ABSOLUTE delight at not having to trek into the city centre to do their shopping - that was the mood of shoppers at the new Blanchardstown Town Centre. Thousands flocked to the £60 million plus centre which was officially opened by the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, and his wife Finola yesterday morning.
"It is the best thing to happen to this area," said Ms Gabrielle O'Toole from Clonsilla. "I will never go into town again; everything I want is here. It was an awful pain before when you went in to get something for the kids to discover when you brought it home that it did not fit and had to be returned."
Her husband Martin nodded in agreement. "It's top of the range," he said.
Chairman of Green Property, Prof Michael MacCormac, hosted a champagne breakfast for guests to celebrate the opening, while shoppers flocked in.
Designed by architect Adrzej Vejchert - who designed the blueprint for the UCD campus and several of its buildings - the centre has six malls on two levels. Over an acre of roof glass ensures they are lit naturally.
Bands, clowns, stilt walkers and cartoon characters entertained customers yesterday.
"This is a regional development which will attract shoppers from all over Ireland," said the centre's manager, Mr Aidan Grimes. Over 625,000 people live within 20 minutes of the centre and this number will increase with the completion of the north ring road.
The centre is giving employment to more than 2,000 people, making it one of the largest employers in west Dublin.
Construction of the centre began in 1994 and up to 2,000 people worked on the site. Mr Maurice Greene, Green Property Development officer, said it was the biggest amount of money ever spent on a shopping centre in the Republic.
Phase 2 of the centre, which opens in December, includes a nine screen UCI cinema, restaurants and fast food outlets. A 55,000 square foot Leisureplex is under construction.
Shopppers' reaction yesterday was generally very good, apart from one gripe - not enough cafes.