Empty Space

Gerry Callaghan 2019-09-21

This is “I Viaggiatori” a sculpture by the artist Bruno Catalano, symbolizing the void created by leaving one’s country, one’s family, one’s people for another life.

Categories: Uncategorized

Leaving Limbo: “Strength is not about pretending to be okay”

Our dear young friends Natasha and Minahil are stars in the Documentary Leaving Limbo: “Strength is not about pretending to be okay” They have…

Gerry Callaghan 2019-12-31

Survey on implementation of McMahon report

The Irish Refugee council is conducting a survey on the implementation of the McMahon report on Direct Provision. It’s very important that we get a…

Gerry Callaghan 2017-10-20

Sounds of Africa bring joy in Irish setting

Introducing the wonderful Afrish choir made up of residents of the Athlone Direct Provision site. They came together to sing their hearts out, initially after…

Gerry Callaghan 2020-07-30

Asylum Seekers and third-level education

Simon Harris (Minister for Further and Higher Education, as well as Research, Innovation and Science, or RIS) announced earlier this year that people in the…

Gerry Callaghan 2020-08-13

Ombudsman for Children Workshop

The Ombudsman for children will be doing a workshop in Athlone on next Tuesday. See details below. I’ll be doing a children’s rights workshop…

Gerry Callaghan 2017-10-18

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

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