The Phoenix Park closure is no longer a diary note — it is live. All park gates and roads shut from 11pm on Thursday 10 September until 6pm on Saturday 12 September, so Dublin Zoo is closed to visitors on Friday and Saturday. Full background sits in our earlier guide: Phoenix Park and Zoo closures for the Trump visit.
This update is for anyone moving around Dublin on Saturday while the capital leg of the visit is on — buses, protests, river swim crowds, then the push west to Clare.
Dublin Bus Route 24
Transport for Ireland has flagged diversions on Route 24 (Dublin Airport ↔ Merrion Square) on Saturday 12 September, from 7:45am–8:45am and again 11:45am–12:45pm.
Airport-bound services divert via St Margaret’s Road, Ballymun Road Junction, Santry Avenue and Swords Road before rejoining the normal route. Merrion Square-bound services run the reverse loop. Build extra time if you are using that corridor around those windows.
City centre Saturday
Expect a busier centre than a normal September Saturday. A demonstration is listed around the Garden of Remembrance from about 1pm, and the Liffey Swim is the same day — so quays and approaches can clog even if you never go near the park. TFI has also flagged disruption around Victoria Quay / Rory O’More Bridge and Custom House Quay for swim-related bus parking. Leave earlier than usual; walk the last stretch if you can.
Park and Zoo reminder
No public access to the Phoenix Park until 6pm Saturday (earlier only if Garda/OPW say operations finished). Zoo reopens as normal on Sunday 13 September. Essential staff still get through; visitors do not.
After Dublin — Doonbeg
Saturday afternoon the schedule moves to Trump International at Doonbeg for the Amgen Irish Open (10–13 September). West Clare roads around the resort — including approaches on the N67 / R484 corridor — will be restricted and congested. Do not rely on satnav alone; use official park-and-ride and event traffic advice. Love Dublin’s Irish Open sport desk has the on-course picture once that pack is live.
At a glance
- Park closed: 11pm Thu 10 Sep → 6pm Sat 12 Sep
- Zoo: closed Fri 11 + Sat 12; reopen Sun 13
- Bus 24: diversions Sat 7:45–8:45am and 11:45am–12:45pm
- Saturday city: Garden of Remembrance protest ~1pm · Liffey Swim · expect busy quays
- Next: Doonbeg / Irish Open — park-and-ride, expect N67/R484 delays
Bottom line: skip the park until Sunday evening windows reopen, treat Route 24 as unreliable in those two Saturday slots, and give yourself margin anywhere near the river or city centre.
