'Foreigners' statement condemned as Government says up to 58 Ukrainians will move into former Offaly convent

THE former convent in Kilcormac will be used to accommodate Ukrainian families, not single men from a number of different African countries as has been claimed, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has said.

Asked for an update on the plan for the use of the building, a department spokesperson said: “The accommodation referred to will be used by Ukrainian families, primarily women and children. There will be a total capacity of 58.”

Since Thursday there were claims that the former Convent of Mercy on the Main Street in the town was being prepared for occupation by between 50 and 150 men.

There was outrage at the language used in a video widely shared on social media on Thursday and Friday which referred to single males from one named country in Africa and “other s...hole countries”.

John McGhee, a former National Party member who first came to public attention in Offaly when he opposed the opening of a direct provision centre in Tullamore three years ago, recorded the video and called for people to attend a protest in Kilcormac on Friday evening.

An estimated 30 people stood outside the convent, some carrying Offaly flags, to register their opposition to the accommodation centre. As many as 50 people gathered on the other side of the street.

A video was later posted on YouTube where a woman, identified locally as Tess (Theresa) Dunican, addressed the other people at the protest and said she did not believe it was women and children who would be coming to the convent.

Earlier, Theresa Dunican said she would speak to the media, only to change her mind when a man who was present advised her not to do so.

In the video posted on YouTube and then distributed on social messaging platforms, she (pictured below) began by saying “You all know me.”

She then stated the convent would not be used for women and children: “It's not happening. They're bringing in 150 men who have not been vetted. They're coming in with no papers, no passports and the Government and Micheal Martin says 'shure it's grand, in ye come'.”

“We'll put ye into all the small tiny villages so that ye can infiltrate the small villages, so there is going to be more of them than there is of us.”

Ms Dunican also said Kilcormac had to be kept “for the people of Kilcormac” instead of people from African countries: “I was born in this town. I don't want to give up my town to foreigners.”

She said she “wouldn't care” if it was “women and children” who were coming to Kilcormac but she believed it will be “nothing only men” who will come.

Ms Dunican also said she would be calling to the “office” of Cllr John Leahy and pointed out that he had not attended the protest.

Speaking on Monday, Cllr Leahy condemned Ms Dunican's use of the word “foreigners” and praised the contribution made by people from other countries to Kilcormac.

“A lot of people have taken offence at what she said. We have people who are providing employment in the town that are foreigners,” said the local Independent councillor.

“We have foreigners that are Polish and different nationalities that are working, living and actually part of our community. The people are annoyed over that statement,”

He also hit out at claims made in the past week that he was an owner or part owner of the company which bought the former convent.

“I do not have a shareholding and that can be easily checked out in the public records,” he said.

“Automatically these people want to associate me with it because I'm not supporting them. I couldn't support them in a million years.”

The councillor added: “If Tess wants to come to me and she wants to protest about women and children going into the convent I've no problem listening to her. But the one thing I will ask them to do is refrain from saying that I have a financial interest in the convent.”

He said that if those who were making the ownership claims checked his directorships they would find that they mostly involved voluntary organisations.

Cllr Leahy recalled that the local group known as the Concerned Residents of Kilcormac had opposed the convent's previous proposed use as a residential addiction treatment centre.

He said he was not going to “live in the past” but continue to work to ensure that the future use of the convent “best suits the town”.

In relation to claims that local services will not be adequate to cater for any additional people, Cllr Leahy said: “I will be fighting tooth and nail. If the services are depleted in any shape or form for the people of Kilcormac, on the back of anybody using the convent, I will be making political noise.”