Sir, – At last we in the parish community of Kilmacud and Mount Merrion in Dublin have been able to house a refugee family from Syria. We contacted them after reading the New to the Parish series by Sorcha Pollak ("We left Syria because I wanted to save my family", November 18th). Since then the three daughters have been give places in St Raphaela's secondary school, and we are currently looking for employment for their parents, who both worked as civil engineers in Syria.
Our initiative was sparked by the death of four-year-old Alan Kurdi, whose body was found on a beach after the boat that he and his family were escaping in capsized off the coast of Turkey. We, like many communities across the country, as requested by the government, registered our interest in housing a refugee family with the Irish Red Cross.
The Irish government had said that they would take in 4,000 refugees. But nothing happened! The refugees were forgotten. And yet many more children like Alan have drowned, and refugees continue to endure terrible conditions in camps. Would we like any of our own families to have to live in such conditions?
Please remember Alan, and ask those who wish to be in the next Dáil, what are you going to do for refugees? – Yours, etc,
Fr TONY COOTE,
Mount Merrion,
Co Dublin.