Accommodation centre planned by Peter Casey ‘severely damaged’ by fire

Gardaí are investigating a fire at a business premises in Buncrana which former presidential candidate Peter Casey says he is turning into a centre for Ukrainian refugees.

Emergency services were alerted to a fire at the premises at Ludden, Buncrana, late on Thursday night and gardaí said investigations are ongoing.

“Gardaí attended and the fire service were extinguishing the fire. No persons were in the premises at the time,” a Garda spokeswoman said.

"As with all criminal investigations, the motive behind the incident will form part of the investigation.”

In a social media post on Friday night, Mr Casey said the “not for profit” centre for Ukrainian refugees “was broken into and severely damaged by fire”.

 “The sick individuals who did this do not represent the good people of Donegal,” he said.

Mr Casey said the incident had made him  “more determined than ever” to open centres to help Ukrainian refugees.

The building was the subject of a protest last month after the Derry businessman announced he was planning to convert it into an apartment complex for Ukrainian refugees.

Mr Casey said he was submitting a new planning application after local residents objected to his plans to build a three-story apartment block on the site.

Charities alarmed at 'ever-growing' issue of food poverty across Donegal

Calls have been made for action to deal with food poverty which charities say is causing ‘a disproportionate amount of ill health’ in Donegal

He said the new development would house up to 50 refugees and would operate on a not-for-profit basis.

“There is an urgent, much greater need to accommodate Ukrainians,” the Greencastle resident told the Irish Independent.

The executive chairman of Claddagh Resources, the US-based recruitment company he founded, stood in the 2018 presidential campaign and finished second to Michael D Higgins with 342,727 votes – 23% of the votes cast.

He also ran in the 2020 general election in the Donegal constituency but was eliminated on the fourth count, taking 1,142 first-preference votes.