Hundreds of Ukrainians in Mayo forced to find new accommodation

Hundreds of Ukrainians living in State-contracted accommodation in Mayo are facing a move this winter.

Hotels, guesthouses and self-catering units across the county are being handed back to their owners as the Government winds down its provision of accommodation to those who fled the war in Ukraine.

Fifteen centres in Mayo have contracts ending between October 2026 and January 2027.

This will see 531 Ukrainians living in this county forced to find alternative accommodation.

Last weekend alone saw four contracts ending on October 31, including the An File Guest House in Westport, Harbour House Hotel in Killala, the International Hotel in Knock and Valley Lodge in Ballinlough.

Three more end on November 30: The Breaffy Lodges, Mount Falcon Estate Lodges in Ballina and Mulranny Suites.

The largest group follows on January 31, 2027: It includes the Pontoon Bridge Hotel, which has 112 residents, Achill Head Hotel, McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris and Kenny’s Guesthouse in Castlebar.

Where will they go?

Des Connolly, who owns the Pontoon Bridge Hotel, Kenny’s, the Achill Head Hotel and Mulranny Suites, accepted that change was coming.

“Look, it’s been going on for five years, so something had to happen,” he told The Mayo News.

Mr Connolly said some owners may try to keep Ukrainian tenants on. “We would look at renting the accommodation at a nominal rate,” he said.

Ukrainians have, as one observer put it, quietly integrated into schools, communities and workplaces across the country. With contracts ending in the coming weeks and months and with the ARP to follow, many in Mayo now face the search for a home in a tight rental market.

What will happen to the buildings?

Many of the properties leaving the scheme in Mayo will either return to tourist accommodation or move into State-contracted international protection housing. In Connolly’s portfolio of properties, planning permission has also been submitted for the Achill Head Hotel and some Mulranny Suites units have already returned to tourist use.

However, not all of the fifteen properties in Mayo will be immediately suitable for tourist accommodation, as many premises will need to be re-renovated first.

The picture in Mayo

Back in June, Declan Turnbull, Head of Integration with Mayo County Council, told Councillors that there were 3,942 beneficiaries of temporary protection residing in Mayo, with 817 of those living in state-supported accommodation.

The reduction in the need for state-supported accommodation can be seen by comparing the picture in April 2023, when there were approximately 3,223 Ukrainian refugees living in Mayo, 95.8 percent of whom are living in hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation, guesthouses or holiday villages.

The Government announced earlier this year that Ukrainians who arrived before March 2024 and were

housed under the Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) scheme would no longer be entitled to State-contracted commercial accommodation.

Residents could apply for places at State-supported centres if they met needs-based criteria, but the deadline for applications passed on September 11. Those who do not qualify have been advised to find independent accommodation and given three months to do so.

That is a difficult ask for many families. Many residents have jobs in the area or children in school near their current accommodation, and nationally more than 700 children are among those affected by the latest closures.

The BOTP scheme, established under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, cost the State up to €1 billion a year at its peak. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has said the State’s overall migration budget is expected to fall by 38 percent in 2027. That includes a €430 million reduction in spending on accommodation for people from Ukraine. The cost of that accommodation was €1.16 billion in 2024 and €606 million this year, with around €177 million allocated for 2027.

Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, 125,700 people who fled Ukraine have received temporary protection in Ireland. More than 94,300 of them sought State-supported accommodation.

The end of ARP

The accommodation centres are only part of the picture. The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme, which pays householders who host Ukrainians, is also due to end, with the Government setting March 2027 as a deadline.

By July 2025, 1,425 properties in Mayo were availing of the scheme. Last month, the Department of Justice said that nationally that 16,300 people were hosting 38,300 beneficiaries of temporary protection.

Taken together, the end of State-sponsored accommodation and the ARP means that potentially more than 50,000 Ukrainian people will be entering the Irish housing market by March next year.