This morning, the Irish Police, supported by the Garda and Public Order Unit, carried out an operation in the village of Dundrum, County Tipperary, to secure three buses of refugees from entering the Dundrum House Hotel. Protection Reception Service (IPAS) Centre.

Operational details

Four riot vans were deployed by gardaí to remove barricades set up by local protesters at the entrance to Duntrum House Hotel. About 200 local residents, who have been protesting continuously for 77 days against the opening of the centre, objected to the presence of the refugees, arguing that they would outnumber the 200 or so villagers. Previously intended restoration plans for the Dundrum House Hotel and plans to house a distillery have been transformed to accommodate 280 refugees in addition to the Ukrainian refugees already there. A government memo from May 2024 confirms that the facility will be used as a hybrid center to house refugees and Ukrainian refugees. Local residents have expressed concerns about safety, loss of tourism and impact on local resources, suggesting that large groups of migrants should be segregated to facilitate integration, instead making operations more difficult. Residents say there is nothing to do with racism here.

Government position

The government said the IPAS center was needed to cope with the growing number of asylum seekers in the country and that Dundrum House Hotel was a suitable accommodation facility for a significant number of people. This is the current situation in Dundrum, where a Garda operation was carried out to secure the opening of an IPAS center despite opposition from the local community.