FIANNA FÁIL LEADER Michéal Martin has said comments made by two councillors in the aftermath of a suspected arson attack on a hotel earmarked for asylum seekers in Co Galway were “absolutely unacceptable”.

He added that an internal review into comments made by Galway councillors Noel Thomas and Séamus Walsh will be “rigorous”.

The party today confirmed that it has referred the Galway councillors to its Rules and Procedures Committee.

The blaze started at around 11.35pm on Saturday at the Ross Lake Hotel in Rosscahill, requiring the fire services to attend the scene and bring the fire under control.

There were no people inside the building at the time of the incident. Gardaí have launched an investigation into what they called a “criminal damage incident”. 

Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin today told reporters that he takes “strong issue” with the comments made by the two councillors.

‘The inn is full’

The fallout began when councillor Noel Thomas spoke to RTÉ in the aftermath of the suspected arson attack in Galway.

He was asked if Ireland should continue to accept people looking for asylum.

“I think at this stage, to be very honest, I think no, we shouldn’t, and I’m going to say that straight out,” he said. 

“Because the inn is full. When you’re trying to solve a problem by creating more problems it really doesn’t make sense.”

Thomas also told RTÉ that the local community were “concerned about the possibility of 70 male migrants being brought in to stay in the hotel”.

He noted “the remoteness of this place” and said that the hotel is in “complete isolation”.

Meanwhile, Walsh had told Galway Bay FM: “If it was a criminal act (the hotel fire), what made that criminal act happen? It’s the senseless policy of the Government.”

He added that the local area has “taken their fair share of immigrants” and that “we cannot be scapegoated, we cannot be used as a holding tank, it’s just not right”.

“If it was done maliciously, it was absolutely the fear for the safety and wellbeing of their families that drove people to this,” said Walsh.

Both councillors say they condemn the fire at the hotel.

Ross Lake Hotel

The Ross Lake Hotel, which is roughly 20km from Galway city and on the outskirts of Connemara, has not been in use for a number of years.

It was due to welcome 70 international protection applicants and the site had been the subject of protests in the days before the fire against the use of the hotel for asylum seekers.

Gardaí have now preserved the scene for a technical examination.

Since anti-migrant demonstrations escalated over the last year, phrases like ‘Ireland is full’ have been used by protesters and the movement to express opposition to asylum seekers being accommodated in local areas.

Internal review

Speaking to The Journal today, Thomas said he stands by his remarks and added that he was “disgusted” he wasn’t informed by Fianna Fáil that he was referred to a committee.

“I was very surprised because I heard this information from media sources,” said Thomas.

“Fianna Fáil never bothered to contact me directly to let me know that there was an investigation being carried out, and would you believe that they still have failed to do that.”

Thomas told The Journal that doesn’t know what the outcome of this review will be.

“Maybe they’ll tell me themselves when they come to a decision rather than telling the media,” he added.

Thomas says he stands by his “inn is full’ remarks.

“The explanation of ‘the inn is full’ is that we had an open-door policy in this country for a long time,” said Thomas.

He said he is supportive of helping genuine asylum seekers but believes there is now inadequate accommodation to support this. 

“If we had done this right from the beginning, we’d still be in a position where we would have room and would be able to take people in and treat them humanely,” he said. 

The State ran out of accommodation for asylum seekers earlier this month and asylum seekers who present to IPAS are provided with tents and sleeping bags where required.

Speaking yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there are people out there who “somehow believe that it’s possible when hundreds of millions of people are on the move in the world that 10,000 won’t come to Ireland”.

“That’s just not correct,” he said at a press conference.  

In a statement today, Fianna Fáil said it believes in “equality and inclusion” and that the “dignity of every person must be respected, regardless of background”.

The party added: “We do not accept any equivocation in respect of any criminal acts and do not accept attempts or suggestions being made to equate migration with increased criminality.

“Comments made to that effect by any public representative are wrong and unacceptable. The Party has made this clear on numerous occasions.

“Fianna Fáil again unreservedly condemns the criminal destruction that took place in Ross Lake House hotel in Co. Galway on Saturday night and comments made by Party representatives have been referred to the Party’s Rules and Procedures Committee.”

‘Strong issue’

Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin today told reporters he has spoken to Noel Thomas and will try to speak to Séamus Walsh later today.

He added that the party has already spoken to Walsh.

Martin also said he “takes strong issue with the nuance and implications of what they said” and noted that Thomas said “he was making no implication”.

“But nonetheless, he did make comments to the effect that the attack was as a result of government policy,” said Martin.

“I pointed out to him that this has been government policy over a number of decades now, in respect of honouring our obligations under European Union, but also on the Geneva Convention, and other international legal frameworks.”

He added that while “policy hasn’t changed… our responsibilities have become more acute because of increased migration all around Europe and elsewhere”.

Martin also said the “implication” that there is a “link somewhere between migrants and bad behaviour or criminality” is “absolutely unacceptable” and this has to be “knocked on the head and ruled out” as there is no evidence for this.

The Tánaiste said that the internal review will be “rigorous” and added that he didn’t want to pre-empt the outcome of it.

‘Inn wasn’t full’

Councillor Noel Thomas also criticised remarks made by Fianna Fáil TD Éamon Ó Cuív who is supportive of rural areas still accommodating asylum seekers and refugees.

Ó Cuív last night told RTÉ News that the “inn wasn’t full, it was empty”, referring to the unused hotel. 

He remarked that there are “people sleeping on the streets in our cities because there is nowhere to go and there was accommodation available” in the hotel in Galway.

Referencing comments about the community being fearful of asylum seekers if they are male, he said that some fears are irrational and unfounded. 

“I think we have to be careful about… all of us have fears. I have an irrational fear of heights but it doesn’t mean my fear is well founded. It’s a fear. We have to be very fair about this. The fact that people have fears about the unknown doesn’t mean that there was any thread to anybody.” 

Micheál Martin tolday told reporters that Ó Cuív has “led very strongly from the front” on this issue.

“There was room at the inn,” Martin added, “there was a facility there that was empty and would have been in a position to take people in.”

"As a citizen of this island, somebody who lives in Connemara and lived there for 50 years, it's not the Connemara I know, which was always welcoming."@eamonocuiv speaking to @rtenews pic.twitter.com/K1xdP5bcKB

— Fianna Fáil (@fiannafailparty) December 18, 2023

Ó Cuív also spoke about a situation within his local area which saw a Syrian family being invited to live in the area through the Red Cross.

“We are trying to get a second house to accommodate a second family and there’s been a huge voluntary effort to invite these people into our communities,” said Ó Cuiv.

Thomas told The Journal that this situation is “exactly what I’m talking about”.

“That’s what we need to do,” said Thomas.

“If we’re going to integrate people into our community, that is the perfect way to do it and that’s what we should be doing, instead of sending loads of people in rural areas into large buildings.

“I’ve been painted in a lot of cases of being some kind of racist, but I have plenty of testimonies that I have been involved in trying to help foreign immigrants in this country on several occasions.

“I admire a lot of the immigrants that are here, they’re great workers, but at the same time we have to have control of our borders.”

The Journal also contacted councillor Séamus Walsh for comment.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said he was “deeply concerned” at the incident in Galway and explained in a statement that Ireland has a “rules-based system” for processing asylum seeker applications.

“All asylum seekers are registered, fingerprinted, checked against watch lists, and the circumstances surrounding their request for asylum are examined thoroughly,” said Varadkar on Sunday. 

He added: “We aim to treat them with dignity and respect while their applications are considered.”

-With additional reporting from Christina Finn