1,200 gardaí on duty in Dublin as day passes off without incident

Garda operation: More than 1,200 gardaí were involved in the security operation around the military parade in Dublin, which gardaí said passed off without incident. The Garda operation had been meticulously planned in an effort to avoid any potentially embarrassing public order incidents.

Members of the Garda's Public Order Unit, or riot squad, were parked in Garda transit vans in side streets off the main parade route but were not needed despite fears that troublemakers involved in rioting at the Love Ulster parade in February might try to disrupt yesterday's event.

In the immediate vicinity of the GPO, where Irish and foreign dignitaries viewed the parade from a number of stands, up to 60 armed plain-clothes detectives were posted.

These were deployed in the event of a serious security breach on the streets surrounding the VIP area. Gardaí searched the bags of those entering that area.

There were high numbers of uniformed gardaí in the city centre from dawn, with hundreds patrolling the parade route and side streets in order to thwart any efforts to congregate by would-be troublemakers.

Most of the city centre was closed to traffic from the early hours until the afternoon, by which time the last of the crowd has dispersed. A Garda spokesman said about 100,000 people had turned out to see the event. This was in line with expectations.

As well as the uniformed patrols, specialist Garda units took a very visible and active part in the security operation, which was the biggest in the capital since the EU accession summit two years ago.

Armed members of the Emergency Response Unit were transported by the Garda Water Unit on patrols up and down the river Liffey around O'Connell Bridge, over which the parade passed. In the days leading up to the event members of the water unit had inspected the main drainage system under the city centre looking for explosive devices.

Rubbish bins in the capital were also sealed up by Dublin City Council so they could not be set alight or used to hide explosive devices, petrol bombs or other weapons.

Four horses from the Garda Mounted Unit patrolled the city from early yesterday. The Garda fixed-wing aircraft and Garda helicopter were on standby throughout the day. They were not in the skies because an air exclusion zone was in operation above the city centre to facilitate the military fly-pasts.

The Army supplied teams of armed troops to assist gardaí if the need arose. These waited in 4X4 Army vehicles around the city centre but they were not needed.