Dublin prepares for EU summit road closures: ‘They have castles and acres for this’

Most people are aware of next week’s big European Union summits in Dublin’s convention centre, and the major disruption and delays they are expected to cause across the city. But what about the impact on businesses in the area? One of those affected is John O’Neill, who runs two businesses on North Wall Quay close to the Convention Centre Dublin: the Jeanie Johnston tall ship on the Liffey and the Dublin Discovered river cruise.“We were given some notice about 10 days ago from the guards who came round with a leaflet,” he said. “They explained that we were not being instructed to close as a security precaution, but that it would be very difficult for people to visit us and that it would be difficult for our staff to gain access to premises.” O’Neill said he was told people will be “subject to stop and search and identification processes” coming through the security cordon going into the area.READ MOREThe Jeanie Johnston had group bookings made seven or eight months ago and he had to inform those coming that “they need to bring this additional documentation and prove for their purpose for being in the area to carry out their visit”.He expected “walk-up” trade would be very heavily impacted “because people will not be able to come to us to buy a ticket on the spot”.The river cruises have to stop entirely for two days, he said, because “there is an exclusion zone on the entirety of the river Liffey from Heuston Bridge all the way down to Poolbeg Lighthouse, which means no vessels can move”.[ Dublin road closures: See full list of disruption as EU meetings trigger State’s biggest-ever policing operation ]“So now we have to go back to customers and start the process of issuing refunds and all this kind of stuff as well,” O’Neill said.He said he understood the nature of the operation, “but I think there’s been a bit of a very blanket approach taken to things”.“‘Let’s just close everything, it’s easier’ and they can control it. It kind of makes sense, but they should have looked at this before they decided to have it there,” O’Neill said. “They have access to God knows how many castles, and how many acres around them that they could pull off an event like this in.”Looking at the bigger picture, he acknowledged that “it’s a very good thing for the country” to host such events. However, O’Neill said that “with a little bit more planning and thought, they could have managed the security aspect a little bit better”.For Julia Balan, assistant general manager of the Dockers Bar on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, the situation remained unclear. “Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are our weekend because of the offices around here,” she said, also saying the pub had a lot of bookings next week. “We don’t know if people are going to come in or stay away, stay home. But all the staff – everyone will be turning up for work just in case.”Deliveries around the area will be affected, too, because of the security operation. Thursday and Fridays are busy delivery days, but visiting salesman Ben O’Meara, of Wicklow Wolf craft beers, said he was advising clients to “order for early delivery” because they will have difficulty getting through the area later in the week.At Takumi Japanese Restaurant on North Wall Quay, supervisor Gwen Hahessy says gardaí told them “to bring our ID and proof” that they worked at the restaurant.They had a number of bookings, but at least one cancelled when they advised them of all the security they would face. “We’re still open, but we may not be too busy,” she said. “Really, it’s not going to be good.”On Clare Street, at the corner of Merrion Square, Howbert & Mays garden and homeware shop had to close for the Dublin City Marathon. They will also close on Thursday during the meeting of the European Political Community, with a formal dinner for those attending taking place nearby in the National Gallery of Ireland that evening.“It would be just too difficult, I’d say, for people to get in on Thursday,” shop manager Silja Kallioinen said. She said she understood the security requirements, but said losing another day’s business was “not ideal”. She said it was “bad luck having a business or shop that’s so close to the area, but it doesn’t happen all the time”.Pedestrians on Merrion Square shrugged their shoulders when asked about the disruption. “The road is blocked for protests and other meetings, so this is just one more – although, in fairness, much bigger,” one man said.