Refugees celebrate new home in rural communities

‘Community as a Superpower’ is the theme of the third annual Irish Refugee Week underway across the country.

Figures issued by the International Protection Office show that up until the end of April, just under 4,100 applications for international protection have been submitted by those seeking asylum in Ireland.

Throughout 2024, the total number of applications received was 18,561. Of that, 3,294 people were granted refugee status. Over 9,700 applications were rejected last year.

Some rural communities are vehemently opposed to the arrival of international protection applicants in their towns and villages, while others are striving to integrate the new arrivals to the benefit of the wider community.

Temple Accommodation Centre in Horseleap, Co Westmeath is one of the most rural direct provision centres in the country, located close to the Offaly border. The nearest town is Moate, 9km away, with a village shop in nearby Horseleap village.

Maria Flanagan volunteers with the New Horizon Athlone Refugee Support Group which works closely with the Temple Centre residents. She says the arrival of people from 30 different nations to the area has been embraced by the local community, notwithstanding challenges that have been faced and overcome along the way.

“The lack of regular public transport is an issue. The bus service from Temple into Moate is not as regular as people who are working or going to college need it to be. We have a network of volunteers who help transport the residents as much as we can,” she explains.

Maria first became involved when she decided to set up a Walk and Talk group to welcome the new residents to the area two years ago.

“I had moved back from Dublin to care for my mother during the pandemic and I set up the Walk and Talk in 2023, reaching out to refugees who were keen to get involved in the local community to help with their adjustment to life in Ireland,” she says.

Good integration

“The idea was to link them in with Irish people who could help them with their English as many of those in the Temple Centre wouldn’t have had great English when they first arrived. That first day we had 18 people show up, a week later it was 30 and we now have over 200 people in our WhatsApp group.

“We are blessed in Moate to have a welcoming, inclusive community, which sadly isn’t the case in every community,” she says.

The Walk and Talk group has become a branch of the nationwide Sanctuary Runners initiative that uses running, jogging and walking to bring together asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and all Irish residents.

“Sanctuary Runners has been a great collaboration especially for the practical help it offers through a nationwide network that we’ve been able to link residents in with,” explains Maria.

“Despite the really good integration we have here in Moate, residents are still relocated to other parts of the country. One lady was sent up to Buncrana in recent weeks and it has been a help to be able to link her in with people up there so that she’s not starting from scratch.

“We have grown hugely over the past two years and have projects in partnership with Music Generation Westmeath, who support our Ubuntu Voices Choir, and Moate Tidy Towns, with whom our group members are active volunteers, giving back to the local community that has welcomed them.”

Serephine Habimana is originally from Rwanda but now lives in the Temple Centre.

She says the Walk and Talk group has helped her deal with the trauma of fleeing conflict, genocide and persecutions in her home country.

“We are grateful that we have good people like Maria Flanagan who help us adapt and live in the community on a daily basis but we need many more people full of love like her to whom we can disclose our mental health issues, which everyone living here is carrying,” she says.

We have grown hugely over the past two years and have projects in partnership with Music Generation Westmeath, who support our Ubuntu Voices Choir, and Moate Tidy Towns, with whom our group members are active volunteers

Over the border in Co Longford, Somali native Hassan Ahmed Ibrahim says he feels welcome and safe since he arrived in Ireland just over two years ago. He has been in Longford town for the past seven months and says the local community has treated him with respect.

Living alongside other asylum seekers in the Richmond Court complex in the town, Hassan doesn’t face the same challenges with transport and accessibility as those in Westmeath.

However, he says the delay in processing his paperwork is frustrating.

“I definitely feel safer here in Longford than I did when I first arrived in Dublin because there was a tension surrounding the demonstrations against refugees at that time,” says the 37-year-old, whose background is in public health.

“I have never experienced any personal hostility since I came here. I like the smaller community and quieter pace of life here in Longford as I am originally from a small town in Somalia.

“Status is key and I am in the final stages of my application so I hope to have the work permit soon as it will open up a lot of opportunities for me,” he says.

Bryan Lenehan is a community development worker with Longford Community Resources who says integration of refugee and asylum seekers is going better than expected.

“I think it’s going fierce well to be honest because these people want to be a part of the community, they want to give something back for being welcomed into the area. Those who aren’t yet able to work, they volunteer for a number of community initiatives,” he explains.

“There was a bit of scaremongering by some elements in the town at the start but it fizzled out and now the refugees are a familiar sight, volunteering with Tidy Towns and stewarding the St Patrick’s Day parade.

“We offer supports based on the needs of the individual, whether that’s linking them in with groups or helping them search for a job, write a CV or complete a safe pass or manual handling scheme.

“There are a lot of supportive industries locally that employ migrants who have secured a work permit.”

Welcoming and inclusive

Longford County Council’s integration support worker is Mairead Gethins, who says the region’s positive experience integrating refugees and asylum seekers can be replicated elsewhere.

“We hold weekly clinics in our two IPAS centres and we provide the information and support to people when they first arrive here,” she says.

“Those who come to Ireland seeking asylum want to build lives here and contribute to the community, so it’s up to us all to help them do that in as inclusive a manner as possible.”

Maria says she is proud of her community’s overwhelmingly positive attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers but there is still a long way to go.

“I was volunteering at our Africa Day last month with my friend Mohammed and the t-shirts we were wearing had the word ‘volunteer’ on the back. An older gentleman approached me and I was very wary as I wasn’t sure what he was going to say. You’re always prepared for the worst, but he wanted to know what we were volunteering for.

“I introduced him to Mohammed and he shook his hand and welcomed him to Ireland. He told him our country was richer for his presence and said we used to be a very dull place before. The whole exchange warmed my heart.”

Maria believes most communities are welcoming and inclusive, but says people are afraid to speak out when faced with hostility from anti-immigration groups.

“We do encounter hostility, but it’s mostly online and it’s rarely tolerated by the majority; we need to do more to mobilise and encourage the silent majority who are welcoming but are afraid to speak up,” she adds.