PHOTO DIARY 24 MAY 2026

Sunday, 24 May 2026

It was meant to be a straightforward Sunday. I was scheduled to have lunch with a group of current and recently retired European Commission employees in Dalkey. Leaving my apartment at 11:00, I planned to arrive about noon, giving myself an hour to wander through Dalkey Village. My problematic Leica Q3 had just undergone a fresh firmware update, and I was eager to test it out before kicking off my full city-visit photographic programmes.

Right as I was heading out the door, my system crashed. For some unknown reason, the operating system chose that exact moment to trigger an update across all my in-house servers. Figuring the digital chaos could wait, I decided my trip to Dalkey took priority and left anyway.

A Comedy of Public Transport Errors

My journey quickly unraveled at Tara Street Station. After waiting 40 minutes on a heavily overcrowded platform, the train arrived packed to the brim. The next one wasn’t due for another twenty minutes, and with the platform swelling, I decided to pivot. I figured taking a bus to Dún Laoghaire made more sense; from there, I could easily arrange a lift over to Dalkey.

That plan backfired spectacularly. The bus took almost eighty minutes to reach Dún Laoghaire, and when I arrived, my lift was nowhere to be seen. It turns out they had gone to Dalkey station instead. Compounding the confusion, they had tried calling my home landline rather than my mobile when I didn't show up.

When a replacement lift finally arrived, our journey took a dramatic turn. An elderly gentleman holding a young child's hand stepped out from behind a parked car directly into the path of an oncoming bicycle, completely bypassing a nearby pedestrian crossing. Fortunately, my driver happens to be a doctor. They immediately jumped out to offer medical assistance, but luckily, no real harm had been done.

By the time I made it back to Tara Street, the day's plans were in tatters, and the return train was just as packed and uncomfortable as the first (If I was on it). Still needing to test the Leica Q3, I spent the remaining afternoon taking random snapshots around Dublin city centre.

Looking Ahead: Why My City Visits Are Rescheduled

Between the erratic, undependable weather we've had so far this year and today's logistical headache, I have officially decided to postpone my formal city photographic visits to the second half of 2026.
There is a major strategic reason for this rescheduling: street photography in Dublin is about to become highly restricted. Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2026.

During this intensive six-month term, Dublin will be at the heart of European politics—chairing legislative negotiations, brokering compromises between member states, and hosting over 250 high-level government and diplomatic events.

Key Events and Meetings to Watch

European Political Community Summit: Ireland will play host to this monumental summit, which is expected to gather up to 47 Heads of State and Government from across Europe. This will be the largest and most significant high-level international diplomatic event ever held in the country's history.

Informal Council Gatherings: The calendar includes an informal meeting of the European Council alongside roughly 16 to 20 Ministerial-level meetings. A vast majority of these official gatherings will take place directly within Dublin city centre, bringing tight security cordons and road closures.

The Trio Presidency and Policy Priorities

The Trio Team: Ireland takes over the rotating mantle from Cyprus, forming a collaborative "Trio Presidency" alongside the subsequent terms of Lithuania and Greece.

Policy Objectives: The Irish government will officially publish its Presidency Policy Programme in June 2026. The core priorities are set to focus on boosting European economic competitiveness, advancing climate action, and strengthening the EU's geopolitical and economic autonomy.

Because of the massive security and logistical footprint of these events, capturing candid city life will be a unique challenge. For official calendar updates, policy details, and planned cultural initiatives, keep an eye on the official Ireland EU Presidency Portal sites as June approaches.