The Office of Public Works (OPW) has received almost €500,000 in fees for the rental of the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin to stage concerts and comedy festivals over the past two years.

New figures provided by the Minister for State with responsibility for the OPW, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran show that over 2026 and 2025, the OPW has received €484,128 for rental of the Iveagh Gardens for concerts and comedy events.

One of the country’s best known promoters, Aiken Promotions has been staging the summer series of concerts at the Iveagh Gardens since 2010. This was three years after Aiken Promotions staged the first comedy festival there.

In July of this year, Aiken Promotions staged 11 concerts at the Iveagh Gardens. Among the artists who performed there were Nile Rogers and Chic, Elvis Costello, Johnny Marr, Bell X1, James Morrison and Emeli Sandé, and Damien Dempsey.

As part of an OPW public consultation in 2023, Aiken Promotions stated that between 2010 and 2023, around 800,000 people had attended its events at Iveagh Gardens.

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Often referred to as Dublin’s secret garden, the OPW-managed Iveagh Gardens is located adjacent to the National Concert Hall and close to St Stephen’s Green, attracting more than 400,000 visitors annually.

In his reply to a written Dáil question by Aidan Farrelly of the Social Democrats, Moran stated that this year the OPW has received €249,444 (all figures include VAT) for the use of the Iveagh Gardens for concerts and a comedy festival.

This was ahead of the €234,684 received by the OPW in 2025. In his reply, Moran stated that rates for the use of Iveagh Gardens were last reviewed in 2022.

“Upon that review, the OPW made the decision to increase event fees in line with rising inflation,” he said.

Commenting on the figures, Farrelly said: “It can’t be understated that the Iveagh Gardens are a real gem in the heart of Dublin city and that their preservation is paramount.”

He added that the revenue raised from the use of the Iveagh Gardens from the summer events “doesn’t seem to be at all outstanding and I’d ask the OPW to further review that and continue to invest in this space”.