Littleton welcomes over 100 refugees fleeing from war in Ukraine

Tipperary has opened its heart to dozens of Ukrainian refugees fleeing war and bloodshed, and has shown an “absolutely incredible” response to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in eastern Europe, heard the Monday meeting of Tipperary County Council.

Director of Services Karl Cashen briefed Councillors on the extent of the refugee crisis. So far, more than 100 emergency beds are being provided between the Moycarkey Borris Community Centre in Littleton and the Dr Pat O’Callaghan Centre in Clonmel.

Cathaoirleach Marie Murphy paid tribute to the Civil Defence, volunteers and staff at the Littleton Centre who have rallied to house the dozens of Ukrainian refugees who are now calling Ireland home.

There is now a multi-agency forum in place, which hopefully won’t have to last for a long time, said Cllr Murphy.

The Ukrainians who came to Tipperary before the conflict broke out, were initially following friends and relatives who had already moved to Cahir and Roscrea where meat factories provided employment.

“But over the past number of weeks, people arriving are increasingly depending on the State to provide for their needs,” said Mr Kashen.

The government agency set up to deal with the crisis is asking local authorities to help. “Last Wednesday week, we were asked to immediately provide 50 beds by that Friday, and all the accommodation had been booked out,” said Mr Cashen.

At very short notice, the committee of Moycarkey Borris Community Centre in Littleton generously offered their centre, and this centre was quickly transformed into a temporary Rest Centre by Tipperary Civil Defence for 57 persons under the direction of Delores Fahey and Anthony Graham.

Those refugees were forwarded on after three days, and were “very praiseworthy” of the efforts made by the local authority. “Everyone involved was absolutely incredible,” said Mr Cashen. Another 50 have now arrived and they are expected to be moved on by the middle of this week.

Most of the first group were mothers with 24 children – and all with very distressing stories relating to the impact of the war – one young man had just learnt that his entire family had been killed the night before he arrived.
Beds and materials were bought at short notice, along with security, cleaning, laundry, waste management and translation services. “This is a major crisis,” continued Mr Cashen.
The centre in Clonmel will be able to house about the same number of refugees as Littleton and should be up and running soon after the Easter Sunday weekend.
Given the scale of this crisis, the types of numbers expected to take refuge in Tipperary will be “multiples” of the hundred or so that have arrived. It's expected that up to 40,000 Ukrainian refugees could arrive in Ireland by the end of this months, and 75,000 by the end of May.

“The local authority sector will have to provide accommodation many, many times more than we have at the moment. The hotel accommodation has been maxed out, so we're looking at old convents and boarding schools,” said Mr Kashen. “This refugee crisis is only going to get worse.”

Councillor Sean Ryan commended the “frantic efforts” made by his native Littleton, and the Thurles Lyons Housing Trust Association, the body spearheading the accommodation. Delores Fahey and Anthony Browne had done “trojan work” to get the centre up and running.

Cllr Jim Redmond said 63 refugees had been housed in the Anner Hotel in Thurles, and the town has donated three vans and one lorry load of supplies to Ukraine. Cllr Ryan said the Council should write to the Russian Embassy calling for the end of hostilities, and to outline their “complete and utter disgust, and heartbreak” at the bloodshed.

Cllr Seamus Hanafin said the war showed the importance of the EU as a peace project. Cllr Noel Coonan said a property used by the Sisters of Mercy in Roscrea could be repurposed for housing refugees, and rural schools in Tipperary “would be so willing to take in those children, and want to help as well.”