Here's why so many armed gardai and heavy security were in Kilkenny City last night
Christine Lagarde and the elite of the ECB popped into Kyteler's Inn for a refreshment
Locals and visitors to Kilkenny were wondering aloud about the large garda presence on alert in the heart of Kilkenny City yesterday evening.
Uniformed gardai patrolled around Market Yard, along Bateman Quay and High Street. Groups of plainclothes detectives in jeans, with holstered sidearms visible beneath their sports jackets, stood chatting around the back of Dunnes Stores, and walking in pairs along Kieran Street and opposite the courthouse.
The reason was that Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank and former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, was in town, with her ECB council. They decided to stop into a local hostelry for some refreshment and music.
The famous Kyteler's Inn is often a busy spot, but it's unusual to see security at the door vetting people for entry at 6.30pm of Wednesday evening. This included a Medieval knight dressed in full chainmail and armour, presumably to handle any bard who consumed too much ale, or should a Jacquerie threaten to break out.
The ECB governing council has been holding a two-day retreat at Mount Juliet this week, in its last gathering before a reported rate cut in two weeks’ time.
The 26 members of the council, led by president Christine Lagarde and including Central Bank of Ireland governor Gabriel Makhlouf and the ECB’s Irish chief economist, Philip Lane, were staying at the hotel.