Drones

anyone attempt to shot them down yet?

The drones are polarising.

Councillor John Walsh has been drumming up opposition to them. Manna responded by delivering a letter of support (of the company), signed by 400 residents, to councillors.

There's so much vehicle traffic (=noise) on the road near me that I can only see the drones, not hear them. Maybe the people who are opposed to them live in a nicer area than me.

On the other hand, I'm not particularly convinced the drones serve any useful purpose, apart from being a gimmicky way to do deliveries. At the moment they don't bother me at all, but some regulations or restrictions are necessary - otherwise we'll have drone swarms all over the area.

They say the string can be composted.

The package is not "dropped" but let down onto the ground. With coffee being the most popular delivery, the drinks must be surviving, otherwise people would stop ordering them (one of my neighbours seems to get a delivery every morning around 9am, which I would expect includes coffee).

Happy days so. I've just witnessed the one delivery to the next door neighbour. Package landed on some rockery and fell over. The string was left draped over their tree.

Presumably couldn't operate during Storm Floris but I'd say that was all it was

Did the army get rid of them Bofors L70 anti aircraft guns?

Seriously there is anti drone technology for bringing them down from disrupting signal to anti-drone drones with capture nets.

Clear nonsense when you look at the opposition to Manna's plans to expand into other areas…..

• Dundrum:
  • https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/08/05/dundrum-drone-delivery-plans-delayed-as-council-requests-further-information/
  • https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/more-than-200-residents-raise-concerns-over-plans-for-dundrum-drone-delivery-site/a408986861.html
  • https://www.thejournal.ie/manna-drones-ireland-6763619-Jul2025/
• Tallaght:
  • https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/council-stalls-plans-for-new-tallaght-manna-drone-aerial-delivery-hub-over-noise-concerns-1735383.html
  • https://planningpermissionireland.ie/blog/2025/03/10/south-dublin-council-pauses-tallaght-drone-hub-plans-amid-noise-and-community-concerns/
• Glasnevin/Drumcondra:
  • https://www.dublininquirer.com/glasnevin-area-residents-eye-up-quiet-area-status-to-stymie-planned-drone-delivery-service/
  • https://www.thejournal.ie/call-for-regulations-drone-deliveries-noise-privacy-6729794-Jun2025/
  • https://www.dublininquirer.com/councillors-attempt-to-hit-pause-as-company-prepares-to-launch-drone-delivery-service-from-glasnevin/

I live close enough by to at least one if not two of their bases (and I was here before they started operating) that they're a nuisance at best. I'd say those most vocally in support are those who live nearer to the periphery of the delivery zones, who see few beyond those delivering to them, vs those who are being overflown multiple times per hour.

On the other hand, I can't overlook the upside that the drones do remove some of the deliveroo/just eat drivers and bikes from the road, who can be a liability in their own way.

Gotta say, with the decent weather lately, i've been in the back garden a lot and slowly starting to resent them. I must have counted 20+ over the course of the weekend just gone by. It seems they are quite popular where we live and surrounding houses in the estate frequently using them for deliveries.

It's all well and good when they fly overhead and not stop close by, the disturbance lasts for 10-15s at worst, but when they are making a very local drop it takes them over 1 minute for them to stop, drop and take off again and at close distance they are quite loud. Two hovered in neighbours back gardens over the weekend and you can't talk over them.

I'm not against them per say (I'm not a NIMBY), it's an amazing use of technology, but when you consider all the aspects of environmental issues, human factors and factors that would require consideration for just about any change being brought about - i'm surprised they were let fly that easy without much public consultation. So I can understand the apprehension in other areas if further expansion is planned. They already have at least 3 take off zones now (Blanchardstown SC, Coolmine Industrial estate & Junction 6) and its evident lately the increase in air traffic.

Indeed, in fact we here in D15 feel guilty that we are so privileged and would like the rest of Dublin to have a turn.

no, no, we insist.

You’re talking a minimum of 15 minutes from food being ready to food arriving. All the while your burger and chips are going cold and soggy in their uninsulated cardboard.

Manna claims most deliveries take less than 5 minutes. Surely it would take a normal delivery driver a lot longer, especially if the traffic is bad.

Manna claims most deliveries take less than 5 minutes. 

That's five minutes from drone take-off to drop-off. It is absolutely not five minutes from ordering to delivery. Most things that follow the words "Manna claims" need to taken with a pinch of salt.

A delivery driver can at least put your food into an insulated box and keep it warm.

I didn't claim it was a significant number, but I know my neighbours regularly (multiple per day usually, that's its own matter) get small bags delivered from takeaways and these could be accommodated by drones. That they aren't means a mix of mopeds and cars being driven into the estate several times per day, often with a distinct lack of regard for other road users.

They are popular as the demand for the deliveries are huge. Them articles don't reveal anything.

The privacy thing is a non runner - cameras/ CCTV almost becoming normal in many areas now. The noise isn't an issue. We are a cold country and don't sit out the back garden for the majority of the year. Someone cutting their grass on a Sunday for 20 minutes is more annoying.

Whether people just have a snobby opposition to their neighbours ordering a McDonald's for their dinner on a Tuesday night, I don't know.