GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING a series of incidents in Roscrea which culminated in protests outside the local garda station.

The protests, attended by dozens of local women and men, were prompted by an incident where a man allegedly tried to enter a family’s home in the Limerick Street area of the town on the evening of Sunday, 18 February.

In response, he was allegedly assaulted by a number of people.

A complaint has been made to gardaí that the man exposed himself to a local woman during the incident. Gardaí are also investigating the alleged assault of the suspect in the case. 

However, ahead of the protest, a number of erroneous social media posts were also shared among residents of the Tipperary town. 

One of the posts, seen by The Journal, stated that a man was shot after a sexual assault but we have established that was untrue. The original complainant also posted on social media that nobody was shot in the incident. 

Protests in the area

Videos of the scenes outside the garda station show protesters with flags and banners saying they were there to request more action for women’s safety. They asked for a greater garda presence on streets with one person chanting ‘protect our girls, protect our females, Roscrea is full’. Placards displaying slogans such as ‘It could be your own next’ and ‘We want action not promises’ were placed outside the building. 

Roscrea has seen a number of protests after Racket Hall, a local hotel, was closed to the public to facilitate the housing of international protection applicants. On the day of the arrival of the first asylum seekers, including women and children, locals were joined by far-right agitators to try to stop them taking up their accommodation at the property. 

One of the speakers at the garda station said she was also outside the hotel for the past six weeks. The same slogans, such as ‘Roscrea is full’, have been used across both protests. 

The Journal has learned that the man allegedly involved in the initial allegation of trespass is a foreign national but not a client of the International Protection Accomodation Services (IPAS) in the area. 

He is also not resident in Roscrea, and it’s understood he was visiting a person known to him who lives in the town. 

Sources have said that gardaí in Tipperary are taking the series of “incidents seriously” and following a “definite line of enquiry”. 

A garda statement confirmed the investigation is underway.

“Gardaí are investigating a number of alleged incidents which occurred on Limerick Street in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, on Sunday evening, 18 February 2024.

“Investigations are ongoing,” a spokesperson said.