Roscrea's Racket Hall protestors plan their path forward

Protestors encamped at the gates of the Racket Hall Hotel in Roscrea held a public meeting on Monday night to debate what direction the ongoing demonstration will take as it moves beyond its third week.

Since Roscrea became the latest flashpoint in the national debate over immigration the town has been visited by a flood of media, politicians and people interested or inspired by the stand taken by local people after the closure of the town's only active hotel.

However, things have quieted down considerably this week and protestors continue to maintain a smaller, but ever present, demonstration at the entrance to the premises.

On Monday night they discussed moving the protest to the town centre to attract more attention to their cause and outlined what they hope to achieve by continuing their fight against the closure of the hotel and social hub.

Opinions are divided among the group and no decision has yet been finalised on moving the protest into Roscrea, with Castle Street suggested as a possible relocation point; but there was some consensus on their aims and what they want to achieve.

Achieving a final cap on the number of people who will be housed in emergency accommodation in Roscrea is one of the group's primary concerns and most agreed they will not attempt to prevent any buses or vehicles from entering the hotel carpark.

Protestors remain at the gates of the Racket Hall Hotel. Photo: Darren Keegan

Well known local man Sid Carney, who is also a passionate advocate for the people of war torn Gaza, addressed the small crowd of protestors numbering approximately 60 people several times.

Mr. Carney said he fears inflicting more trauma upon people, particularly children, who are now in Ireland seeking international protection after possibly witnessing horrific events in their home country.

The protestors' anger is directed towards the government he stressed, not the people seeking help in Ireland and who have travelled to Roscrea and he advised against any attempts to "hard protest" and prevent people accessing their emergency accommodation.

"This is a stand for our civil rights and for our country", Mr. Carney said. "It only takes one person to make a difference, but that person can't do it on their own".

Protest organiser, James Gleeson from Roscrea, expressed disappointment over a potential fracture and encouraged all participants to express their opinions and suggestions to find a path forward.

One local woman suggested "bombarding" the email accounts of Dáil members with daily messages highlighting the needs of Roscrea, while others expressed their hope to see the ongoing demonstration continue indefinitely to prevent any further international protection applicants arriving.

Some protestors said they intend to participate in a large national demonstration planned for Dublin on February 5 - "we will fly our Roscrea flags" they said and encouraged people in Roscrea to travel en-masse to the capital.

A committee has been formed to steer the demonstration forward and they will update local media on their plans as the protest moves beyond the third week.

Members of the group told the crowd they had ascertained what they believe to be the exact number of refugees and asylum seekers living across the town's three emergency accommodation centres and multiple residences in the town centre to reach 1,600 people when the Racket Hall reaches its capacity at 160.

Construction works to repurpose the former Sacred Heart Convent on Convent Hill in Roscrea as an emergency accommodation centre for refugee families fleeing the war in Ukraine began last year and are continuing.

Currently approximately 160 people are accommodated in the former Convent and will reach full capacity at 400 people later this year. 

Corville House on the grounds of Sean Ross Abbey, which is a former mother and baby home, is currently a direct provision centre and accommodates approximately 200 people seeking international protection; many of whom have secured work in the local area.

The Tribune understands that the annual commemoration organised by mother and baby home survivors group 'We Are Still Here' has been cancelled this year mainly due to the loss of the Racket Hall Hotel which traditionally accommodated participants who travel to Roscrea from the UK, USA and Canada for the event.

Visitors to the Sean Ross Abbey site, located on the expansive St. Anne's campus north of Roscrea and only 2kms from the Racket Hall, can no longer access the former mother and baby home building, Corville House, since it  began providing direct provision accommodation. 

Visitors can pay their respects at the Angel's Plot cemetery, which was recently the site of ground scans which revealed several anomalies and may play a crucial part in identifying the location of the remains of some of the 1,024 children who died at the facility between 1932 and 1970.

The ongoing demonstration will reach the three week milestone on Thursday February 1st. Photo: Darren Keegan