Rolling protests are continuing in the rural area of Castletara near Cootehill in Co Cavan as “very worried and very angry” locals say they oppose plans to impose a migrant centre on the area without consultation.
Locals say they have erected a gazebo at the entrance to a lane leading down to a former stud farm which was renovated and is now set to accommodate migrants – and that they are using a gate to block the laneway. The Anglo Celt reported that the protesters “are permitting local traffic to pass unimpeded”.
A rota system has been put in place to ensure that a “24/7” protest is possible, locals said. The protests began in response to a rumour on Friday that a bus with migrants or asylum seekers was on the way to the area.
A local TD who rang asking that local people would be consulted was told by an official from the Department of Integration that ‘this is happening’ and ‘there’s nothing further to discuss’.
Niamh Smyth TD paraphrased the official’s response to an Anglo Celt reporter as: “‘No, this is happening if it has not happened already, the bus is on its way and there’s nothing further to discuss here. I’ll send two officials to speak with you next week.'”
“I feel we have been blind-sided here and it’s a cruel way to treat a community in any part of the country, but particularly here where it is a very rural part,” she said.
Deputy Smyth said that local people were “very angry and very worried”.
Local resident, Adrian Delaney, a local resident told RTE News that the news of the centre had caused “fear and anxiety” in the locality.
“It is the fear of the unknown. We didn’t know what was happening and the community wasn’t prepared,” he said.
As of 10 September, the International Protection Accommodation Service is housing 23,425 people who have come to Ireland claiming to seek asylum.
“The Department said that since January 2022, IPAS has brought over 170 properties into use to ensure that those arriving in Ireland seeking shelter can be accommodated,” RTÉ News reported this week.
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