Army to act as last line of defence at May Day protests

Declan Power and Neans McSweeney

An extra 600 gardaí have also been drafted into Waterford for a three-day meeting of EU environment ministers, scheduled to begin on May 14.

Military sources confirm a battalion strength formation of troops has been quietly undergoing public order training at the Curragh camp and Gormanstown camp over the last month in preparation for the main event at Farmleigh.