THE OFFICE OF Public Works (OPW) has announced the temporary reopening of the Magazine Fort in Dublin’s Phoenix Park this summer.

Members of the public will be permitted entry to the near 300-year-old fort as part of a series of “diverse and engaging events” being held at heritage sites across the country.

Construction of the military fort off the Military Road began in 1734 for use by British forces in storing gunpowder and ammunition, and was raided on two occasions: Easter Monday 1916 and the 23 December 1939.

It was handed over to the the Irish Defence Forces in 1922 after the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and was demilitarised in the 1980s before gradually falling into disrepair.

Children under the age of 12 will be allowed to enter for free as part of the nationwide seasonal heritage visitor programme.

The programme will see the majority of heritage sites opening for visitors from today. Other sites, including the Magazine Fort, will not be accessible to the public until the summer.

Designated as a Protected Structure in the Dublin City Council Development Plan 2016 – 2022, the fort underwent renovations beginning in mid-2023 to enhance the visitor experience in the Phoenix Park.

Michael Pidgeon, Green Party councillor for Dublin’s South-West Inner City, described the site as an “amazing resource” for the city, but says that its full potential has not been realised while it has been closed.

“It’s been essentially fenced off because of its state for so long,” said Cllr Pidgeon.

“It would just be great to have it in a condition that not only is it stabilised in the future, but that people can come and visit it.”

OPW site guide Leif Barry gave The Journal a tour of the facility in 2019 where he spoke about its cultural significance and explained why it was raided by the IRA in 1939.

“It was actually to relieve the Magazine here of munitions that they had inside,” he said. “Of course this was so that the IRA members, who had a lot of weapons brought in from  America, they hadn’t the actual munitions to go with the weapons.

“So they decided to raid the Magazine because the Irish Defence Forces were holding a lot of the bullets that were being used in those weapons.”

This is not the only heritage site being opened up to the public – several others are set to invite visitors from Ireland and the world in time for St Patrick’s Day, including Clonmacnoise Monastic Site, Daniel O’Connell House in Kerry and Tipperary’s Ormond Castle.

Minister of State for the OPW, Kevin Moran, said of the initiative: “These sites contribute to the local sense of place, the local economy and are great places for all the family to enjoy.”

He continued: “The Free entry for children under 12s is an excellent initiative for families to get out and about to explore the ‘Jewels of History’ in their locality.

“I encourage everyone to get out and explore their local area and take the opportunity to engage with our shared cultural heritage”.