An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-28 ============================================================ Aubrey McCarthy (IND), University of Dublin It is a business venture. I raise an issue that is happening regarding the Presidency, which is the forced closure of the Silk Road Cafe in Dublin Castle. It has operated there for 25 years and has employed, over time, up to 25 loyal staff. The cafe has been told that it must shut its doors, understandably, because of the Presidency. Workers are facing layoffs and there is no certainty about what will happen after the six months have passed. As a member of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, it goes against everything we say downstairs in the committee rooms. We claim to stand for supporting local businesses, protecting employment and respecting workers. I understand the importance of the EU Presidency. It is a time for Ireland to shine. I acknowledge there are security and logistical concerns regarding Dublin Castle. However, there must be a duty of care to the ordinary workers and small businesses caught in the middle of the decisions. What is upsetting is that there is an apparent lack of engagement or consultation with the owners of the cafe. The owners have said they were given little notice. No compensation package was discussed nor a pathway to protect the livelihoods of the people who work there, including the baristas, chefs, cleaners and managers. Those are long-serving staff who have supported this community initiative. Many have worked there for decades. We in this House cannot tell SMEs they are the backbone of Ireland when, if something important in the State comes along, disruption is caused and they are shafted. I call on the Government, the Office of Public Works, OPW, and all the relevant Departments to urgently intervene to discuss and engage directly with the business owner and provide proper supports and pathways for the staff there. If the State is spending millions of euro on the EU Presidency, surely basic fairness and decency to its own people are important. We have a meeting downstairs with the housing committee from the European Union. Many of the MEPs have put on record that they are surprised at how Ireland has the same regulations as our European counterparts yet when it comes to planning houses, the system takes forever and a day. One example was given dating from when the UK was a member of the EU. Mr. Sean Mulryan of Ballymore Group said that when he was dealing with Canary Wharf, he dealt with the Mayor of London. Decisions were made and everything was expedited. In Ireland, it is laborious and takes forever. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-28/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:01+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-28