Gardaí denied yesterday that the huge security operation during the visit of President Bush was excessive. Liam Reid reports.
Some 4,000 gardaí, or one in three members of the force were bused from all parts of the State for the visit in one of the biggest security operations ever mounted here.
A 10 km section of the main Limerick Galway road was closed from Friday evening until Saturday afternoon as part of the operation. Gardaí mounted road blocks on numerous small roads in the area, allowing access to only local vehicles that had received prior security clearance.
Up to 1,000 members of the Garda crowd control unit, known within the force as the riot squad, were also on alert in the area, fully-equipped with protective clothing, shields and truncheons.
Two water cannons, borrowed from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, were also in place at the airport, as were armed gardaí, who also manned positions around Dromoland Castle.
The operation was overseen by the Assistant Commissioner in charge of the Western Region, Mr Dermot Jennings. A further five assistant commissioners were also in Shannon, each assigned responsibility for a specific aspect of the security operation.
The Garda Commissioner, Mr Noel Conroy, and Deputy Garda Commissioner in charge of operations, Mr Fachtna Murphy, visited Shannon on Friday morning to inspect the operation in advance of Mr Bush's arrival.
Gardaí were backed up by 2,000 armed soldiers with upwards of 20 armoured personnel carriers, and Scorpion tanks, dug into positions around the airport and the castle. The Army contingent included bomb disposal experts and a chemical decontamination unit.
The Air Corps, the Garda helicopter and Naval Service ships were also involved in the security operation, as were an unknown number of US security staff and equipment.
Clare County Council staff had previously cleared stones and any potential projectiles from all areas where protesters were expected to gather.
"We're very happy with the way the operation went," Insp Ray McHugh told The Irish Times.