Papal visit road closures described as ‘ludicrous overkill’

The proposed road closures for the Pope's visit to Dublin are "ludicrous overkill" according to the Social Democrats candidate for Dublin West, Aengus Ó Maoláin.

The Office of Public Works have requested Fingal County Council and Dublin City Councils to close a large number of roads on Sunday, August 26, which will particularly affect residents in Dublin 15 and Dublin 7.

Mr Ó Maoláin said that roads as far away from the Phoenix Park as Lucan and Blanchardstown are proposed to be closed under a notice published last week.

“Ashtown, Cabra, Navan Road, Castleknock, Laurel Lodge, Carpenterstown and Porterstown are going to be effectively cut off from the rest of Dublin for the Pope's visit if the OPW's road closures plan for August 26 are allowed to go ahead," stated Mr Ó Maoláin.

"It will be near impossible for residents to travel to other parts of the city with the proposed road closures. People have been telling me that they feel the proposal is totally over the top, particularly for the many people in the area who have no interest in the Papal mass.”

He added: “This part of Dublin is lamentably accustomed to excessive road closures around the Phoenix Park during concerts but this proposal is an order of magnitude more extreme than usual and will lead to huge confusion and frustration."