Last year the north side of Fitzwilliam Square was the ninth most profitable place in Dublin to clamp cars, generating almost €42,000 in clamping fees. The principle is clear: if you park here illegally you must pay a fine to get your car back.

Different principles seem to apply on the other side of the square which has been the home of the Dublin office of the Irish Data Protection Regulator (DPC) since 2015 .