29-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
See pictures as Kerry's international communities come together to celebrate
The event was organised by Killarney Immigrant Support Centre, KASI, to celebrate new growth in the season of Spring, and a number of notable widely celebrated holidays, including Eid in early April, Easter in late April, and the promotion of diversity and equality of for all people in Irish society.
Coordinator of Killarney Asylum Seeker Initiative (KASI), Marilyn Catapat-Counihan, said it provided a platform for building on positive engagement following their most recent winter gathering.
'A lot has changed in the short few months since we last came together in December - global events and economic policies of powerful countries are putting more people under pressure. This is especially the case for people from the Global South, who had some of the highest tariffs imposed on them by the US administration at the start of April.
'The risk of economic hardship is a worrying one in itself, but it brings with it a risk of a rise in anti-immigrant scapegoating. We hope events like this where people build bonds can counter that.'
KASI has supported over 1,000 people from a migrant background in the past year, providing advice and information on rights and entitlements, as well as advocating and supporting people personally. The organisation also organises intercultural days, such as Killarney Le Chéile, as a forum for new and local communities to gather and get to know each other.
'We saw in December that events like this show there is an appetite for, and need to facilitate, people to come together and build community as much as there has ever been. Perhaps it is needed now more than any time in recent years.'
