- Joe Biden's visit to Dublin has caused major traffic disruptions, office absences and the closure of the city's zoo.
- A security operation is underway with cordoned streets, traffic diversions and the cancellation of annual leave for police officers.
- The Phoenix Park, which is home to the Irish president's official residence, is closed to the public.
President Joe Biden's visit to Dublin has caused major traffic disruptions, led some people to avoid heading into the office and even closed the capital city's zoo.
Biden is attending a series of events in Dublin on Thursday, meeting with Irish President Michael D. Higgins and Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar before an address to the country's parliament and a banquet at the historic Dublin Castle.
His visit comes after he delivered a major speech in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement—a landmark peace deal—and visited County Louth, where some of his Irish ancestors originated.
As with any presidential visit, a major security operation is underway in Dublin, which has caused disruptions in the busy capital including traffic diversions due to cordoned off streets.
One unusual effect of Biden's itinerary is that Dublin Zoo will remain closed on Thursday.
The popular attraction is located inside the Phoenix Park—where the Irish president and prime minister both have residences—and the whole park is closed to the public until Friday.
In the south of the city on Thursday, cars idled their engines as traffic came to a standstill while Biden's motorcade headed to the Phoenix Park for meetings with the president and prime minister.
Some taxi passengers could be seen abandoning the vehicles and heading toward the city center on foot—likely a headache for Dublin's many taxi drivers, who may not have been paid for their trouble.
Other professions have also been affected by the security operation. One man who works in finance in the city told Newsweek that he would work from home on Thursday because his office would be effectively inaccessible due to cordons.
"It would be a nightmare," he said. "I'll just stay home and work from there. I've done it before."
That option isn't available to everyone, and certainly not to members of the Garda Síochána, the Irish police force, who have deployed a notable number of officers at key locations.
Visitors to Dublin—including the many international journalists covering Biden's visit—may be in for a surprise if they ask a nearby police officer for directions as many of those on the streets have been drafted from other divisions as annual leave has been canceled.
"We're up from the country. We don't really know the area," one police officer told Newsweek with a smile, referring to himself and two colleagues who were walking the beat on Wednesday.
When asked about having to give directions to tourists, another police officer suggested Google Maps.
However, the security operation in Dublin appears less intensive than the approach in Belfast, where many police officers were deployed and large numbers of streets cordoned off.
Biden will deliver a speech to the Irish parliament on Thursday where he is likely to once again tout his Irish roots, before heading for a banquet at Dublin Castle, which has also been cordoned off and was guarded by a number of police officers on Thursday.
Despite disruptions in the capital, Biden has so far received a warm welcome from the Irish people and many are likely to tune in for his speech.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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