200-strong crowd protest outside Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair

A large crowd gathered outside the Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair on Wednesday night after news broke that 155 refugees are to be housed in the property, among them 31 single men. 

Kevin Comiskey, who intends to run for Fine Gael in next year's local elections in the Manorhamilton MD, said to the Leitrim Observer that he was there to show his support. "I'm here to listen to the concerns such as the primary care centre is at full capacity. "

He said there were concerns about the 31 males coming to the hotel saying "they are coming from a different culture and society and any parents I'm talking to are concerned about that."

He said the lack of communication was the "big issue" adding that "if the people in charge had come out and communicated with residents properly and let them know exactly what was happening on the ground", there wouldn't have been a need for the protest.

Mr Comiskey, who is part of a Whatsapp group called The Concerned Residents of Dromahair which has 300 members continued: "People here are not against refugees coming in but they have concerns and they are legitimate."

Fiona McPadden and Mary Kelly.

Fiona McPadden lives near the village with her husband and their young family.

"We are very concerned about the number of people coming into the community. We welcome the refugees; planning was originally granted for 26 suites and we were led to believe all along that it was families coming to the Abbey Manor and if the developer had proceeded with the 26 suites, we could have 26 families being welcomed here now to safe, comfortable accommodation.

"Instead of that it's being turned into 60 bedrooms, 47 of which are going to be occupied by the 155 people who are coming and we're sceptical that it is going to be a mixture of men and children. We think that it's eventually going to be all men because they're not going to be able to safely house single men and children," she said.

Mary Kelly, another concerned resident, said that she had "very little trust in the developer and in what we've been told. Some of us met with a manager one day here and he guaranteed us that it was going to be families; there were no single men coming to this building and that turned out to be false," she said.

She continued that there were concerns that the hotel would end up accommodating 155 single men.

"We have a lovely village and community here that is very safe and people here have put a lot of effort into developing a park and getting loads of facilities for the young children around here and it won't be safe to let children walk around. I myself, as an adult, will not walk alone anymore either."

She said that "cramming" 155 people in 47 bedrooms is "not fair on them". 

Bernie O'Hara addressing the crowd.

Cllr Mary Bohan said the people of Dromahair are "very inclusive and helpful" adding that most of the people who have come to live here "have got involved in committees and sports activities and all kinds of things". 

She said that residents are "genuinely concerned" and were disappointed by the "lack of communication."

"I've been through this building - 47 bedrooms and 155 people; there's very little play areas for children and we've spoken before about the schools and doctor's surgeries and how they are full."

She continued: "We are very sympathetic to people and do want to assist them but we want them to be comfortable and want to be able to integrate them. The department has made a mess of this and haven't learned their lesson from the protests that took place in Clare and now people here are landed with this."

She said she was asking the department to "pause" the arrival of the people to the hotel "row back on the numbers and have consultations here locally; organise schools, doctors, etc. for a smaller number of families and then the people in Dromahair will embrace that."

Martina Devaney said that the group were "absolutely overwhelmed with the turnout tonight" which looked to be around 200 people.

"Too many people have been silenced on Facebook and different forums and tonight gives them the confidence to come out and support us and speak and be heard."

She added, "We are looking for the same thing - to give protection. It's the volume that we don't want and can't handle. We were told so many lies from the beginning that it was going to be for student accommodation and never once had a chat with the owner. This is our village and he's imposing on the village we have built over the years."

There were speeches from several members of the group including Bernie O'Hara who said that "we are being penalised because we were trusting and welcoming."

She continued: "Everyone said from the beginning that they would welcome families here fleeing from war and we were told that that was what was going to happen. They have now decided it's going to become a centre for asylum seekers and that's what it will remain as."

She stated: "To bring single men and put them in a house with families and young children is actually spitting in the face of every single regulation that was made for child protection in this country."

She urged all the politicians in the country to contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to "tell him what has been done to the people of Dromahair that because we were trusting and welcoming, they spat at us. This needs to be stopped and there needs to be consultation with the people of the village."

Cllr Bohan said, "I think this gathering tonight should show to the department and the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and everyone else responsible for this mess that this is not suitable."

A request for Roderic O'Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to meet with members of the group has been put forward by Deputy Frank Feighan, it was revealed. 

Residents are being urged to contact the department, the HSE, TUSLA as well as Leitrim County Council. 

Ms McPadden said: "We want to contact everybody and anybody because it has been stopped in other villages and it's been people power that stopped it."

She added: "We need to keep pushing until they come to some kind of compromise with us and hopefully they'll compromise and bring families."

Cllr Felim Gurn at the protest outside the Abbey Manor Hotel.

Cllr Felim Gurn said it had been hoped that the Abbey Manor would be reopened as a hotel.

"If he had stuck to the original criteria of letting families in here, there wouldn't be a protest here today."

He said that putting families and single men together is a "no-go" adding that "this is a national problem that the Department of Justice has caused in every town and village across Ireland, dumping people into communities and not putting infrastructure in place. The fight is just starting so keep it going and us councillors are looking for answers and hopefully get a solution to it."