Air of despair in 'tent city' as Dublin prepares for St Patrick’s Day
Tents stretch all around the International Protection Office in Dublin as people await their applications to be processed. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
A stench of excrement, urine, food waste and uncollected rubbish hangs over a part of Dublin as it prepares to welcome thousands of visitors from all over the world for the showcase St Patrick's weekend.
The latest figures from the Department of Integration show there are now 1,260 asylum seekers without accommodation in this country, and in one corner of one of the wealthiest areas in Dublin a 'tent city' grows by the day and houses more than 200 of the refugees.
They have fled war and terror in their home countries and are now forced to sleep on the city’s streets in appalling conditions.
Within seconds of walking through Grattan Street East, you are forced to cover your mouth and nose because of the nauseating smell that fills the area — there is no escaping it.
Men are being forced to wash out in the open and go to the toilet on the street, where bags of rubbish lie while birds and wild animals pick away at the toxic remnants.
The occupants are trying to keep their area clean, and their tents dry. One man told the : “I think I have an infection”.
He took off his hat and said: “I have this rash on my head and neck. I think I have the measles but if I say it, the others won't like it, and I can’t go and live somewhere else its too dangerous, nobody wants us here."
When suggested that he should seek immediate medical attention, he said: “I will go to the hospital."
On Wednesday, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said she had written to Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman to demand he act.
“The disgraceful scene outside the International Protection office on Mount Street — where around 150 tents now line the pavement — is a shameful reminder of this Government’s failure to get to grips with the immigration crisis," she said.
“For the hundreds of asylum seekers forced to live in such appalling conditions, this is no longer just a humanitarian crisis — it is becoming a serious public health risk. Lack of sanitation and running water has resulted in health problems for some international protection applicants, with growing cases of skin and respiratory conditions reported."
She said the minister has promised for months to deliver a plan to deal with the accommodation shortage facing asylum seekers.
"We need to see this plan brought forward as a matter of urgency," she said.
On Sunday, just 2.5kms away, the world’s media will descend on O’Connell Street for the biggest street party of the year. Millions will be spent on the week-long St Patrick’s Day Festival — while the homeless community continues to live in squalor.
As well as the homeless asylum seekers, there are also more than 13,000 Irish people living in the homeless sector.
Ciaran Johnston (29) from Dublin told the he volunteers on a soup run with the homeless support group , before returning to his tent with his partner on Mount Street.
“Me and my partner are living on Mount Street for the last two weeks,” he said. “I am on the housing list.
“I help out with the soup run with A Helping Hand, I do the soup runs around town, and meeting people all the time, but I am a service user too.
“I know them all, all the rough sleepers, I make sure they are okay and give them some compassion. It is good for their mental health.
“I go back to the tent then. I was in emergency accommodation until a row broke out.
“We are safer among the asylum seekers than being in a tent out in the city alone. It’s not nice but it’s safer, you can see why they all stay together."
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
