Syrian refugees isolated in hotel despite warm welcome from locals

Syrians are always up for a party. They’re like us at our best. They are a natural fit with Irish people, writes Victoria White

Every time I think about the welcome the people of Ballaghaderreen have given the 240 refugees hosted in their deserted new hotel I get emotional.

To think the Department of Justice never even asked them what they thought of the idea and didn’t even tell them why the hotel was being finished out, so that they dared to hope there’d soon be a “situations vacant” sign in the window; only to have their hopes dashed with the announcement last January that the deeply depressed town had been earmarked to house the refugees mostly from Syria who we had promised to take a full 18 months before. “Emergency response” my eye.