A senior minister has said that Ireland is preparing to receive up to 200,000 Ukrainian refugees – ten times the number originally projected.
The comments were made on RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland by Fianna Fáil Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue TD, who said that Ireland had no choice but to “reach out to those of our fellow European citizens who are displaced who have nowhere else to go.”
The 200,000 number is based on the expectation that 2% of the 10 million refugees set to flee Ukraine may seek refuge in Ireland.
This is ten times more than the 20,000 refugees originally projected by the government just three weeks ago.
Up to 20,000 refugees fleeing the crisis in Ukraine could be accommodated in Ireland and families may be asked to open their homes, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said https://t.co/iA4J3XHS8g
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) March 1, 2022
200,000 refugees would be greater than the populations of 25 out of the 32 counties on the island of Ireland, such as Meath (195,000), Limerick (194,000) or Tipperary (159,000).
McConalogue said that while it was going to be challenging, “we have to do our best.”
To date, Ireland has received 10,000 Ukrainian refugees, with more arriving daily.