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Refugee concerns ‘unfounded’ Killarney refugees cited in Shannon protest
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
MISINFORMATION regarding refugee accommodation in Killarney has been used in arguments concerning plans to use a State owned property for emergency accommodation in Shannon.
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At Saturday’s public meeting in Shannon, Killarney was referenced by multiple speakers against the arrival of more refugees to the Clare town with claims that women and children were afraid to walk down the streets of the Kerry town by Hotel Killarney where 400 refugees are based.
David Byrne lives in Killarney and works as a journalist with Kerry’s Eye, prior to this he was the Shannon correspondent with The Clare People up until the closure of the weekly newspaper in 2019.
Speaking to The Clare Echo this week, David who has lived in Killarney for the last three years explained, “There has been a lot of online commentary, many of it misinformation, in relation to certain refugee accommodation in Killarney, a lot of it I believe to be put out there by an anti-immigrant element who have never ever been to Killarney, or if have, haven’t been here recently, and most certainly do not live here.
“The narrative seems to be that groups of men are hanging around the town, and the town is now unsafe, something I feel that couldn’t be further than the truth. I walk the town most days, and evenings, and the town is as safe and welcoming as it ever has been. Of course with the nature of Direct Provision in this country, unfortunately those seeking asylum here cannot work. As a result, many refugees living in local hotels are seen hanging around the town in groups, but none more so than local teenagers”.
Up to 20 asylum seekers were involved in a major violent disorder incident on New Year’s Day at Hotel Killarney which is home to 400 direct provision applicants alone.
According to David, this was “an isolated incident which involved a minority of the some 400 people (men, women, and children) living in the hotel at the time. My question would
