Private Peter Thiel retreat at five-star Wicklow hotel cancelled
Ellen O'Donoghue
A private retreat planned by US tech billionaire Peter Thiel, which was set to bring more than 220 tech, financial and political figures to the five-star Powerscourt Hotel in Co Wicklow has been cancelled, a spokesperson for Powerscourt Estate has said.
The planned event at the Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa, scheduled to be attended by a senior Nato commander and Trump administration officials, will now not go ahead at the venue.
The retreat was scheduled to last four days from August 12th to 16th.
In a statement, the hotel said: "Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa confirms that a publicised event scheduled to take place in August will now not be taking place at the Hotel.
"We have no further comment."
The hotel is owned and operated by the MHL Hotel Collection, a long-standing tenant of the Powercourt Estate.
The estate said it was “relieved and pleased” by news of the cancellation on Friday.
“Following a period of great concern for Powerscourt Estate and on foot of discussions with The Powerscourt Hotel, we are relieved and pleased to announce the Dialog event planned for August at the Powerscourt Hotel has been cancelled,” it said.
“Powerscourt Estate wish to thank all of those who supported us through this difficult and challenging time. Including our staff, neighbours, friends, supporters and legal team.”
The estate previously said it was taking legal advice on whether it could move to cancel the event itself, according to The Irish Times.
In a statement issued to the paper after it reported on the event, it said: “The estate wish to unreservedly state that if it was within their remit they would cancel the event planned. However, as they have a legally binding lease with MHL Hotels this is not possible."
“Powerscourt Estate are currently taking legal advice as to whether or not they can affect the planned event. No further comment will be made at this time.”
Thiel was a cofounder of payments group PayPal and Palantir, a defence contractor known for mass surveillance and criticised heavily for its “strategic partnership” with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in its assault on Gaza.
A leaked schedule for the “retreat” hosted by Dialog, an invitation-only group cofounded 20 years ago by Thiel and entrepreneur Auren Hoffman, featured discussions on topics including preparations for a third World War, battlefield technologies, nuclear energy and cult-building, The Irish Times reported.
The proposed event had drawn criticism from Opposition parties, who said it should not go ahead. A protest had been planned by activists who have condemned Palantir’s role with the IDF.
Thiel, 58, is also a prominent supporter of US president Donald Trump and has donated millions of dollars to his campaigns.
The Ditch was the first Irish outlet to report on Thiel's 'Dialog' conference planning an event at Powerscourt.
Dialog is an extremely secretive organisation that includes government officials from the US and other countries, tech giants and right-wing influencers.
Other talks at the event reportedly include Build-a-Cult, Build-a-Party, Money (Does?) Buy Happiness and Bring Back Nuclear.
US outlet Wired has acquired documents belonging to Dialog, including a membership list.
The list included Trump administration officials, two US senators, six members of the so-called PayPal Mafia (former founders and early employees who worked at PayPal in the late 1990s and early 2000s), a former Middle East chief of intelligence, a sitting ambassador to the United States, private equity billionaires, television actors and best-selling authors.
