Locals in Mullingar have spoken to Gript about their deep frustration over the Government’s handling of the refugee crisis, just days after intense protests erupted in the County Westmeath town over the use of the Columb Barracks to house migrants.
The former Military Barracks, which closed in 2012, was the scene of protest on Friday evening, as locals gathered at the gates of the Barracks. While one busload of asylum seekers entered the site at around 11:30 am on Friday, a second bus, which arrived at around 1:30pm, was stopped from entering, according to The Westmeath Examiner.
Last month, the Department of Integration confirmed that 120 single male international protection applicants would be housed at the former army Barracks in the County Westmeath town, much to the concern of locals. The Barracks is situated beside a local Gaelscoil, and many of those harbouring concerns and protesting have been mothers of young children, a local source told Gript.
The 25-acre space is used by up to 30 community groups and businesses. It is currently used as a training base for GAA clubs and as a base for a local boxing club, according to locals.
One local business owner, a food trader who lives just yards away, had set up at Columb Barracks, but was told recently that he will have to move because of the decision to house international protection applicants there. Richard McCormack, who runs the Bosco Bia food stall, has a young family, and comes from a family of military people.
Richard moved his horsebox style food outlet to the Barracks in a bid to attract more customers and footfall. Now, the trained chef says he is worried about the impact on his business and other organisations who use the premises, and the community as a whole. He said those struggling to make a living are feeling frustrated and let down.
He believes the Government is acting with complete disregard for the people of Mullingar who will be impacted by the move. It comes as the local boxing club, speaking to The Westmeath Examiner, expressed worry over the ban on using the barracks two weeks ahead of the National Championships.
Richard spoke to Gript about the impact the decision has had on his own business. He says that while the media will try to paint protestors as ramping up hatred and division, he says many are rightly concerned about the influx of all male refugees, who were being held within the former barracks.
He said: “Everything seems to be up for grabs with this government. This is an attack on our town, and that is how many in the local community feel. Our politicians have a lot to answer for.
“We’re a small town and we simply do not have the resources. For business owners, it’s extremely difficult. For me, it means I will have to operate further out of the town and further away from customers and footfall, but that’s just the way it is. People are struggling so much as it is, so there is real anger from those who are trying to provide for and protect their families”.
Mr McCormack said many are also concerned about their safety.
“We’re told that if we don’t roll out the red carpet, we are racist; we are discriminating. But that’s not true. 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”.
Speaking to The Westmeath Examiner, the management at Mullingar’s Olympic Boxing Club said they recently received news nobody wanted to hear: that they would no longer have access to the training rooms. The news that the barricades were going down took the club by surprise, and they told the paper they had not been contacted or wanted beforehand. In fact, club Secretary Kenny Kieran told the paper that the club had received reassurance from Minister Roderic O’Gorman that they would have continued access to the premises, even after the arrival of refugees.
Another local source we spoke to said that people in the town are deeply frustrated and feel disenfranchised that the site was chosen to be turned into a direct provision centre, after years of being promised that it would be a centre of urban regeneration.
The site has good access to educational, community and retail facilities, as well as public transport provision, including a train station and bus services nearby. An Advisory Group was set up in January 2021 to plan for the regeneration of Columb Barracks – with a “vision to create a new high quality sustainable urban neighbourhood with the existing protected structures at its heart”..
“Working with Westmeath County Council, Enterprise Ireland, The Mullingar Chamber of Commerce, The Longford & Westmeath Education & Training Board, the Westmeath Public Participation Network and the local community and other key stakeholders, the LDA is determined to ensure the regeneration of this key historic site,” Columb Barracks Project said on its website at the time.
Many locals completed surveys, attended webinars, meetings, and sent in feedback and submissions. However, many in the community who had high hopes for the project now feel forgotten about.
“People have been frustrated about the issue for a good ten years. There are layers of resentment around this,” another local source told us.
“Three to four thousand people live within walking distance of the Barracks. It’s a working class area and the people have been promised so much over the years. Yet, we now see the site being proposed for modular housing for refugees, which is why this has really created tension,” local man, Martin, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy, said.
“People have been promised so much and they feel so let down. There is definitely a sense of local resentment about broken regeneration promises.”
He said that on top of anything else, people are concerned about the conditions for refugees who will be living inside the barracks, describing the plan to keep refugees inside the enclosed space as “inhumane”.
Speaking about Friday night’s protests, Martin said he knows people who attended – adding that there is a sense among locals that the Gardai present were “heavy handed” towards protestors, the majority of whom were peaceful.
“For the most part these are law abiding protestors and normal people who have a right to be concerned,” he said.
“Some of them are very angry, yes. There is a lot of emotion — but they have legitimate concerns and they feel as though they are being completely ignored”.
Two local sources told us one woman at the protest was assaulted amid ‘heavy handed’ tactics, and have disputed narratives of the protest in the media. Gript have contacted the Gardai for comment on the claims, but had not received a response at the time of publication.