SCHOOLS and businesses across West Cork are reeling from a government decision to move people from Ukraine, who were well settled in the region, to centres in Kerry, Cork city, and North Cork.
Communities have lost volunteers, schools have lost pupils, and businesses have lost dependable workers, following the decision by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to relocate refugees from centres in Ballylickey, Rosscarbery, and Clonakilty.
The Department said the Ukrainians who wished to stay in their respective areas were welcome to source their own accommodation.
But one West Cork employer, Alan Kingston of Glenilen Farm, told The Southern Star that providing suitable accommodation is ‘every employer’s biggest challenge’ currently. ‘We, as an employer, are sorry to see four trusted, valuable, and skilled employees relocated away from West Cork,’ he said this week. ‘They would have been very happy to stay living and working in the locality, if they were to find a local accommodation solution, but there is nothing available.’
In Glengarriff, local GP Dr Aisling Morris had put out an appeal for accommodation on social media and Kathryn Kingston, a development officer with West Cork Development Partnership, confirmed that most of the refugees who had been living at the Ardnagashel Holiday Homes were driven in three buses to Kerry last Friday.
At full capacity, there were 88 Ukrainians living at Ardnagashel but 18 had, in recent months, secured their own accommodation.
Since the Department’s transfer notice was issued a month ago, one family in Ballylickey were relocated to Mallow. Four more were able – with the assistance of their employers and locals – to find accommodation in the vicinity. The rest were relocated to Kerry.
The impact has been immediate, with one local primary school in Bantry, Scoil Mhuire agus Bharra, losing 13 pupils in one fell swoop.
‘The secondary school is losing class numbers as well,’ said Kathryn. ‘And employers are shocked to lose valued employees.’
The loss of 10 students to a local secondary school is expected to make a difference in terms of resources for English as an additional language, which is just one of the subjects being taught.
‘The residents themselves were distraught at being divided up, losing jobs, friends, and schools for their children,’ said Kathryn.
‘They had bought school uniforms for Bantry and now they need to buy for another school entirely,’ she added.
When they arrived in their new location, she said there was no one there to give them their letters for social welfare, which is due to be reduced to €39.80 on September 9th.
The West Cork Development Partnership development officer said the ‘consolidation’ of accommodation contracts has also greatly increased the workload of her and her colleagues, because the request for housing ‘is off the scale’.
She pointed out that some of the people were in full-time employment. And of the 70 being accommodated at Ardnagashel, just one woman was able to change her hours in a nearby hospitality job, but now she is taking the 270 bus from Killarney to Bantry every day for work.
‘These people were liked locally and Ardnagashel was a lovely place to live, with lots of children bringing life to the place,’ said Kathryn.
‘They had built up friendships in the area since they moved there in November 2022. They considered this place their home and were contributing to the community socially and through their community and paid employment.
‘They had been rerouted by war in their own country and now they are being rerouted again,’ she said.
The same situation has arisen at the Convent Garden in Rosscarbery, where 38 Ukrainian refugees were relocated, mostly to Cork city and Mallow.
Meanwhile, 39 refugees who had been living at Scartagh House in Clonakilty, were relocated to Cork, Mallow, and Kerry, after they were given a one-week extension.
A Department spokesperson confirmed it had reduced the number of contracts for accommodation for Ukrainians who are beneficiaries of temporary protection.
In a communication to the refugees, the Department said: ‘It is important to note that due to the extreme shortage of accommodation available, if you refuse or say no to an offer of relocation to alternative suitable accommodation you will not receive further offers of accommodation. You cannot remain in your current accommodation if alternative accommodation is offered. You also cannot access the City West transit hub. We must do this because of the huge numbers of people involved and our urgent need to try to find beds for everyone who needs them.’
In addition, they were told: ‘We regret to inform you that the Department can no longer provide any accommodation for pets. If you own a pet, you will have to make appropriate arrangements for it.’
