Activities – New Horizon Athlone

Circus Day!

Just to remind you all of the schedule for the display on next Tuesday 8th August The event will be held in Burgess Park, Golden Island,…

Gerry Callaghan 2023-08-05

Support for Regularisation Scheme

Check out New Horizon support for applicants to the International Protection regularisation scheme.

Gerry Callaghan 2022-02-25

Want to Join the Circus?

Come have fun and learn new and different skills! Galway Community Circus, Gateway Youth Project, Foroige and New Horizon offer the Sunday Circus skills workshop.…

Gerry Callaghan 2022-01-23

Walking with Poles and Men on the Move

Two great new fitness opportunities from Westmeath Sports Partnership and Athlone Regional Sports centre. Walking with Poles Outdoor Programme Walking with poles is a great…

Gerry Callaghan 2021-09-03

Equality and Social Inclusion Award

Each year Westmeath county council give their Cathoirleach awards to honour people or groups who have given special service in their community in County Westmeath.…

Gerry Callaghan 2021-06-28

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

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