Dunmore Caves in Kilkenny to remain closed until 2023

One of Kilkenny’s most popular tourist attractions remains closed for over two years with no plans to re-open the site until early next year.

Dunmore Caves is one of the jewels in Kilkenny’s tourism offering with up to 40,000 annual visitors. However it has remained closed to the public since March 2020.

Deputy John McGuinness has raised the matter with the Office of Public Works and has stated that ‘it is not good enough that it has remained closed’ for almost three years.

“In 2019 the cave closed because of some rockfall in the cave and certain works had to be carried out at that time to make it safe and I can understand that and that is fair enough.

“The vegetation was found there and that needed to be dealt with at that time and that was in 2019. It still remains closed and quite frankly it is not good enough that it has been closed since 2019,” he said adding that he had pursued the matter and received a response from the OPW that it hoped to reopen Dunmore Caves in 2023 but gave no explanation as to why it has taken so long to carry out the work.

The OPW stated that after they carried out the safety works in 2019 areas of concern were highlighted around the monument and that when Ireland went into lockdown the opportunity was taken to review and deal with vegetation overgrowth and that it is hoped Dunmore Caves will reopen in 2023.