Ukrainian refugees to remain in Kerry after Ministers reverse Mayo move

A group of 135 Ukrainian women and children who were told they would be sent from Killarney to Westport have been informed that they can remain in Kerry.

It is understood the agreement was reached following discussions between Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman and Minister for Education Norma Foley.

The group had been living in a Killarney hotel for the past six months and were informed on Monday they would be bussed to Westport at noon today.

One woman who was living in Killarney since April said she was given less than 48-hours’ notice that she would be moved to Co Mayo.

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This was to make way for almost 200 male asylum seekers who have been bussed to their accommodation in Killarney from Citywest, Dublin.

[ Ukrainian refugee on move from Kerry to Mayo says notice ‘isn’t long enough to change our lives again’ ]

The Ukrainian refugees will remain in Killarney but in different accommodation.

Speaking this morning, Ms Foley said: “I welcome the decision of my Cabinet colleague Minster Roderic O’Gorman and wish to express my thanks for the manner in which he has engaged with me on this matter as Minister for Education.

“This is the right decision. I think it is hugely important where we have families from Ukraine who were so well integrated that we afford them every opportunity to continue to grow and nurture those ties they have made with local communities.”

The Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth confirmed the planned move would not proceed.

“The department has worked intensively overnight to source alternative accommodation for the Ukrainians affected in Killarney. In light of these efforts, the move to Westport will not proceed, with those affected remaining in Killarney in new accommodation. Officials from the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) will be in touch with the families to let them know about accommodation arrangements,” it said.

The department added that the wider accommodation situation remains “extremely challenging”. “The transit centre at Citywest is nearing capacity and the possibility of a pause on entry to new arrivals due to a nationwide shortage of accommodation cannot be discounted,” it said. “Ireland is now accommodating 55,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants, compared to 7,500 last year.”

[ ‘Every bomb in my city is a bomb in my heart’: A journey from Kyiv to Kharkiv ]

News of the department’s decision emerged 40 minutes before a bus was due to arrive to take the refugees to Co Mayo. There was a joyous reaction to the reversal. Hundreds of locals, including teachers and members of the Polish community, had gathered in solidarity with refugees, who have been based in Killarney for almost seven months.

Noel O’Sullivan, a teacher at St Oliver’s national school, attended by 25 refugee children, said he and his colleagues had gathered outside the hotel in “a show of solidarity”. “There were lots of tears in the classrooms this morning,” he said, describing the initial decision to move the Ukrainians as “inhumane and heartless”.

Sheila Casey, chairwoman of Killarney Immigrant Support Centre (Kasi), questioned why the decision to allow the community to remain “had to go down to the wire”.

“What has shocked us all big time is to think there was accommodation, already registered with IPAS, in Killarney and this was brought to the attention of IPAS and the department by Brendan Griffin and yet it had to go down to the wire,” she said.

A number of Ukrainian women had vowed not to get on the bus. Many have jobs locally, including Hanna Bieliavieva, who arrived in Killarney with her two sons, aged six and eight, from a camp in Poland in March. Originally from Kharkiv, she is working as an accommodation assistant at Hotel Killarney. Other women work in pharmacies, in hotels and in retail.

“I’m alone. I don’t have husband. My father and mother are in Kharkiv,” Hanna, who is known as Anna, said.

She said she was happy in Killarney. “I have good work. My children are in a very good school. No, I can’t pack my bags,” she said. Hanna described the plans to move her family to Mayo as like a tree being uprooted.

[ Russia arrests eight over Crimea bridge attack ]

Anna described what was happening as “like a tree” being uprooted from where it was planted. “I am not going on the bus,” she said.

Julia Bondazenko arrived in March from the Donbas region with her two children, a boy aged 11 and a girl aged seven. Her husband drove to Kerry to join her two weeks ago. Her son, Vsevolody, and daughter, Kira, cried on Tuesday night over the planned move. Julia, who works in the Great Southern Hotel, had vowed to live in the family car, rather than move to Westport from Killarney.

Seán Coffey, principal of St Brendan’s College, said the planned move had undermined the trust of the refugees. “This has re-established it,” he said. “It is a common-sense solution.”

Niall Kelleher, mayor of Killarney, said he hoped lessons have been learned by IPAS. “What happened was a huge mistake especially as there were solutions,” he said.

Orthodox monastic priest Fr Benjamen, who arrived a month ago from the north of Ukraine, also praised the department’s decision.

The plan was “unacceptable” and “shouldn’t” happen again, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys told reporters on Wednesday.

Ms Humphries said: “I know Minister O’Gorman has said they won’t have to move now, and I think for someone to get only 48 hours’ notice is not acceptable to be straight with you. There are kids in school.”

Asked if it should happen again she said: “No it shouldn’t really, but these things, sometimes these decisions are made for the right reasons and there are unintended consequences ...[but] that was wrong and it was right to reverse it.”