Central parts of Dublin city are to see severe security restrictions ahead of two major European summits this week.
Restrictions on entry and through-traffic will begin as early as Tuesday morning in some parts of the city, with areas surrounding the National Convention Centre — located on the North Wall Quay — as well as the National Gallery to see the greatest restrictions.
According to statements by An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council, both areas will see a complete security lockdown in their immediate grounds starting Tuesday morning for the National Convention Centre, and Thursday morning for the National Gallery
Entry to the surrounding areas will meanwhile be restricted to residents and those with planned business in said locations.
Traffic throughout the city is also expected to see serious disruption, with numerous bus routes — especially those that usually travel through the north inner city — likely to be most affected. The Luas Red Line will also see some restrictions, especially around the North Quay area.
Knock-on impacts on other forms of public and private transport are also anticipated, though authorities insist efforts are being made to keep the city’s DART suburban rail services running at full capacity.
Disruptions are also expected at Dublin Airport throughout the week, with travellers being urged to plan for their journey to take additional time.
The Dublin Airport Authority has insisted the facility will remain completely operational throughout the week’s events.
Security restrictions surrounding the summits — which consist of one gathering of the European Political Community and one gathering of the European Council — could still be tightened at any point throughout the week, with authorities said to be on the lookout for potential security threats from hostile state and non-state actors.
Ireland has been at the centre of several security threats over the last week, with bomb threats being called in to airlines and media outlets operating throughout the country, with additional scares occurring throughout Europe.
While the government has so far failed to ascertain the origin of the threats or whether they were coordinated, EU officials have pointed the finger at Russia, with claims that Moscow could be using the bomb scares to sow chaos across the continent.
Discussions at the European Political Community — which will see Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attend as a guest — is likely to centre around the war in Ukraine, with EU leaders currently on edge over attempts by the Trump administration to negotiate an end to the conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The later European Council meeting is meanwhile set to focus on Artificial Intelligence, with leaders more likely to continue their efforts to crack down on the technology over “safety and security” concerns.
EU leaders are set to once again hear from CEO Arthur Mensch, the head of Europe’s languishing Mistral AI firm, as well as Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton, who has recently suggested humanity may have been “better off never developing” the technology.