Fine Gael councillor Joe Garrihy who has been elected again to the Ennistymon local electoral area (LEA) has reiterated his comments made earlier this year around a need by national government to have a proper exit strategy and management plan to engage with the international protection accommodation service (IPAS) clients and North Clare community on. The Lisdoonvarna councillor added he will taking that request right to the doors of Leinster House at the earliest possible opportunity with a delegation from North Clare.
His home of Lisdoonvarna has accommodated approximately 1,100 Ukrainians and 100 international protection clients meaning it is the LEA with the fourth highest number of IPAS residents in the country. The town’s population of around 900 people has more than doubled since the Russian war on Ukraine started in February 2021.
Speaking to The Clare Champion following his victory, Councillor Garrihy was critical of national government saying that governing from a far is not working, and that a connection ought to be made to give communities a real input, an understanding and a say which is also true of other issues like road safety and tourism.
“Management from a far doesn’t work. You need to connect with the local people who have the knowledge, and also will tell you what the problems are. You might not be able to solve them straight away. I mean obviously in our area in North Clare we are the fourth highest LEA that has been taking a responsibility for people fleeing horrible circumstances.
“There has to be a proper, and I am on record as saying this, exit strategy, and management plan that communities aren’t just wondering what is happening next week or next month, or the people who have come seeking refuge. You can’t have people living in that level of uncertainly around their lives because that’s intolerable.
“I know it’s a very unique and difficult situation and the people of North Clare and Ireland and Clare have responded really well but they now need a government to acknowledge that response with a proper plan that they will show and engage with people as to what that plan is.
“We can’t be two years in an emergency response mode now, and we can’t either expect he people who are coming seeking refuge to be in that level of uncertainty, and the host communities that are helping them to not know that decisions are going to be made with their input and their engagement – that has to stop,” the The Lisdoonvarna councillor stressed.
“I will be taking that to the doors of Leinster House at the earliest possible opportunity with a delegation from North Clare, and from county Clare. It is unsustainable for anybody, and it is unfair on all sides – both on the people seeking refuge and the host community not knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow. I am not going to take that.”
He indicated the issue is his number one priority starting his new term as councillor saying:
“I think that everything else we do, you can’t pretend that this huge change that has been profound at the level of change in the community doesn’t impact on it – of course it does from services; we have got an increase in services, we have gotten transport increased. But at its core, people cannot stay indefinitely in hotel rooms with families at the scale that it is.
“And all I would be saying is we want to sit town and be part of a plan to be able to know that there is a way through this for everybody. We will call it an investment and recovery because there has been an impact on small businesses. That there is a recovery plan attached for that plan and it might be a recovery plan or an investment plan that’s going to take two or three years but at least for places like Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan that have issues around transport, around rural GPs, around road safety, around the likes of the Spa Wells complex in Lisdoonvarna – Ireland’s original visitor attraction going derelict – all of things have to be part of it,” he said.
Asked did he believe many of the IPAS residents in his area ultimately voted for him thus contributing to his almost 1794 votes, he said it was difficult to know because he hadn’t seen an analysis of it yet. However, he acknowledged many of the people who have come to Lisdoonvarna in need of international protection are able to vote now as they are living in Ireland for two years.
Councillor Garrihy also paid tribute to his canvassing team who he feels contributed to his electoral success describing them as an “incredible” team who went out door-to-door with his message. Accessing many areas was a challenge for him this time around as he is currently experiencing health trouble with his hip.
Councillor Garrihy was the second candidate to be elected to the Ennistymon local electoral area last Saturday evening after he polled almost 1,901 votes on the second count. He picked up 107 votes from his party colleague, Bill Slattery out of his surplus of 428 votes. Slattery’s election return to Clare County Council means Fine Gael have gained a seat in the area.
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.