Dublin bomb alerts ahead of Queen’s visit
A viable bomb has been dealt with by security experts close to Dublin, just hours before the Queen is due to arrive in the city on an historic four-day visit.
The improvised explosive was found in the luggage compartment of a bus on the outskirts of Maynooth early on Monday morning.
It was made safe after a controlled explosion was carried out by the Irish Army’s bomb disposal squad. The bus was from Co Mayo, bound for Dublin.
In a second, separate security alert, a suspect package found near the Luas line at Davitt Road, Inchicore, was examined and found to be a hoax.
It comes as a major security operation swings into action in the city, with armed British police officers patrolling the streets alongside thousands of gardai and soldiers.
The Queen is set to make history when she arrives in the Republic on what will be the first ever official visit by a British monarch since independence.
During the trip, Her Majesty will meet Irish President Mary McAleese before one of her most significant engagements – a wreath-laying ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance, which honours those who died for Irish freedom.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny described the visit as a “symbolic conclusion to many years of difficulty”, and maintains that she would receive a warm welcome from the vast majority of Irish people.
But her momentous arrival is also shrouded with controversy and coincides with the 37th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, in which 34 men, women and children were killed.
Socialist republican group éirígí had planned to protest at an Irish Freedom Camp near the Garden of Remembrance but instead it has decided to hold an alternative wreath laying ceremony.
Security fears were raised in England on Monday after a coded bomb threat, believed to have come from dissidents, was issued for London. Parts of the city were cordoned off for a time.
The trip has also been deemed “premature” by Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams.
