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THE FRIDAY INTERVIEW:Dermod Dwyer, executive chairman of the Convention Centre Dublin

IF FIRST impressions are anything to go by, it’s a stunning achievement. Situated along the north bank of the river Liffey, the new Convention Centre Dublin (CCD) looks out across Dublin’s docklands, its distinctive funnel of sparkling glass shooting up from the river’s old mud banks. Located in a district that has become synonymous with planning and economic mismanagement, the opening of the centre in the heart of an area overseen by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority is an achievement. After three years of construction work, and more than 20 years in the planning, the latest addition to the city’s iconography will open its doors on Tuesday.