Ploughing Championships asked to provide tented accommodation for Ukrainian refugees

From Tuesday, the first of hundreds of refugees will be housed in tents at the site of Electric Picnic in Stradbally, Co Laois. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/ RollingNews.ie

Organisers of the National Ploughing Championships are among those who were contacted by the Department of Integration to secure sites for Ukrainian refugees as tents are to be the “primary source” of shelter going forward.

It comes as up to 750 Ukrainian refugees are being moved into tented accommodation at the site of Electric Picnic in Stradbally in Laois from Tuesday, following the festival’s conclusion.

The high-quality tented structures are expected to be used for six weeks.

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said although “not ideal”, he was confident any stays in tents would be short.

“Six months ago, we had a similar situation and people's stay in emergency accommodation was short-term,” he said.

The Tánaiste said governments around the world are “genuinely taken aback” at the fact that Ireland had accommodated some 90,000 Ukrainians to date.

A Department of Integration spokesperson said a small number of newly arrived Ukrainian refugees have already been placed in tents since last week.

The National Ploughing Association (NPA) said it would not be possible to take refugees, as it did not have campsite facilities on the Ratheniska site in Laois.

A NPA spokesperson said once ploughing is over, the commercial marquees on site are immediately taken down by contractors.

“The land on which the championships take place reverts to farming activity immediately after the event, and will have livestock on it five or six weeks afterwards,” they said.

500 arrivals each week

The Department of Integration is estimating up to 500 arrivals each week over the next number of weeks.

“Vulnerable arrivals will be prioritised for any non-tented accommodation available. Government continues to seek new accommodation sources such as repurposed buildings and rapid-build and prefabricated accommodation,” a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Clare Independent TD Violet-Anne Wynne said the decision to house asylum-seekers in a repurposed office building in Kilrush in Clare was “inappropriate” and “wrong”.

Some 23 asylum seekers are to be accommodated in 10 bedrooms in Corliss House, a former office building in the town centre.

Ms Wynne said although locals would be welcoming and supportive like they have been “in all parts of Clare”, the area has been “massively under-resourced for the last number of years”.

She said she was contacted daily by people in West Clare who were at risk of homelessness or hidden homelessness, while there was a lack of access to public services, including transport, GPs and dentists saying access to even basic primary care is “abysmal”.

“The Government has mismanaged this whole situation now since the beginning and there doesn't seem to be much reflection,” she said.

Ms Wynne said the area was an “employment black spot” that required significant investment.

Although saying the arrangement in Kilrush was “better than tents”, she added a lack of consultation with local communities was hindering integration.

“There's a lot that has not been delivered for West Clare and that's why it's left in such a bad way in terms of access for people, so I don't see the benefit in adding more vulnerable people to a community that is already under-resourced,” she said.