'Don't let Gormanston become another Mosney' - Keogan

As Ukrainian refugees began to arrive at Gormanston today (Tuesday), with 150 people initially being accommodated at the army camp, local Senator Sharon Keogan warned that it should not be allowed become "another Mosney."

The army camp has a capacity for 320 with military tents that will each sleep 16 with separate showers and toilets, recreation and canteen facilities.

Minister for Children and Equality, Roderic O’Gorman, said it was a short-term measure for a week “maximum”.

Senator Keogan said Gormanston is an army facility and isn't pleasant for people, especially children coming from a war zone.

"It is a training facility with loud noises," she stated. "It is not suitable for children whose fathers were left behind in the war. We certainly don't want this to be turned into a long term facility. We want people integrated into communities."

Brian Killoran of the Immigrant Council of Ireland agreed that it would have to be an extremely temporary measure.

"Nobody wants to live in congregated settings. It is going to be difficult for people, mainly women and children to access services from there," he said.

The arrival of refugees in Gormanston comes after it emerged last week that the Citywest welcome centre for Ukrainians had reached capacity, along with a shortage of accommodation for other international asylum seekers. This led to Ukrainians sleeping on the floor in an old terminal at Dublin Airport for up to two days.

Minister O’Gorman said his two main objectives were ending the use of Dublin Airport to house Ukrainian refugees and reducing numbers in Citywest.

He said that tented accommodation could be added to existing facilities around the country for asylum seekers to meet any possible surge and a second welcome centre for refugees would open in “the next two to three weeks”.

Around 41,000 people have come here fleeing the war in Ukraine, with that number expected to rise to 50,000 by September. Taoiseach, Micheal Martin said there had been unprecedented numbers of people coming to Ireland from other countries this year. There has been a 190 per cent increase in asylum seeker from other countries.

This is believed to be the result of fears by many of being deported to Rwanda if they travel to the UK and a pent up demand created by Covid. The Ukraine Civil Society Forum (UCSF) that includes 65 civil society organisations involved in the emergency response and settlement of Ukrainian refugees to Ireland, has reiterated its call for a fresh approach and a national lead to be put in place immediately to manage and oversee the accommodation, settlement, and integration of refugees.