President Mary McAleese today paid a private visit to teenagers who arrived unaccompanied from war torn countries.
She shook hands and talked to 16 to 21 year olds from the Congo, Angola, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and the Ivory Coast.
"The Health Board had requested a private visit because they were all minors. She was shown around the hostel and most of them were able to speak English to her," said a spokeswoman for the President.
The Dún Laoghaire Refugee Network said the visit to the town's Old School Hostel had shown Irish
"A lot of the children would be from troubled countries. The fact that they could meet a president was absolutely amazing to them," said trustee Ms Mary King.
The 30 unaccompanied minors in the hostel are in the care of the East Coast Area Health Board. Many have no families left in their own countries, while others have been exploited by traffickers.
"We don't ask why they're here or how they got here. We do our best and the hostel staff are phenomenal," said Ms King.
Around 40 former residents of the hostel, who were transferred to adult accommodation when they reached 18, returned to meet President McAleese. Many have been granted refugee status and have completed Leaving Certificate exams.
However, Ms King said there were others who had their asylum applications rejected or delayed for four years. "It's very difficult particularly because they're unaccompanied minors. A lot of them are very lonely and they miss their families. But it's nice for them to feel the President of Ireland could come here and shake their hand."
At one stage last year, there were 150 people staying in the hostel but this has now dropped to 30. Many of the older residents were moved to adult hostels and the number of unaccompanied minors reaching the country has also dropped.
PA
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