Former Nursing Home near Offaly potentially to be used to house asylum seekers

There's a possibility that a former Nursing Home in Rathcabbin might be used to house a number of asylum seekers.

St Kieran's ceased being a Nursing facility 18 months ago and since then has been vacant.

It was announced some time ago that it might be used to house Ukrainian mothers with their sick or disabled children. However, during the last week it was revealed that this plan has been scrapped and an application has instead been made to house International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) asylum seekers.

A number of locals have expressed their disquiet about this change during the last few days, pointing out that they would have preferred to see the Ukrainian mothers being accommodated in the facility rather than IPAS Asylum Seekers, because the latter are potentially more problematic.

A number of concerned locals have made their worries known to local politicians. They have pointed out that the Nursing Home is not suitable for asylum seeker accommodation for a number of reasons. St Kieran's is isolated, in a rural area, they say, with no local recreational facilities. The nearest village, Rathcabbin, is 2 kilometres away and the only shop in it closed down a few weeks ago. The closest town, Birr, is 10km away.

They also point out that St Kieran's is situated very near the Birr / Portumna road, the R489, which is a busy main road. As well as this, the road to Rathcabbin is narrow with dangerous bends. They say housing people in such isolated areas shows a lack of forethought or kindness.

The locals criticise the government for a lack of information about the proposal. They point out that better communication from the governmental department would perhaps ease people's fears.

The community says it has no plans to protest about the matter but is instead waiting for the local politicians to revert to them with the government's response. It's been mentioned that if the licence is granted then 60 to 70 asylum seekers could be moved to the facility. “The people of the Rathcabbin area,” said one local, “are frustrated and worried. They are not satisfied with the way the local representatives have approached the problem so far. They want more clarity from the politicians, they want answers. At a bare minimum they want the local politicians to stand with them in letting the Government know that housing IPAS asylum seekers in such isolated areas is wrong.”

Cllr Michael O'Meara told The Midland Tribune this week that he stands by the residents of the area. “This week it was made known to me,” he said, “that there are suggestions St Kieran’s Nursing Home is being considered as accommodation for International Protection Applicants. I believe this site is too isolated. It doesn't have the necessary amenities close by nor are there travel services for potential occupants. It is common sense to accommodate IPAS Asylum Seekers in towns and cities where they have easier access to services and recreational activities, and not in rural communities. For these reasons I am opposed to this proposal.”