Unanimous opposition to request to accommodate more refugees at Cuisle
A packed meeting in Donamon Castle tonight, Monday, organised by the Divine Word Missionaries, heard unanimous opposition to further use of the former Cuisle centre to accommodate more refugees.
Unanimous opposition to the use of the former Cuisle centre in Donamon for an expanded refugee programme was expressed at a packed public meeting in Donamon Castle tonight, organised by the Divine Word Missionaries (DWM), owners of the site.
The crowd had turned out to make their views known on whether the centre should be used to accommodate people seeking international protection and there was unanimous opposition to any such proposal. Currently the site is used to accommodate people fleeing the war in Ukraine, who can avail of temporary protection status.
The closure in 2019 of the Cuisle Holiday Resort in 2019 was repeatedly brought up by members of the public and it is clear considerable anger remains in the community about the issue.
Among the suggestions about how the site could be used in the future, Independent Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice suggested that the facility could be used as a refuge for victims of domestic violence being the county had no such service.
The former Cuisle centre currently accommodates 26 Ukrainian refugees and while the current licence has run out it continues to operate. The Divine Word Missionaries have been requested by the Department of Integration to make the facility available to house more refugees.
Fr. Bart Parys SVD, Rector, Donamon Castle, told the meeting no decision had been made about the proposal from the Department of Integration. He explained that they were approached in May to extend the remit of the facility and they had informed the Department that they would respond by next March.
Those in attendance heard that the current lease for Cuisle is up and the Divine Word Missionaries are not committed to anything at the moment.
Fr Timothy Lehane SVD, the Provincial of the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries in the Irish – British Province, stressed that the deciding factor would be the opinion of the community and not money.
He revealed that the Divine Word Missionaries were not benefiting financially from the current situation and he expressed shock that the Irish Wheelchair Association pulled out of Cuisle.
He assured the community that there was “no hidden agenda” on the part of the DWM.
Fr Bart Parys stressed that they were not working under pressure to agree to something that the community wasn't happy with. He assured the gathering that the meeting was not about box ticking and told the community that they would come back when they had more information from the department.
Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice stressed that a number of questions needed answers. He felt that the Divine Word Missionaries were being “set up” by the department and he suggested that the site could be used as refuge for victims of domestic violence.
Cllr Anthony Waldron said that he was in favour or the re-opening of the Cuisle facility as a tourism facility as it had previously been run by the Irish Wheelchair Association as a location for respite breaks and a holiday centre.
The DWM are now to meet with local public representatives and interested members of the community to progress further the issues raised at the meeting.
