7 Mespil Road

magpie

Anyone know what/who is at 7 Mespil Road? I pass it every day and recently there's been a Guard on 24hr duty outside. The building is completely unmarked, there are no flags or signs of any variety. It is behind shut gates with an intercom, but again no identifying marks.

Anyone?

sillo

Mrs Anne Simmons-Benton, Senior Trade Advisor and IF Donor Co-ordinator, USAID

So says http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/31/62/34108240.pdf

magpie

That linky no worky

So why does Mrs Anne Simmons-Benton Senior Trade Advisor USAID get 24 hour Garda security, and who's paying for it?

sillo

Sorry the 'f' got lost. No idea why or who is paying for her protection. Maybe give her a call and ask?

magpie

Or we could all drop her an email at ASimmons-Benton@usaid.gov and ask politely? Use a hotmail if you ever want to enter the US again

Judging by the way the Ban Garda on duty there this morning was noting the registrations of cars that went past too slowly and gave me a fithly look for having a good peer in, it's not beyond disbelief that the phones are monitored.

DadaKopf

Is this the old white building on Mespil?

A Dub in Glasgo

Better watch out, by recording the address of that building, you could now get done for conspiracy to commit an offence!!!

As for the police protection, the building sounds as if it is part of the US embassy (?)

magpie

Is this the old white building on Mespil?

Yep, near the corner with Leeson Street.

the building sounds as if it is part of the US embassy

Apparently her hubby is 2nd in command at the US Embassy.

What I want to know is, who foots the bill for pandering to US paranioa? Do they stump up, or is one of those 'special' agreements with the Irish governement? Like when the US embassy in Ballsbridge annexed large sections of public footpath to build a nice big wall around itself.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Zombrex

magpie wrote:

That linky no worky

So why does Mrs Anne Simmons-Benton Senior Trade Advisor USAID get 24 hour Garda security, and who's paying for it?

Maybe she complained that you are always hanging around outside at the same time in the morning

I would say it is because she works for the US embassey, and anyone who works on foriegn soil for the US at a senior level probably needs some form of protection

Victor

USAID is the American agency that handles overseas development aid, including the handing of of some contracts in Iraq.

Perhaps this chap could help with any enquiries.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ee.html

European Union

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON
chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500
FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766

Moriarty

magpie wrote:

What I want to know is, who foots the bill for pandering to US paranioa? Do they stump up, or is one of those 'special' agreements with the Irish governement?

hahahahahahahaha.....

Hopefully, some arrangement can be made where there's a US marine posted guard instead, just so I can watch your head shoot straight off in an apoplectic fit of cold fury.

I'd far sooner have the 24x7 garda protection of certain ex-taoiseach removed before I see diplomatic representitives denied the same.

RuggieBear

Actually noticed the ban garda outside the house on Monday, and wondered why... Thought it was weird. Just assumed it was a minister's or diplomat's home. Cheers for killing my curiousity

magpie

God heaven forbid they try and protect themselves. They've never been the target of Embassy bombings have they?

From who? Balssbridge is hardly downtown Abu-Dahbi. And our home grown terrorists are keen to stay in the Americans' good books anyhoo.

On a related (ish) note I saw David Trimble out for dinner last night.

Not only did he have an armed (they all are) driver waiting for him outside, but also 2 uniformed Guards. Clearly Dublin is a more dangerous place than I had previously thought.

Of course, the silly thing is if anyone ever wanted to go Travis Bickle all they'd have to do is find somewhere with Guards in nice hi-viz jackets hanging around outside. 7 Mespil Road being a case in point, I'd never even noticed it before, but now anyone who looks at this forum knows who lives there! Why? Because having a Guard hanging around outside arouses people's curiosity.

magpie

magpie wrote:

From who? Balssbridge is hardly downtown Abu-Dahbi. And our home grown terrorists are keen to stay in the Americans' good books anyhoo.

Dont be so silly suggesting the IRA or CIRA would ever want to bomb america.
I know you're not but theres no need to even mention it as the idea is so proposterous,I dont see how it could occur to anyone.

The security is necessary because any U.S target is legit for the likes of Al Qu'eda and here would be a place where they might try something against a U.S target in the thoughts that it wouldnt be expected.

As regards footing the bill, I think its a small price to pay whatever ones political views are for the 100,000 plus jobs the Americans have directly brought here(and the 1000's of other downstream ones) as well as the estimated 100,000 plus illegal Irish( ref: emmigration groups in the U.S) working in the states, not to mention those that got green cards.
And yes they went there when there was little to offer in this country.

magpie

magpie wrote:

On a related (ish) note I saw David Trimble out for dinner last night.

Not only did he have an armed (they all are) driver waiting for him outside, but also 2 uniformed Guards. Clearly Dublin is a more dangerous place than I had previously thought.

I'm wondering what you are trying to say here...
Do you think David Trimble is safe to walk anywhere in the South on his own?
CIRA would have him gunned down in a shot just like that and laugh at the good of it.

magpie

Do you think David Trimble is safe to walk anywhere in the South on his own?

No, I just think he'd be better off having the plainclothes, armed, driver and car rather than having two 7 foot tall mucksavages in dayglo yellow vests announcing his presence.

The security is necessary because any U.S target is legit for the likes of Al Qu'eda and here would be a place where they might try something against a U.S target in the thoughts that it wouldnt be expected.

Danger Will Robinson! Danger!

I take it you're not a Michael Moore afficionado then?

magpie

magpie wrote:

I take it you're not a Michael Moore afficionado then?

I like his politics but not his accuracy it detracts from the message.

daveirl

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pickarooney

Isn't the whole shehooley with having armed guards around everything exactly what terrorism is? You don't have to lift a finger as a terrorist if people are wilfully burrowing away in fear for their lives.

jbkenn

magpie wrote:

No, I just think he'd be better off having the plainclothes, armed, driver and car rather than having two 7 foot tall mucksavages in dayglo yellow vests announcing his presence.

Would you care to retract that statement?

jbkenn

magpie

Would you care to retract that statement?

You can't really retract an opinion, can you? I presume you're taking exception to the use of the word Mucksavage, as you're from Limerick. In which case please substitute "helpful gardai" for "7 foot tall mucksavages".

The point is all they do is attract extra attention in their shiny yellow vests, which is the crux of my point here.

Isn't the whole shehooley with having armed guards around everything exactly what terrorism is? You don't have to lift a finger as a terrorist if people are wilfully burrowing away in fear for their lives.

I believe its known as 'letting them win'. As a wiser man than I observed, Security does not equal Freedom.

Gordon

magpie wrote:

From who? Balssbridge is hardly downtown Abu-Dahbi. And our home grown terrorists are keen to stay in the Americans' good books anyhoo..

Downtown Abu Dhabi is a beautiful and safe place afaik. Did you mean Baghdad?

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

MrPudding

magpie wrote:

Of course, the silly thing is if anyone ever wanted to go Travis Bickle all they'd have to do is find somewhere with Guards in nice hi-viz jackets hanging around outside. 7 Mespil Road being a case in point, I'd never even noticed it before, but now anyone who looks at this forum knows who lives there! Why? Because having a Guard hanging around outside arouses people's curiosity.

You should never assume that just because you don't know something that no one does. Someone interested in doing harm to a person will make it there business to know where they are. They will not wander round a city trying to find police standing outside an building to give them a clue.

MrP

Sleepy

Not trying to stir but does anyone know if the American police force offer similar assistance to the Irish embassy? I'm guessing that it's a fairly typical courtesy extended by one country to another... particularly where members of the embasadorial party's families are living outside the embassy where the guest country have no jurisdiction to place an armed escort of their own.

I'd much rather a guarda presence there than a US marine tbh.

magpie

They will not wander round a city trying to find police standing outside an building to give them a clue.

True, but it does mean they don't have to count house numbers as they're driving by.

MrPudding

magpie wrote:

True, but it does mean they don't have to count house numbers as they're driving by.

Are you actually being serious? If you are that is really a pretty stupid post.

MrP

jbkenn

magpie wrote:

You can't really retract an opinion, can you? I presume you're taking exception to the use of the word Mucksavage, as you're from Limerick. In which case please substitute "helpful gardai" for "7 foot tall mucksavages".

I have no interest in your opinion, I take exception to your description of members of an Garda Siochana as "7 foot tall mucksavages", you sleep soundly in your bed at night because the members of an Garda Siochana are on duty, how exactly do you serve the wider community?
If a crime is committed against you, who will you call?, the Gardai or Dyno-Rod.

jbkenn

RuggieBear

jbkenn wrote:

If a crime is committed against you, who will you call?, the Gardai or Dyno-Rod.

i'd call a 7 foot tall muck savage tbh....

true

Sleepy wrote:

Not trying to stir but does anyone know if the American police force offer similar assistance to the Irish embassy? I'm guessing that it's a fairly typical courtesy extended by one country to another... particularly where members of the embasadorial party's families are living outside the embassy where the guest country have no jurisdiction to place an armed escort of their own.

I take it you mean the Irish embassy in Washington? Probably. However, it would not be needed outside the Irish embassy in washington as much : Ireland has never taken a brave stand in international affairs, and is hardly at the top of the Al Quahida mission list.

We should remember the US has done a lot for this country, and extend it every courtesy.

magpie

Are you actually being serious? If you are that is really a pretty stupid post.

MrP

You mean you really can't tell?

magpie

Don't forget that the cops get paid, they're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, so it's not really a question of how people serve the wider community now is it?

Is being a cop a community service, or a job? I think it's the latter

jbkenn

magpie wrote:

Don't forget that the cops get paid, they're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, so it's not really a question of how people serve the wider community now is it?

Is being a cop a community service, or a job? I think it's the latter

you are right

jbkenn

Victor

Diplomatic staff (and by extension their families) are entitled to protection under the Vienna Convention. Not only do they have the right to protection, but the host country must vindicate that right.

While the dayglosavages might be really, really obvious they are unlikely to be the only protection.

CiaranDowney

I came looking for this because I've been passing that house for years and wondering who lives there. Rather than Mrs Simmons-Benton, I think the protection is there for her husband, Jonathan Benton, who's the Deputy Head of the US Mission here in Ireland, and, by extension, his family. Now you know, y'know.

strassenwolf

magpie wrote: »

Apparently her hubby is 2nd in command at the US Embassy.

When I was a kid growing up in the area (late 70s/early 80s), that building was the home of the second-in-command of the US embassy. It looks like it still is.

I never once saw anyone go in or out, and the gates were always closed. There was no garda presence then, but the security risks for the occupants were also probably a lot different.

lostexpectation

usaid misusing aid for imperialism (TM)

Firetrap

Thank heavens this wasn't posted in After Hours. They'd have been falling over each other in the race to reply "Yore Ma"

mtjulie

magpie wrote: »

Anyone know what/who is at 7 Mespil Road? I pass it every day and recently there's been a Guard on 24hr duty outside. The building is completely unmarked, there are no flags or signs of any variety. It is behind shut gates with an intercom, but again no identifying marks.

Anyone?

I lived at 7 Mespil Rd. for four years when my father was Charge d'Affairs (deputy ambassador) at the American Embassy from 1974 to 1978. We never had Garda there. We rarely if ever closed the big iron gates. I believe it is still used for the DCM of the American Embassy to Ireland. I have wonderful memories of that place. One thing I thought was very strange, yet comforted me somewhat with the constant bomb scares to downtown stores, etc., was the big yellow bomb blanket we had in our garage; the embassy provided it for us. I lived there when Iris Kellet's riding school had just abandoned their properties behind us to move to another location. The Mespil Flats let us use their swimming pool. I used to bring my friends home from school all the time. We had a live-in cook/nanny, a daily housekeeper, a twice weekly gardener, a chauffer for my dad who sometimes brought us kids to school, and occasionally some butlers to help at an embassy-sponsored party that was held at our house. My e-mail is mtjulie@comcast.net if you have any questions.

JWAD

magpie wrote: »

What I want to know is, who foots the bill for pandering to US paranioa? Do they stump up, or is one of those 'special' agreements with the Irish governement? Like when the US embassy in Ballsbridge annexed large sections of public footpath to build a nice big wall around itself.

Oh ffs..............:rolleyes:
If it concerns US embassy staff, of course there's bloody tight security involved. Remember Kenya and Tanzania? And yes, if it is outside embassy grounds (ie. US territory), the security jurisdiction belongs to Ireland.

lostexpectation

dear mtjulie, could you tell your da to stop sending troops through shannon to illegal imperialist war on their way to pillage iraq? thanks and can you help us arrest the cia agents and contractors who are going round the world kidnapping and torturting people and passing through shannon on there way, thanks.

mtjulie

Dear Lostexpectation,

Sure, I'll get right on it.

--mtjulie
(jschamberlain1@gmail.com)

renegademaster

mtjulie wrote: »

Dear Lostexpectation,

Sure, I'll get right on it.

--mtjulie
(jschamberlain1@gmail.com)

wow, just in the nick of time too

Cody Pomeray

mtjulie wrote: »

Dear Lostexpectation,

Sure, I'll get right on it.

--mtjulie
(jschamberlain1@gmail.com)

He's been waiting 5 years for your reply you heartless woman.

mtjulie

I really am sorry. But I'm glad I re-discovered boards.ie! I had forgotten all about this. And my father died several years ago. But, just so you know, I agree with the assessment of American invasion of Iraq (and most of our decisions on foreign policy)! So if it would've done any good, I really would have given my opinion.

--Julie

trashcan

Those last few posts made me chuckle. :pac: Thanks MTJulie & Co for brightening up an therwise dull lunch hour.