‘I was very upset about how Coolock came across': Locals believe handling of IPAS centre plan was a ‘disaster'
Most who spoke to The Irish Times in Coolock, north Dublin, on Friday welcomed the news that asylum seekers will not be housed in the former Crown Paints factory site, describing the U-turn as a 'victory for the people'.
A small number voiced concern, describing the development as a 'win for the far-right' and a 'dangerous precedent'.
[
Asylum seekers will not be accommodated at former Crown Paints site in north Dublin
]
All said the controversy, which last year led to round-the-clock pickets at Malahide Road site and to violent confrontations in July between protesters and gardaí when works began, had been badly mishandled by Government.
Marie, who appeared to be in her 70s and was pulling a shopping cart, said it was 'good news'.
READ MORE
'There are so many children around and the old folks as well. We can't have men roaming around at night-time,' she said.
A reported 574 single male asylum seekers were to be accommodated at the proposed International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) site.
'It was the wrong decision to put people living there from the start. The site should be used to provide play and youth facilities,' Marie said.
Asked what she thought of last year's protests, she said: 'It was a good thing the people got out and let them know what we felt. It is a victory for the people of the area.'
The former Crown Paints factory was targeted in arson attacks. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
Brian, a retired OPW worker, said 'lovely' when told the news.
'Fair play to the people [picketing]. They stood by it,' he said.
'I have nothing against people being housed, but I would like to see our own being housed first.
'I have a niece. She has a good lot saved [to buy a house] and a terrific job, but because she's single the bank won't give her the rest. She is still in the house with her parents. She is nearly 40. It does make people angry.'
Gary, who emigrated two years ago as he could not afford to rent in Ireland, said he watched the protests online.
'I know from my own parents, they were worried. It was the not knowing who was coming, would they be safe. They weren't informed. That got them very upset. I'd say they will be delighted,' he said.
'It seemed there wasn't enough information given. I don't think there was enough consideration for people's feelings and concerns.'
Brian and his friend Pat said the protesters 'wouldn't let [male asylum seekers] and were right'.
'I live not far from that area,' Brian said.
'I know what happened at the protests was wrong and it got out of hand ... it was disgraceful, but you can't blame the people.
'I am not racist. I have nothing against them, but I think what's happening is all wrong.'
Asked to explain, he said asylum seekers were 'coming down from the North, tearing up passports' and 'we don't know where they've come from'.
A woman in her 40s, who did not want to give her name, said: 'It's good if it stops all the arguments that was going on'.
However, Lucy, in her late 20s, described the Government U-turn a 'disgrace'.
'People have the right to protest, but I don't think it should be up to communities to say, 'not in my back yard'. It sets a dangerous precedent that anyone can do that [in] any town that doesn't want migrants,' she said.
'It feels like the Government are now basically saying it's acceptable to set a potential IPAS centre on fire.'
Another woman, in her 30s, said the protests and riots were 'a really sad time'.
'I was really upset about how Coolock came across. I don't think a paint factory is the right place to put people ever, but I also think this country needs to take its responsibility seriously, to welcome people who need it.
'The way Government has handled this who thing has been a disaster.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Young people and AI
Sir, – In one of his first speeches as pope, Leo XIV outlined his priorities for his papacy. Interestingly, one of these is the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI). The pope believes that AI is a threat to 'humanity, justice and labour'. He said that this was one of the key reasons for him choosing the name Leo XIV. He had spoken previously about the impact of the industrial revolution on workers' rights. We are now arguably going through another 'industrial revolution' of sorts. Before, it was concerns that machines would replace people and take their jobs. Now it's the same but with AI. We adapted before and we can adapt again; not by trying to beat AI by being robots but by fully embracing our humanity – the qualities that set us apart from AI, qualities like our emotions, our ability to connect and build strong, trusting relationships and our ability to empathise. READ MORE If we are fully human, if we stop trying to beat AI at its own game, AI can never truly replace us, never truly do away with the need for real, human people in the workforce and in society. As a young person, I'm often asked the question, 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' Whatever answer I give, the response is usually: 'Oh, that job will be done away it; AI will be doing it in the future.' But I remain hopeful, faithful that I will be needed in society. And that AI can't replace humans if we are truly human, fully ourselves. – Yours, etc, TESS LIFFEY, Birr, Co Offaly.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Families deported to Nigeria could have left voluntarily, says Minister
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has defended the State's handling of the deportation of 35 people to Nigeria on Wednesday, saying those removed had previously been asked to leave voluntarily. Speaking on Sunday on RTÉ Radio 1's This Week programme, the Minister said: 'Each person who was on the aeroplane that went back to Nigeria had their own individual narratives of persecution assessed by the International Protection Office , and on appeal, and subsequently they got a deportation order that wasn't responded to. 'They were requested to leave voluntarily and that didn't happen.' The Garda National Immigration Bureau carried out the operation, which involved 21 men, nine women and five children, who were deported on a chartered flight from Dublin Airport to Lagos, Nigeria on Wednesday night. The children involved were deported as part of family groups. READ MORE Friends of the families deported, who were living with them at an International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) centre in west Dublin, described the scenes last week as upsetting and 'traumatising'. Farhiya Ali, a mother living with her four children in the centre, said: 'The kids were coming down for breakfast when these five men wearing cargo pants, big jackets arrived. 'They came into the third floor, stood in front of the bedroom door, took the three kids back in and told them to pack up. We heard them say: 'You are going to be deported.' As soon as the other children heard then they were all crying. It was such a horrific scene.' Three siblings from one family were among those deported. They had lived at their accommodation since January 2022 with their mother and father. [ Families facing deportation are 'at serious risk of destitution', warns refugee council Opens in new window ] Asked about the criticism from families at the Ipas centre about the manner of the deportation of children, Mr O'Callaghan said: 'This is not a pleasant part of my job. I don't relish doing this, but it has to be done. If we have an immigration system or an asylum system that doesn't have a consequence for people who are ruled not to be entitled to stay here then the system becomes meaningless.' Asked whether he would put Nigeria on Ireland's safe list of countries, Mr O'Callaghan said: 'There's a difference here between putting a country on the safe list for the purposes of international protection under the [International Protection] Act, and determining whether or not to send somebody back to a country from whence they came.' [ Ministers accused of giving 'half the picture' on refugees as more than 40% get positive decisions Opens in new window ] Applicants from designated safe countries of origin receive their interview date on the day they apply for international protection, reducing their waiting time for an interview. 'There's faster time frames for Nigeria at present anyway because of the heightened number of people from Nigeria claiming asylum in Ireland,' said the Minister. 'It doesn't mean if you're not on the safe list of countries from international protection, we can't send you back to the country where you came from.'
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Will the new rental reforms work? Many industry observers are sceptical
What's happening to the rules governing renting? A proposed overhaul of rules is going before Cabinet on Tuesday morning. It would see a significant shake-up in the rental market in the months ahead. What are the current rules? Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) were introduced in 2016 to cap rent increases in areas where there was a very high demand for housing and rental homes. Initially, RPZs were confined to large urban centres but, as the housing crisis deepened, more and more areas were designated RPZs. In these locations, as it stands, rent increases cannot be greater than the rate of inflation or 2 per cent – whichever is lower. What are the changes proposed? The Government is planning to keep the caps for existing tenancies, at least to a large degree, while easing restrictions on rent increases for newly built homes. The plan – and it has yet to be agreed – would see the current RPZ annual caps not apply to new buildings constructed after a certain date, with the rents in qualifying properties instead to be tied to inflation. [ Rent controls to be eased for new builds in planned 'pressure zones' reform Opens in new window ] And why would the Government create what looks like a two-tiered rental system? In fairness, there is already a two-tiered system, with some properties in RPZs and some not, so what the Government is considering is a three-tiered system. READ MORE What is the market currently like for rents? Rents are climbing faster than at any point over the past 20 years, with the national monthly average between January and March surpassing €2,000 for the first time, according to a report from That compares to a low of just €765 in 2011. Why are rents climbing so fast? Much of that increase is down to a lack of supply. There were just 2,300 homes available to rent nationally on May 1st, down 14 per cent year-on-year and the third-lowest total for May in 20 years. In a properly functioning market that number should be closer to 10,000. Why is supply such an issue? There are many, many reasons but the author of the report, Trinity College Dublin economist Ronan Lyons, has said changes made to rent controls in 2021 when rent caps were reduced from 4 per cent to 2 per cent 'dramatically reduced the ability of Ireland's rental sector to attract the capital needed for new supply, the ultimate remedy for the shortage'. And this overhaul is aimed at attracting that capital, is that correct? That is the rationale, certainly. The thinking is that if rent restrictions are eased for new apartments, more money will pour into the sector and more apartments will be built, which will ease the pressure on the market as a whole. Will the owners of these new builds be able to charge what they want? They will be able to charge what the market will bear, for sure. However, there is some good news for people who are renting now: under the proposals the existing cap of 2 per cent will remain in place – at least for existing tenancies, but landlords will be able to increase the rent to the market rate between tenancies, something which is not permitted under the current rules. [ Ireland's rising rents: 'Our budget would have been €1,300 a month, there isn't even anything listed for that' Opens in new window ] Surely that will incentivise landlords to evict their current tenants so they can get new ones in and charge them more? That is undoubtedly a fear. Under the proposals going before Cabinet, there will be more protections put in place for renters for a minimum of six years. During that period, there will be restrictions put in place on no-fault evictions. At the end of a six-year period, a landlord will be able to reset the rent to the market rate. Opposition parties have questioned the adequacy of these planned protections. Will the changes work? That is the big, big question. It is undoubtedly in the Government's interests that it does work. Part of the Government's pitch to voters in the run-up to the last general election was that the State had turned a corner on housing and that the supply of new homes would hit 40,000 in 2024. Completions instead fell by 7 per cent to 30,000. Housing commencements, which indicate future supply, have also fallen off a cliff, with housing starts in the first quarter of 2025 eight times down on last year and at their at their lowest level since 2016. The rate of building when it comes to apartments is even worse. What are interested parties saying about the proposals? Many are unconvinced. The housing charity Threshold has welcomed the degree of security it will give to tenants if restrictions on no-fault evictions are imposed for a six-year period. However, it stressed that it could actually push more people into homelessness if the RPZs are diluted. Opposition parties have been lining up to give out about the proposals. Those voices will only get louder between now and next Tuesday when full details are outlined. The initial reaction from landlords and property investors is that there is little in the plans to support them in the short to medium term. Industry sources have also said that the new measures are 'partial ones' and contain levels of uncertainty that may not encourage the envisaged money to come in to the sector.
