A number of homeless people who had been living in tents for months moved from the Phoenix Park ahead of US President Joe Biden's historic visit.
Gardai and Dublin City Council staff were present when the tents were taken down on Sunday. A woman who had been living in a tent at the entrance to Phoenix Park on Conyngham Road accepted a housing first tenancy in the Fingal area.
The others were offered emergency accommodation, it is understood. The Phoenix Park will be shut down to all members of the public for 24 hours from 5pm today as President Biden visits President Michael D Higgins in the Aras an Uachtaráin and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Farmleigh House, which is also in the Park, tomorrow.
Read more: Full details on traffic restrictions in Dublin city as US President visits
A source said gardai and statutory agencies had been engaging with the residents of the tents for the last "four or five months". The source said: "There was no order to leave or any breaking down of tents or anything like that.
"Down there will be fairly boxed off with Biden coming and all that." The source suggested that a request may have come from the Council to get the homeless to move from that spot.
DCC did not respond to a query from Dublin Live about this but a spokesman did say the site was inspected earlier this morning and "no rough sleepers were present". A DCC spokesman said: "The Dublin Region Homeless Executive offers assistance to rough sleepers, including the rough sleepers at the aforementioned site, through the provision of emergency accommodation, through the Housing First programme which offers permanent homes and the Dublin Region Outreach Service.
"One of the Rough sleepers at this location, secured a Housing First tenancy in the Fingal administrative area in the last number of weeks. This site was inspected earlier this morning and there were no rough sleepers present.
"The DRHE and the Dublin Regional Outreach Service will continue to monitor this area, to provide support and offer emergency accommodation to Rough Sleepers looking for assistance."
A garda spokesman said three people had "voluntarily" left the area at the end of last week after engagement from the gardai and statutory agencies. They said: "Over a number of weeks statutory agencies have been engaging with person living in tents in this area.
"Three persons had previously voluntarily left this area at the end of the week. Gardai engaged with three remaining persons, one of whom has been re-accommodated.
"The remaining persons removed their own belongings and tents and were further provided with advice and contact information for support agencies and accommodation services and left the area. Dublin City Council staff also attended the scene and removed waste left behind."
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