Graffiti near River Lodge in Newtownmountkennedy in 2024 shortly after protests over plans to accommodate international protection applicants at the site. Photograph: Nick BradshawAbout €400,000 was spent on a mothballed tented accommodation centre for asylum seekers in Co Wicklow that was the site of major disturbances last year. The site – River Lodge at Newtownmountkennedy, the site of anti-immigration protests in April 2024 – was used as emergency accommodation for international protection applicants. Due to the impact of the weather, the department said, it was not possible to continue using River Lodge as an emergency tented accommodation centre. He said that there has been an increase of 13.5 per cent in arrivals of unaccompanied minors during this year, when overall international protection numbers have reduced.

Source: The Irish Times November 27, 2025 14:00 UTC