Protests over asylum plans for Claremorris Eircom Building will continue, vow locals
There is growing concern among locals in the South Mayo town of Claremorris that too many people are being relocated to the area, prompting a series of public protests outside a building set to house IPAS applicants.
The Claremorris Ballindine Says No (CBSN) group gathered outside the old Eircom building on the Convent Road in Claremorris last week. A spokesperson for the group told Gript that it is understood the facility will house a number of refugees from Ukraine once building work has taken place.
Local man Mark Kieran, spokesperson for the local group, said that the membership wanted to clarify that CBSN was established in 2023 to campaign for a “sustainable approach to the mass migration policy” being implemented in the local area.
He said there was growing concern about locals regarding the numbers of people relocating to the town, something Mr Kiernan said was “already having negative effects.”
“Vital services are past saturation with little to no availability of doctors, dentists, school places and housing. Claremorris has had its population increase by 13% due to IPAS and BOTP, which is almost three times higher than the target of 5% stated in government guidelines,” he added.
Over 6,000 asylum seekers have been housed in County Mayo so far, which has a population of 137,000. In January, Mayo County Council hit the headlines when councillors argued that the refugee population in the county makes up 3.84 per cent of people in Mayo, as opposed to 1.53 in Dublin.
