Wall E, this wall has been in its current state for many years and detracts from place.
Considering the current proposals, it would seem logical to provide an opening in Wall E to join the area of the Stables and Courtyard with the ornamental garden, ensuring both spaces reach their maximum potential, unfortunately that’s an option that doesn’t appear to have been considered.
Observations
To whom it may concern,
Re: Sean Keating Garden.
South Dublin County Council has offered no reasonable explanation for the shift from their position in 2013 when the Seán Keating Garden was officially opened, in its own words ‘setting a new standard for access, through the inclusion of many accessibility features throughout the garden,’ to the current position as outlined in its Response to Recommendations in Castle Stables and Courtyards Master Vision Report and Public Consultation, ‘After considering expert input and public feedback, SDCC determined that the most appropriate location for parking is within Sean Keating Garden’.
It is positive to see the intention to provide parking for cars and bicycles alike at Rathfarnham Castle Park. It is a fact of life that many people rely on cars, particularly those with disabilities, mobility issues, the elderly, and young families, for whom walking, cycling, or public transport are not viable options. While the provision of such parking is to be welcomed, it should not be at the expense of the Sean Keating Garden, which many people regularly frequent and enjoy.
However, it is a matter of concern the way the Seán Keating Garden was overlooked in the 2024 public consultation, only surfacing as an issue when respondents dealt with the issue of parking. The Architectural Design Statement and Heritage Impact Assessment (April 2025) fails to recognise the relevance of the garden within the overall context of the site of Rathfarnham Castle Park.
With all that in mind, I’d like to make the following points and appeal to local representatives to support the retention of the Seán Keating Park and integrate it to the proposed developments of the Stables and Courtyard.
1 - There is little information on the ornamental garden now known as Sean Keating Garden in the Architectural Design Statement and Heritage Impact Assessment (April 2025), hereafter the assessment. The assessment is rather dismissive of the garden and fails to recognise significance of the place within the overall context of the park. The assessment offers the opinion that the ornamental garden ‘does not have any relationship with the historic character of the site’.
To counter that opinion I will refer to the press release issued by SDCC in July 2013. The press release was archived for historical reasons on the SDCC website.
The press release notes, ‘it is appropriate that the garden is named after him (Seán Keating) for both the local connection but also for the combination of history, art and landscape that we find here in the grounds of Rathfarnham Castle Park. These themes were strongly embedded in the life and work of Seán Keating the artist’.
‘This new garden is modern in design and contrasts with the older Castle. The design reflects the modernising of Ireland whilst respecting the Ireland of the past as well as the historic location within which it is located. The garden is a restful place with water and plants and stone from both modern and older times combining to provide an oasis in a busy world. A strong focus for the garden has been on setting a new standard for access, through the inclusion of many accessibility features throughout the garden’.
‘……. Work with village based groups like the Rathfarnham Tidy Towns Committee has been on-going and the construction of this ornamental garden by South Dublin County Council is another positive step in the upgrading of the fabric of the Rathfarnham Castle landscape and nearby Rathfarnham Village with a particular focus on Walking Routes, Heritage Buildings/Features and Public Realm Focal Points’.
The press release includes photographs of the Keating family, the mayor and other local representatives, and the Fás trainees who built the garden. There is a particularly charming photograph of Seán Keatings great, great, grandson framed by the sculpture of the three dancing children in the foreground, and a blend of the new and the old historic wall in the background.
2 - The assessment concludes with the observation, ‘in recent years the construction of the Sean Keating Garden, situated north of the stables, has resulted in further loss of historic landscape’
That statement is misleading as it seems there wasn’t much there in the first instance. In 2005 a programme of archaeological monitoring was carried out within the northern extent of the proposed development area. This revealed modern material across the monitored area. No archaeological features or objects were revealed as a result of the monitoring. Source: IAC Archaeology Monitoring Method Statement Rathfarnham Castle, Rathfarnham, Dublin .
3 - The relevance of the garden is further diminished in the assessment under the heading Access, Traffic Management & Parking which alleges the garden ‘ has low footfall and dwell time and appears to be mostly used as a local pedestrian shortcut from Castleside Drive to the village’. There is no detail as to how that conclusion was reached, suffice to say if you plan that route on Google Maps it will take you on the shortest route which does not cut through Seán Keating Garden.
4 - From a personal perspective, the garden exudes calm, notwithstanding its proximity to Rathfarnham Road. It shares many of the characteristics of a sensory garden, such as sight, smell, touch, and sound, and has enormous potential to be developed further in that regard. The principal focus of the design, according to SDCC, was on setting a new standard for access, through the inclusion of many accessibility features throughout the garden. The health and well-being benefits of such gardens are well documented, particularly for those with autism or dementia. Ironically the main entrance to the garden has been locked for many years.
Within the garden a simple landscape theme prevails. Several carefully placed evergreen trees reflect the shape of the distant church steeple and the roofline of the nearby credit union. The curvilinear pathways and the beautiful sense of balance in the layout, particularly the way the pond area is designed, provides a sense of balance between the hard stone surface of the paved area and the liquid texture of the pond, could be considered as Celtic inspired, particularly when viewed from the air. The only negative is what is now known as Wall E, this wall has been in its current state for many years and detracts from place.
Considering the current proposals, it would seem logical to provide an opening in Wall E to join the area of the Stables and Courtyard with the ornamental garden, ensuring both spaces reach their maximum potential, unfortunately that’s an option that doesn’t appear to have been considered.