Removal of Ukrainian families from accommodation in Carlow delayed by six weeks

Sarah Slater

Up to 150 Ukrainian men, women, and children who were due to leave their accommodation at a former restaurant on Wednesday due to fire safety concerns expressed by the Department of Integration are being allowed to stay until the end of January.

The department was planning to close the former restaurant and had ended its contract with the accommodation provider.

The building previously known as Toughers Restaurant, 9km from Carlow town, has been set to close in the coming days.

The premises were converted to accommodate Ukrainian International Protection Applicants in 2022 when Russia began their invasion of the country.

Chief executive of Carlow County Council, Coilín O’Reilly, following discussions with the department, met with the residents on Tuesday and informed them that the owner had to produce a fire certificate by Wednesday and if that failed then the families would have been removed from the premises on that day.

A Fire Marshall will remain at the premises overnight. Mr O’Reilly has now written to all councillors in Carlow informing them that the current accommodation contract has been extended until January 31st, 2025.

The families and schools the children attend locally received notification that they must leave their accommodation last Thursday. While some of the families will remain in Co Carlow, many are being moved to Wexford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Limerick, and Dublin.

A department spokesperson explained that they had engaged with Carlow County Council and have asked them to conduct a “follow up inspection” at the property “to see if any steps can be taken to address the safety concerns. The outcome of this will determine whether these moves can be delayed.”

The spokesperson added: “Notification of the intention to move the people living there was made in the interests of their safety. While the short period of notification regarding the move is unfortunate, this was unavoidable given the serious concerns raised.

“Where moves are necessary, the department aims to accommodate people in the vicinity, when and where possible.

However, given the significant number of people at this location and the shortage of accommodation the department has under contract in this area, it is possible that properties in other parts of the country will have to be used.

“We appreciate that this is a difficult situation for all those involved, however, we need to prioritise the safety of all residents.”

A protest march by the residents and the local community took place outside the council offices at lunchtime on Monday.

Olah Maxkamov (35) who is five-months-pregnant and her husband Temur (32) along with their five-year-old son, her grandmother who turns 90 on January 1st, her mother-in-law and pet dog which they brought from Kiev when they fled Ukraine in August 2022, are just one of the families told they would have to leave the accommodation.

Last weekend local Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny John McGuinness had said that the department informing families that they must leave their accommodation within days is “abhorrent” adding that “you wouldn’t treat animals” in such a manner.

“Families should not be discommoded in the first place but particularly not at this time of the year - it’s quite shocking”.