THE FIRST OF three One Direction concerts takes place in Dublin’s Croke Park tonight amid fresh complaints from local residents about security arrangements.
Gardaí say that cordons will be in place from 4pm at the latest and are “strongly advising” people attending that, as with last night, there is a restricted area around the stadium with overnight queuing not allowed.
Gardaí say that if people do turn up to the restricted points around the stadium ahead of time they will be turned away.
Stiles open at Croke Park from 5pm this afternoon, support act 5 Seconds of Summer are due to come on stage at 6.15 pm with One Direction starting at 8.15 pm.
82,000 people are expected to attend each of the concerts over the next three nights and gardaí are requesting that as many people as possible use public transport and park-and-ride facilities.
Two parental pick-up points are being put in place to allow parents and guardians to meet up with their children. They’re at the Mater Dei Institute, on the Clonliffe Road, and at Mountjoy Square East. However, access will be on foot only.
Gardaí are urging parents to take note there’s be no meeting point outside the stadium on Jones Road, post-concert.
Residents have been critical in the past number of days about private security guards manning barriers around the stadium as the stage was being constructed. The residents say that access to their homes have been restricted by the private security guards.
Bussing in the vote
The restrictions around the stadium have also led to concerns about access to polling stations for today’s elections. One local councillor has even arranged a bus for locals concerned that they won’t be able to vote.
Independent Nial Ring said gardaí have given him the okay to run the hourly service after elderly residents raised concerns that the streets around Croke Park would be too crowded to make it to the local polling station at O’Connell’s School on the North Circular Road.
“A few of them were saying were saying I don’t think I’ll bother voting. The main affected areas would be Tolka Road, Distillery Road and Clonliffe Gardens,” Ring said.
The buses will be running from Clonliffe Road on the hour, with the last service going at around 9 pm.
“And it’ll be going two directions too, not just one.”
-Additional reporting by Daragh Brophy
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