LAST UPDATE | 13 Aug
TENSIONS RAN HIGH in west Tipperary this morning as gardaí sought to escort approximately 80 asylum seekers safely past a blockade formed by several dozen people.
Locals in the area have manned the protest outside Dundrum House Hotel every day since late May.
The hotel has not been in commercial use for several years and has been chosen for the housing of refugees.
One man was removed from the scene this morning and treated for minor injuries after scuffles between protesters and gardaí.
Locals said they would “regroup” and hold a meeting later this evening to discuss the next steps for their campaign to prevent the housing of asylum seekers at the hotel.
They expressed unhappiness at the owner and said they want to see the building returned to commercial use rather than seeing its beds used to house people seeking asylum.
Around 20 people remained at the blockade this afternoon, a fraction of the estimated 70 who met gardaí this morning. Several had arrived last night and stayed on until near midday.
At around 10am today, Gardaí helped to transport a bus and two coaches of people past the blockade.
The hotel, which sits on a 220-acre site that includes a golf resort and is owned by Steelworks Investment Ltd. It’s run by US businessman Jeffrey Leo.
Dundrum House had initially provided up to 274 beds to house Ukrainians following Russia’s invasion of their country two years ago. It is now being repurposed to house asylum seekers in the coming weeks.
In a statement this evening, a Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána assisted the International Protection Accommodation Services at an IPAS accommodation centre in Co. Tipperary today, Tuesday 13 August, 2024.”
The spokesperson said a man in his 40s was arrested this morning and has subsequently been released without charge.
“Local Gardaí continue to maintain a presence and continue to engage with those gathered peacefully at the location, and are facilitating access to and from the premises,” they continued.
“Any Garda response in relation to evolving events is in keeping with a community policing model and graduated policing response taking into account relevant legislation and public safety.”
The Department of Integration plans to use some vacancies arising at the hotel to accommodate people seeking International Protection. They will stay at the hotel alongside some Ukrainian refugees.
It also sought to clarify claims made online that the hotel would house more than 500 people, saying there’s “No intention to increase the capacity or overall numbers accommodated at this site, regardless of the process under which they are accommodated in Ireland”.
“As Government works urgently to find accommodation for people seeking International Protection, and people from Ukraine move on to alternative accommodation, we have arranged to use some vacancies arising at this location to accommodate people seeking International Protection,” a department spokesperson said.
Speaking from outside the gates at the hotel entrance, Martin Ryan told The Journal that Dundrum House was wrapped up in happy memories for many in the community.
“I was working as a kitchen porter here when I met my wife. I think a lot of people can trace important parts of their lives back to here,” he explained.
He said many had become emotional this morning after gardaí had swept aside a small gate blocking the front entrance to allow asylum seekers through, quickly moving past the demonstrators who had been outside for the past 77 days.
“There were people crying and I ended up becoming very emotional later on today,” Ryan said.
Andrea Crowe, whose family owned the hotel before going into receivership, said, “You have to remember, if you’re in a city then you’re not dependent on one thing. But here, this [hotel] is all we have. There’s very little else here.”
She said she and many of the community have “spent their summer” covering the gates at the hotel in their bid to prevent asylum seekers being housed there.
Ryan agreed, adding that while he took a short break away in Kerry with his family, he “was thinking about Dundrum the entire time”.
She said they have attempted to “reinforce that the protest needs to be peaceful”, pointing to the involvement of anti-migration activists at the blockade this morning.
Crowe said she and others had drafted messages for the protest’s Facebook page this morning which criticised “outside agitators” who appeared in Tipperary this morning “looking absolutely gleeful” about the upcoming standoff.
“They do NOT represent us,” the Facebook page said. “We are, again, calling for peace.”
“People have different ideas for how we should do this and it comes down to that,” Crowe said.
If protesters got confirmation that the hotel may return to commercial use within the near future, then it may be easier for the community to accept, according to a number of demonstrators.
Margaret Gallagher said the community had welcomed Ukrainians who have stayed at the hotel and said she hopes similar can happen again in time, once hotel management are able to “really look after” the new arrivals.
“I’m angry about how our taxes and money have gone towards paying for all of this and it feels like we don’t have a voice or any representation,” she said.
“I do hope the people coming in here are really looked after, that they’re catered for and everything.”
Noel Ryan, who is from the area and owns a farm in Honduras in Central America, said he is opposed to the housing of people seeking asylum at the site. He cited claims that the identification documents used by some to enter Ireland may be incorrect or false.
“When I went to Honduras, I did it legally and I lived there for seven years. Many of the people coming here are coming here without documents, they’re coming here illegally and that can’t be allowed,” Ryan said.
Another man said that with asylum seekers now staying at the hotel, he believed they “should not be let out”.
Signs adorn the site, with some stating ‘Keep Dundrum Safe’, ‘Protect our community’ and ‘We don’t want or need IPAS’.
Several signs carry the image of Richard Harris as The Bull McCabe in the film adaptation of John B Keane’s The Field, with a pointed message for the hotel’s American owner: “Now be a good Yank and go home.”
One sign held in a prominent position at the protest carries a message saying to “stop the immigration plantation of Ireland”. The words echo that of a far-right conspiracy theory called The Great Replacement, which considers that there is an attempt made by government figures to replace white people with black people.
Crowe said she was unsure where the sign came from but added that it raises a “reasonable” question around government policy. “I don’t know about that exact sign but look ultimately there is no limit to the amount of people coming in. We were told that categorically by Department of Integration officials. I think there is a reasonable fear around that,” she said.
Last month, a group made up of mainly Dundrum residents lodged 230 affidavits with the High Court complaining about the housing of asylum seekers at the hotel. However, it was roundly rejected by Mr Justice David Holland who said the application by residents was claiming that international protection applicants were “more likely to be burglars than those staying as guests at the hotel or Ukrainian refugees”.
Refusing the injunction, the judge said he would “lend no weight to that assertion” by some affidavits.
Crowe today defended the claims linking asylum seekers with criminality made on some of the affidavits: “We can’t tell everybody what to write on their affidavit and what to say, because some people here do have very different views on the situation and different ideas and concerns.”
She said organisers were “proud” of how they had handled the protest so far, and said they were determined to continue on for as long as needed.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say