Litany of arson attacks linked to asylum stretches back to 2018

The former primary school on the Rocklow Road in Fethard, Co Tipperary, was burnt out on January 3. The Department of Integration had no plans to use the building, and gardaí said they were aware of 'possible misinformation, disinformation and rumour' about the premises. 

A quick search for the word ‘Leixlip’ on TikTok brings  up a video taken on the grounds of a vacant property. The video, which was posted on January 25, incorrectly tells social media users that it would be “receiving unvetted foreign men this week”.

The top comment on the video starts with four fire emojis followed by: “Uno what ta do.” 

Another says: “There could be faulty wiring there.”

One person says the property does not look warm enough, while the remaining comments are predominantly an abundance of fire emojis.

Under two weeks later, the property became the latest of at least 25 arson attacks since 2018 on buildings connected — correctly or incorrectly — with housing international protection applicants.

This week, Garda Superintendent Georgina Gray said gardaí had tried to dispel the false rumours about a property on the Celbridge Rd, Leixlip, which nevertheless was targeted by arsonists twice in a week.  Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

Videos of numerous other properties believed to be earmarked for people seeking asylum feature similarly veiled threats.

For example, under a video of a former creche in Wicklow reported to be destined to house families seeking international protection, one person comments that it would be a “shame if it gets burned to the ground”.

Away from social media, there was a peculiar musical choice at an anti-immigrant protest in Dublin on Tuesday when Billy Joel’s  We Didn’t Start The Fire  was played to the hundreds in attendance.

An Garda Síochána and the Government have been grappling in recent months with the increasing use of fire as a means to halt the accommodation of international protection applicants. Since the beginning of this year alone, there have been at least six such suspected arson attacks, for which no suspects have been arrested.

Here are the details of some of the attacks perpetrated on buildings either earmarked for, or already accommodating, asylum seekers.

2018

November 25: A fire broke out in the Caiseal Mara Hotel in Moville, Co Donegal, which was due to accommodate 100 asylum seekers. The fire was started just hours before a meeting to arrange a welcome party. It caused substantial damage to the hotel and left one person injured.

FEBRUARY 2019: The Shannon Key West Hotel in Rooskey Co Leitrim was set on fire for a second time. Picture: Liam Reynolds

2019

February 11: The Shannon Key West Hotel in Rooskey, Co Leitrim, which was due to accommodate asylum seekers, was set on fire for the second time.

The first fire was set just a month earlier in January, with gardaí expressing concern “at the level of determination” shown by those involved in the attack.

October 20: A Tesco store attached to a 25-unit apartment complex due to accommodate international protection applicants in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, was set alight.

October 28: Not far from Ballinamore, Sinn Féin TD for Sligo-Leitrim Martin Kenny’s car was burned out outside his home late at night.

Mr Kenny had received a death threat days before the arson attack after speaking out against a “far-right ideology that is being peddled in this country” about asylum seekers.

2022

November 7: A fire broke out at Kill Equestrian Centre in Kildare which was earmarked to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. The arson attack came after a protest that same day.

MAY 2023: The remains of a makeshift camp on Sandwith St in Dublin which had been used by homeless migrants but which was burned out on May 12, 2023. 

2023

January 31: Rawlton House, a former school in Dublin City, was damaged by fire after disinformation online claimed the property would accommodate asylum seekers.

May 12: A camp in a laneway on Upper Sandwith St in Dublin’s south inner city was burned out following a violent protest in the area.

Several tents had been occupied in the area by asylum seekers before anti-immigrant protests were staged. To date, five people have been arrested in connection with the Sandwith St incident.

JULY 2023: The former Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin in Coolroe, Ballincollig, Cork, was damaged in a suspected arson attack.

May 15: Fireworks were thrown towards an open window at The Sailor’s Rest accommodation centre in Buncrana, Co Donegal, which was to house 50 asylum seekers.

May 11: A building in Ludden in Buncrana, Co Donegal, earmarked to accommodate Ukrainian refugees, was set on fire. Protests had been held at the building in the weeks prior.

July 28: A former school in Ballincollig, Co Cork, which was earmarked to house Ukrainian refugees, was targeted by arsonists overnight. Three people wearing balaclavas were reported to have attempted to set several fires at the former Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin building.

August 2023: Gardaí investigated a fire at Ridge House in Ballybrack, south Dublin, which had previously been targeted during a protest against asylum seekers. Picture: Damien Storan

August 14: A vacant property in Ballybrack, Co Dublin, which had been rumoured to be earmarked for international protection, was set on fire. The property had previously been targeted by anti-immigrant protesters when rocks were thrown through its windows.

NOVEMBER 2023: The Holiday Inn Express on O'Connell St, Dublin was among the premises damaged during rioting. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

November 23: On the night of the Dublin riots, several properties were targeted and damaged. The Holiday Inn Express was set alight as rioters believed asylum seekers were being accommodated there. The Dublin City Dorms on Parnell St, which was used to accommodate asylum seekers earlier that year, was also targeted.

Separately, in Finglas, a property due to house asylum seekers was set on fire after a petrol bomb was thrown by rioters.

NOVEMBER 2023: A petrol bomb was thrown at Abbeyville House in Fermoy, Co Cork, which was being considered to accommodate asylum seekers. File picture

November 22: Amid ongoing protests at a former B&B in Fermoy, Co Cork, a petrol bomb was thrown at Abbeyville House.

Protesters at the camp said they rushed to extinguish the small fire and protect the building, which is being considered to accommodate asylum seekers.

November 30: The former Great Southern Hotel in Rosslare, Co Wexford, which was being developed to accommodate about 170 asylum seekers was set alight. Protests had been held in the area in the weeks leading up to the fire.

December 16: An arson attack destroyed Ross Lake House Hotel 7km from Galway, which had been due to house 70 asylum seekers just one week later.

December 2023: The Shipwright pub in Ringsend, Dublin, was torched on December 31. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

December 31: A former pub in Ringsend, Dublin, which was due to accommodate homeless families, was targeted shortly before 2am on New Year’s Eve.

The major fire at the Shipwright pub required nearly 30 firefighters to bring it under control. It came after protests were held in response to false claims that it was to accommodate asylum seekers.

Two men aged in their 30s and 50s, and a woman in her 20s were arrested in connection with the fire. All three were released without charge, with a file to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions for the two men.

2024

January 3: A former primary school in Fethard, Co Tipperary, was set alight. Gardaí said they were aware of “possible misinformation, disinformation and rumour in relation to the use or proposed use” of the vacant building. 

The Department of Integration said it had not considered the building for use.

January 10: A fire broke out at a vacant former guesthouse in Sandyford, Co Dublin, after it was falsely rumoured to be earmarked for asylum seekers.

January 16: A former convent in Lanesborough, Co Longford, which was due to accommodate about 80 Ukrainian refugees, was set on fire.

February 4: A building in Tallaght, which was once a nursing home and was being assessed to house asylum seekers, was engulfed in an “extensive fire”, with 40 firefighters battling the blaze throughout the day.

A 24-hour protest had begun there just two days prior. Justice Minister Helen McEntee said gardaí will “relentlessly chase down” those responsible for the attack.

FEBRUARY 2024: Gardai at the scene of the arson attack on a property on the Celbridge Rd in Leixlip. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

February 7: A vacant property in Leixlip, Co Kildare, became the latest target as it was set alight following disinformation claiming the site was to house international protection applicants.

Gardaí said there was a significant volume of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the use of the building, while the Department of Integration confirmed that it was not considering the building for use in any capacity. It was the second arson attack on the property after an initial fire there on January 30.