You could enjoy the mince pies and admire the reception rooms, but the bedrooms at Farmleigh House were strictly off limits at the weekend.
While the Christmas decorations, carol singers and blazing fire in the main hallway impressed visitors to the Government property, many were disappointed not to be able to wander around the upstairs rooms when the public were given another opportunity to see the place.
"It's been beautifully renovated," said Dorothy Smith, an artist from Dublin, but "Irish people are nosy, and we would have loved to see the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen - that's why we came." As impressive as the reception rooms downstairs were, it seemed most people wanted to see the upstairs floors, but a rope cordon hung across the bottom of the stairs. Younger visitors were less demanding. Children made a bee-line for the gingerbread house, decorated with frosted sugar and rainbow-coloured sweets, in the main hallway.
Visitors gathered to hear Christmas carols sung by the RT╔ Children's Choir, C≤r na nOg; Mellowchord Barber Harmony Chorus; the Fagan Sisters, and a children's choir led by Ann McNulty.
The State bought Farmleigh from the Iveagh Trustees for £23 million in June 1999 and has spent a further £18 million (€22m) upgrading the property, which is managed by the Office of Public Works. Since it was officially opened last August, Farmleigh has accommodated delegations from China, Slovakia and Lithuania, and has been visited by over 31,000 members of the public.