Residents of tented accommodation at Columb Barracks in Mullingar say that the conditions there are harming their health, and that stress and depression is rife.
Asylum seekers housed at the sprawling barracks spoke to The Westmeath Examiner regarding the conditions, with one resident saying he is thinking about leaving Ireland because life is “worse” here than in his home country. It comes after a group of residents being housed there recently penned a letter to Fianna Fáil TD forLongford–Westmeath, Robert Troy, asking for help.
“We have been enduring the distressing reality of residing in inadequate tents for over five months, gravely affecting our health, wellbeing and mental state,” they said.
The group said that the approaching winter season means the “pressing need for immediate action becomes even more critical.” They said that living in tents for such a prolonged period “has already resulted in significant physical and emotional challenges.”
International protection applicants have been living in tents at the barracks for up to six months, as their applications for asylum in Ireland are reviewed. One man, who did not wish to be named, told the local paper that many of the residents are “staying up all night in the barracks food hall and sleeping during the day” as they cannot sleep in the cold.
Speaking to the paper, he claimed many residents are “suffering from stress, depression and physical ill-health” due to the poor living conditions.
He told the publication this week: “It’s not comfortable. That’s why we are not sleeping at night. We do things like play cards or watch TV at night to avoid the cold. That’s why we are sleeping for the day.”
He said: “My mental health is damaged. Everybody in here has problems – they are going to the doctor every day. The most common problems are stress and depression.”
The paper reports that there are currently 160 men housed at the barracks. This is said to include a mixture of International Protection (IP) applicants and men from Ukraine who are living in 21 tents.
Those seeking asylum are reported to come from countries outside of Ukraine. They have been living in tents at the site for the last six months, they say, despite being told this would be a temporary arrangement. They told The Westmeath Examiner that they were informed they would be moved to “more suitable accommodation within four to six weeks” which is yet to happen, months on.
The paper also reported on a protest, held on 5 October, by some of the asylum seekers being housed at Columb Barracks. The protest, held at the gates of the barracks, expressed frustration over the failure of IPAS to improve what they see as “inhumane living conditions,” according to The Westmeath Examiner.
It is reported that before the protest took place, a group of men from the barracks had visited the IPAS head office in Dublin and were told their concerns around the accommodation would be addressed.
The resident who spoke to The Westmeath Examiner said that they have been told there is nowhere else for the men to go.
“There is no one to talk to or ask questions of,” he said. “They are not addressing the issues. They are saying there is no centre available right now.”
The man in question, an African, said he came to Ireland in search of a better life, however he is now considering returning home to his country despite political instability there.
“We are looking for a better life, but it’s worse,” he said. “I don’t want to bring my children and wife to a tent like this. I am thinking about going back to my country if it stays like this for much longer. It’s damaging my mental health. If you are going to die, it doesn’t matter if it is by a bullet or by the cold. It’s the same, death is death,” he told a reporter.
The man said that the asylum seekers housed at the Barracks are “surprised at how they have been treated by the state.”
He told the newspaper: “We heard the Irish were good people, that’s why we came here. We did not expect to have a bad situation like this.”
“We don’t expect five star accommodation,” he continued. “We know how to survive – we don’t have a functional government in our county. We are not asking for a high level of accommodation.”
He says he fears that as temperatures dip and winter approaches, some of those at the barracks will end up taking their own lives.
“People are stressed and depressed. Someone will die in here if they don’t address the issue. We are keeping an eye on some of the others [who have expressed suicidal thoughts]. We say that ‘life will get better in the future, don’t worry about it. This is a challenging time but we are here with you.’”
In their letter to Deputy Troy, the residents wrote: “As the weather worsens, the conditions within these tents become increasingly unbearable, heightening the risk to our overall health and wellbeing.”
The TD told The Westmeath Examiner that he has raised the concerns of residents with Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman.
“Tents can be justified as a short-term measure,” he said, adding that there could be no justification for people having to stay in tents in the longer term, “especially as we head into winter.”
He told the paper that he feels money should have been invested into bringing the buildings at the barracks up “to a decent standard” but that decision was not made because “it would have cost too much money.” Rather, the sanitary services of the existing buildings were chosen for use because there is running water and electricity.
“It’s the wrong decision not to invest money into the upgrade of the buildings,” he said.
Gript previously spoke to locals in Mullingar about their deep frustration over the Government’s handling of the refugee crisis, as protests erupted in the County Westmeath town over the use of the Columb Barracks to house migrants.
One local man told us there were “layers of frustration” regarding the housing of refugees at the barracks, adding that the decision to use the barracks to house international protection applicants would impact a number of local businesses and sports clubs who used the site.
The local businessman told us that while the media will try to paint protestors as ramping up hatred and division, many people in the area were concerned about the influx of all male refugees.
“A lot of parents have concerns, because we do not know where these male refugees have come from or what their state of mind is. We need to prioritise the safety of the local community,” Mr McCormack said back in March as asylum seekers began arriving there.
In May, Gript reported that the former military barracks, which closed in 2012, could be used to house International Protection Applicants and refugees for longer than the 12 months initially stated, as admitted by Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
The Department of Integration’s use of the premises has been the source of deep tension in the local area since its announcement in February, when the Department confirmed that 120 single male IP applicants would be housed at the former army barracks, which saw a string of protests from locals over the plans.
The number of people applying for international protection in Ireland has seen a surge, contributing to an acute shortage of available accommodation. The number of people applying for IP has increased almost fourfold on numbers recorded in 2017-18, and the number of ocupants continues to climb.