On Monday, the number of tents set up near the offices of International Protection Office (IPO) on Dublin’s Lower Mount Street surged. The location had been cleared of homeless asylum seekers over the weekend. By 4pm, 37 tents were counted in the vicinity of the offices and Grattan Court and Street. Besides, a number of recently arrived men who lacked tents were reliant on volunteers for acquiring the same before the night set in.
The Department of Children and Integration announced that 130 men who had been bedding down there in the previous weeks were offered makeshift shelter at the site of an erstwhile HSE nursing home in Crooksling in southwest Dublin. By Sunday afternoon, as per its spokesperson, 14 had departed. The Department assured that they will arrange for transportation to link the city centre with Crooksling. Health services are set to begin there this week, and a clinic will be run by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) in collaboration with the inhabitants.
It was further stated by the spokesperson that the site currently had 15 toilets and six showers, with plans to install more. The residents of Crooksling will be shifted to different accommodation as they become available. Meanwhile, they would continue to be categorised as ‘awaiting offer of accommodation’ as indicated in the data published bi-weekly.
Dr. Fiona O’Leary, the CEO of medical charity Safetynet, examined the facilities at Crooksling on Monday and claimed that they appear to be operational. Prepacked meals were being served in an indoor dining area, and tea and coffee were available throughout the day. Dr. O’Leary remarked that the mood among the inhabitants seemed relatively positive.
Meanwhile, Mayowa, a 32-year-old from Nigeria who had landed on Monday morning via boat, enthusiastically said that he would be seeking asylum the next day and was prepared to sleep wherever he could. He relayed that he was advised to go to the IPO office despite its closure on account of the bank holiday after he had explained his situation at the port. Although he currently didn’t have a tent, he was reassured that this would be sorted out.
A senior Syrian man who couldn’t speak English communicated through a volunteer interpreter that he had been directed to the IPO by a police officer. He displayed a police-issued card with “Mount Street” written on it. He also received a tent from volunteers, mentioning that he had been without sleep for three days.
Another gentleman, through a translating application, revealed he was a Palestinian who had recently come back from Crooksling. “I’ve been here for 13 days. On my first day, I was told there was no accommodation and I received no assistance. We were taken to a mountain, to our surprise. We were attacked by outsiders. It was frightening. The conditions here are poor. I simply want my life to end.”
Several individuals passing by the IPO in the Monday afternoon criticised the presence of tents. A woman in her 60s was delighted to see the area cleared during the weekend. “I took my concerns to Roderic [O’Gorman, Minister for Integration]. I reached out everywhere. I thought it had been taken care of, but here we are again.”
Two police officers, present at the site throughout the event, requested her to proceed.
Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin voiced his frustration at the re-emergence of the tents. “There seems to be no leadership here. The Government has yet to fully explore creative solutions to this humanitarian crisis like considering Baggot Street hospital or Cathal Brugha barracks. This is just not acceptable.
“The encampment is back, it’s set to expand starting tomorrow and conditions are likely going to revert to how they were last week, with no real solution and a lack of responsibility.”