Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Since 28 January, I have been asking about the situation regarding Hearn’s Hotel in Clonmel and the team at the Department of integration. Finally, yesterday evening at 4 p.m., we received a notice that 87 IPAS individuals and families are going in there. It is in the centre of our town. Hundreds of people are protesting outside Dundrum House Hotel because that has been changed from a Ukrainian centre to IPAS as well. Where is this going to stop? There is absolutely no engagement with anybody in Clonmel - elected, unelected, or anybody else - about this, but here we are. I was told last night that this will be happening in the coming week. It is just not good enough that people are being dealt with this way and are being left. This is one of the landmark buildings in Clonmel, where the famous Bianconi journey started. There were rumours there all the time and people were engaging and asking, but we as elected representatives could not get any information. The way the elected representatives and the public are being treated is shocking. All across County Tipperary, from Clonmel, Dundrum and Thurles right up to Borrisokane, which is a model, places are being turned upside down. This is also happening in Rathcabbin and elsewhere. Now there are talks about Killusty, which is a small hamlet and not even a village in County Tipperary. We cannot get information.

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