Ukrainian refugees arriving into Ireland will be housed in emergency accommodation as the State has reached capacity at hotels and B&Bs.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said the State wants to house refugees in temporary accommodation for as little time as possible.
However, a Government source has said it is “not clear” how long people will have to stay in these mass arenas.
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Under 100 Ukrainian refugees are expected to arrive at Millstreet Arena in Cork on Wednesday evening.
The arena has been kitted out with camp beds and refugees placed here will be provided with healthcare and hot meals.
And tented accommodation is ready at Gormanstown army camp in Co Meath.
Speaking to reporters in Rosslare on Wednesday, Ms McEntee said: "It is the case that given the high numbers that have arrived in such a short space of time that we are getting to the point where be it Airbnb or B&Bs or hotel accommodation is coming to the maximum capacity. That's why we're looking at all of these other avenues.
“What we're trying to ensure is that those who come into our island, and we have over 24,500 people at this stage, 16,000 of those who have sought accommodation - that they are given accommodation as quickly as possible that were it is emergency accommodation that are then moved on to somewhere more permanent again as quickly as possible.
"Many of these people have young children, many of the children have already started in school so we want to ensure that there's as little disruption as possible, particularly where people are starting to settle."
She said the Government’s “intention” is that Ukrainians will be in emergency accommodation “for as little time as possible.”
When asked about calls for one coordinator to manage the response to the humanitarian crisis here, Ms McEntee said it is being led by the Taoiseach’s Department who is working "collaboratively" with other Government Departments.
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