A ring of barricades encircled Leinster House and Government Buildings early this morning ahead of the first day of the new Dáil term.
The barricades of various shapes and sizes were manned by dozens of gardaí who prevented cars and pedestrians from coming within 100m of the gates of Leinster House unless they had appropriate accreditation – which was being rigorously checked.
All four roads leading to Kildare St from St Stephen’s Green, Molesworth St, Nassau St and Setanta Place were blocked off as was the junction of Baggot St and Merrion St and all the other approaches from Merrion Square.
The zero-access rules were being applied across the board, even to 15-year-old girls in convent school uniforms trying to access classes close to St Stephen’s Green – who seemed unlikely candidates for any attempt at a violent overthrow of the Government.
Business owners and employees in the buildings close to the corridors of power also had their access restricted.
One person standing outside an office on Merrion Square laughed off the inconvenience while expressing a degree of annoyance that he had been expected to provide a letter from his employer proving who he was before he could get to work.
“It was like being asked to get a letter from my mammy allowing me to go to work,” he said.
When a passerby asked him what was going on, he responded drily: “I think Simon Harris is playing a gig there today, and I heard that Michael Healy-Rae is the support act.”
A Garda spokeswoman said it was policy not to comment on ongoing operations, but she said the road closures “are expected to stay in place until tonight”.
While the roads in the vicinity of Lenister St were as quiet as a Sunday morning, it was a different story elsewhere in the city with the widespread diversions causing massive tailbacks and congestion with traffic jams along Baggot St, Fitzwilliam St and as far as the north and south quays.
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