Emergency Services – New Horizon Athlone

All emergency services, Ambulance, Police (Gardai), and Fire Brigade, may be contacted by ringing 999 or 112. There is no charge for using this number. It may be called from any phone even if you do not have credit on the phone.

Police

An Garda Siochana (known as ‘the Guards’) is the Irish police service. They are an unarmed service. They have been quite helpful and supportive to asylum seekers and refugees in the past.

The local Garda station is in Barrack street Athlone, beside the big church. Telephone (090) 64 98550

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) deals with immigration-related issues. They are based in Harcourt St. Dublin 2. Telephone 01-6666666.

Note that all these activities are criminal offenses in Ireland. If you commit any of them, prosecution may follow:

Begging
Carrying a weapon, including knives of any sort, is considered a very serious offence
Larceny (stealing, shoplifting)
Creating a nuisance or disturbance
Driving without a license or insurance
Assault
Domestic Violence is totally unacceptable in this country.
Drunk and Disorderly behaviour

If you are convicted of any offence this may have an effect on any future application you make for leave to remain.

Ambulance Service

The National Ambulance Service provides paramedic support and transport to hospital in case of emergency. Phone 999 or 112.

Fire

The Fire brigade service covers fire emergencies. Phone 999 or 112.

FAQ’s

We are a front line refugee support group mainly working on the Lissywollen Direct Provision site in Athlone. Our focus is on providing information and help to the 300 (on average) residents living there.

We also work on the Temple Direct Provision site in Horseleap, Moate.

Everyone in the DP sites in Athlone and Temple is what is described as a ‘Convention’ refugee. People who have arrived in Ireland under a United Nations resettlement program are known as ‘Programme’ refugees.

Convention refugees are people who have made their own way to Ireland and have applied for recognition of refugee status when they arrive.

Various official and unofficial routes and methods are used to travel to Ireland. These change continually, depending on weather conditions and enforcement levels at crossings.

On arrival people are normally housed for a few weeks in Baleskin, near Dublin airport. They are then dispersed to various direct provision centres around the country.

People can get protection if they meet the conditions set out in The United Nations Convention on Protection of Refugees.

See Definition of a Refugee