Department shelters 88 asylum seekers in tents in Clare

Knockalisheen refugee centre, Co. Clare. Picture: David Raleigh

Close to 90 international protection applicants are being accommodated in tents in Co. Clare.

The 88 people are being put up in the tented accommodation at Knockalisheen in Meelick, according to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

In a statement, the department said that Ireland is now accommodating more than 71,255 people who are seeking international protection here.

The statement added: “This includes over 51,955 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 19,300 International Protection applicants currently in IPAS accommodation. Around 1,500 people arrived over the Christmas period.” 

The department said it will endeavour to ensure that the use of tents in Meelick is a short-term measure, but warned “in the context of the accommodation shortage, the priority must remain on providing shelter”.

The statement added: “Nonetheless, the tented options previously in place in Athlone and Tralee will remain decommissioned and will not return to use.” 

It said the war in Ukraine, combined with the high number of international protection applicants, continues to put real pressure on the Government’s ability to offer accommodation and has resulted in the largest humanitarian effort in the State’s history.

Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe said the development is concerning, saying: “It is inhumane to have people accommodated in tents, especially in winter.”