A number of heavy goods vehicles have been arriving at the site of Thornton hall in County Dublin this afternoon as the plans to open what is expected to be Ireland’s biggest asylum centre continue.
The Department of Integration says “approximately 35 acres of the site is being developed by a private company called IEMS, who are contracted by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to help provide safe accommodation for people who have applied for International Protection in Ireland.”
The department says a two-year licence agreement “was signed on the 11th June 2024 between the Irish Prison Service and DCEDIY for the use of part of the site at Thornton Hall for accommodation for people seeking international protection.” as part of a new accommodation strategy for international protection applicants.
Locals told Gript that Garda road blocks were put in place this morning to allow the passage of multiple vehicles, some of which were carrying large blocks and other barricade-like material.
Armed members of An Garda Síochána were also observed on site as masked workers were seen erecting concrete barriers.
Speaking to Gript, local man Aidan – who did not want to be identified beyond his first name – said that there was a “huge operation” going on in the area since about 10am this morning.
He said that locals felt abandoned by the government who have failed to listen to their objections to the housing of up to 1,000 asylum seekers in their area, which he described as having “a couple of small little businesses” and a school.
He claimed that “local TDs don’t want to know” about the issues being raised by the local community and that efforts had been made by unknown individuals to stop a planned meeting of the community from taking place.
He described as “sinister” the presence of “masked” personnel saying that a “bus load of security” had been ferried onto the site who were “masked and balaclavad up”.
Describing the Garda presence on site today as “massive”, he said that the erection of the concrete wall panels “would remind you of the Berlin wall”.
He said that most of the people who have been maintaining a presence at the site as part of a “peaceful protest” were from the surrounding areas of Coolquay, Kilcoskin, and Ashbourne.
“Generally it’s been very peaceful down there,” he said adding, “there’s been no trouble whatsoever,”.
“It’s very worrying”
“It’s just scandalous what’s going on down there,” he said, emphasising that the site had long been intended to host a super-prison in order to address Ireland’s shortage of jail facilities.
“All of a sudden, without going through any channels – which we’ve seen all over the country -they can make a ministerial order and turn it into an asylum centre overnight,” he said.
Aidan said that he felt the general public were unaware of the “massive” size of the site and lamented that local TDs did “not want to get involved”.
He described the site as being “a little rural area” despite being “only ten minutes from Finglas”, “15 to Swords, and 10 minutes to Ashbourne”.
As Gript’s Dr. Matt Treacy recently wrote, plans to move asylum seekers onto the site will proceed in several phases beginning with the accommodation of 40 people in 6 tents. Phase Two will see the number of residents increased to approximately 440.
According to the circular: “The tented accommodation is viewed as a short-term solution, allowing DCEDIY to source alternatives, including modular units.” It is envisaged that the Thornton Hall site at Kilcosan will be able to “accommodate up to 1000 people.”
You can read the full report here.