Representatives of a small village with a strong Army tradition on the outskirts of Tralee are to tell the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, they will not accept his proposals for accommodating a large number of asylum-seekers in the village's Army barracks.
A majority of the 277 residents of Ballymullen voted on Wednesday night not to accept what they claim are Department of Justice proposals for 300 asylum-seekers in mobile homes in the headquarters of the 15th Infantry Battalion at the heart of their village.
"Basically we are going to be a minority in our own neighbourhood," said Mr John O'Sullivan, chairman of the Ballymullen Residents' Association.
A proposal to accept 27 asylum-seekers or 10 per cent of the village population was voted down, and the decision of the meeting was to accept no asylum-seekers.
The residents are now seeking to meet Mr O'Donoghue today, although previous attempts at communication have reportedly failed.
Work has begun on communal laundry and kitchen facilities in the barracks.
Ballymullen village is under a mile from Tralee town. It has two shops, two pubs, a post office and a creamery as well as the Army barracks. It is a close-knit community with Army roots going back to the early 19th century.
"We have a lot of elderly people living at home rather than in nursing homes because of the strong support from the community," said Mr O'Sullivan.