A major fire broke out at a hotel in Galway after protesters blocked the entrance over plans to house asylum seekers at the site.
The Gardia has launched a criminal damage investigation after the blaze at the Ross Lake House hotel in County Galway at around 11.35pm on Saturday.
Fire crews attended and the blaze was brought under control. No one was inside the building when the fire started and there were no injuries.
The hotel in Rosscahill, which has been out of use for several years, was due to accommodate 70 asylum seekers this week, RTE, Ireland’s national broadcaster, reported.
The accommodation was due to be used under a one-year contract to house “international protection” applicants from Thursday.
It led to protests on Saturday, before the fire, when people formed a blockade at the entrance of the hotel to show their opposition to the government’s plans.
Following the fire, a cordon was put up at the scene as investigation were carried out to establish the exact cause of the fire.
The hotel in Rosscahill, which has been out of use for several years, was due to accommodate 70 asylum seekers this week— (RTE)
Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach, said: “I am deeply concerned about recent reports of suspected criminal damage at a number of properties around the country which have been earmarked for accommodating those seeking international protection here, including in County Galway last night.
“Even with robust border controls, extra checks at airports, faster processing times and record numbers of refusals, like much of the world we are dealing with a major step-change in the numbers arriving here, seeking protection.
“This is driven by war, poverty, climate change and human rights abuses in their home countries.”
“I want to assure people we have a rules-based system and are processing applications in record time. All asylum-seekers are registered, fingerprinted, checked against watch lists, and the circumstances surrounding their request for asylum are examined thoroughly. We aim to treat them with dignity and respect while their applications are considered.”
Some 11,850 people have applied for asylum in Ireland this year, according to the most recently available government figures.
This is down slightly from the record 13,651 logged in 2022 and in addition to the more than 70,000 Ukrainian refugees who have fled the Russian invasion of their country.
Ireland, a small island with a population of just over 5 million, is not used to dealing with such numbers and services have been put under pressure due to the large influx of people.
Earlier this month the government said it had run out of accommodation to place asylum seekers amid a severe housing crisis in the country.
The International Protection Accommodation Service, a government agency, was forced to offer tents, sleeping bags and extra money to new arrivals who faced sleeping on the streets
