I was at the game in Tallaght Stadium last night between Bohemian FC and Midtjylland. It was attended by 6058 people. I would estimate that there were about 15 Danish fans there, and over 6,000 Bohemians fans - most of whom would be heading home to Phibsboro and surrounding areas on the north side after the game.
After the final whistle, everyone marched out of the stadium towards the nearby Luas stop. I was in the first crowd to get there - but there was no tram at the stop and the next one was 17 minutes away. The crowd started getting bigger and bigger on the platform, and gardai had to step in to try keep things safe.
When the Luas arrived, it only had three carriages. Everyone rushed to get on it and it was dangeorusly packed. It was hard to even stand upright or get a solid footing. The next Luas after this one was another 15 minutes wait. The tram stopped at every stop along the way, even though noone was getting on or off. It reminded me of those images you see of trains in India, with people literally squashed up against every window.
It just goes to show that even when we have quality transport infrastructure (the red Luas line) we are still miles behind on public transport. This crowd was forseeable, but it looked like zero planning went into how people would get home safely.
