Road closures announced in advance of Obama visit to Dublin

The first lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters will visit next week

There will be widespread disruption to traffic in the centre of Dublin on Monday and Tuesday next week to facilitate the visit of the US first lady Michelle Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia.

Kildare Street will be closed to through traffic from 6pm on Sunday until Tuesday evening to facilitate the three women who are staying in the Shelbourne Hotel.

Mrs Obama and her daughters are visiting Dublin while her husband will be at the G8 summit in Fermanagh.

The full itinerary for her visit will be announced this afternoon by the White House.

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She will arrive at 11am in Dublin on Monday and go straight to the Long Room in Trinity College Dublin.

Later she will attend performances of Riverdance at the Gaiety and on Tuesday she will travel to Glendalough.

Local parking restrictions will be in place on St Stephen’s Green East and North and Molesworth Street from 6pm on Sunday until Tuesday evening.

Dublin Bus routes will also be affected and will re-join their routes via Hume Street/St. Stephen's Green or Merrion Square East.

There will also be temporary rolling road closures to facilitate the movements of Mrs Obama and her daughters on Monday.

Traffic coming from the Leeson Street direction on the opposite side of St Stephen’s Green will not face restrictions.

Gardaí they were “particularly mindful” of students taking their exams and that they had liaised with local colleges and schools in the area.

Inspector Liam Geraghty of Pearse Street Garda station said the restrictions were relatively minor and that there was a convenient alternative with traffic accessing the southside through Nassau Street and on to Merrion Square.

"While it is a private visit and it is the first lady, it is the first lady of the United States. There is a limited amount of traffic restrictions just to give us a secure location for where she is staying," he said.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times