EXCLUSIVE: People living in slum-like conditions near Naas town
Photographs by Aishling Conway
People believed to be from a minority community have been living in these slum-like conditions discovered near the Naas Ball.
The squalid surroundings around derelict buildings are located behind the disused Donnelly's Mirrors factory off the N7.
The shocking discovery was made after locals helped put out a van fire on waste ground in the area in recent days.
There is no sign of sanitation or even running water at the scene.
A makeshift clothes line near piles of discarded rubbish has several garments hanging such as jeans and tops.
Crockery and cutlery sit on a tiny table in a corner where somebody has been having meals. Salt, a half-eaten packet of biscuits and a bottle of cola can also be seen.
Van fire
A local told the Kildare Post: "There was a van on fire on Sunday and a few of us investigated the area after the Kildare Fire Service was gone.
"We couldn't believe our eyes. How could people live in these conditions so close to Naas?
"It's obviously a major health and safety hazard but it must also get very cold and wet here at night.
"There were a few very frosty nights in the past few weeks."