Ballina protest at the Twin Trees Hotel/IPAS centre

[scolairebocht]

54.117033, -9.135699

For the last few weeks a 'large public outcry' (even according to the Connacht Telegraph) has descended on Ballina Co. Mayo at the news that the Twin Trees Hotel, formerly the Downhill House Hotel and under the long term ownership of the Moylett family, is to house a large number of asylum seekers/migrants.

This has culminated in many tense scenes in the town including a very recent attempt by the Council/Gardai to send in earth moving equipment to sweep away the 24 hour protest encampment that has been set up at the site. They managed to fight that off and are still there, good humouredly but determinedly seeking to protect their community and country from what many are seeing as an invasion.

What follows is a picture of the encampment and an interview with Clare, James and Keith at the scene.

by Brian Nugent

 

[Myles O'Reilly]

Fair play to her for being there but that girl needs to stop stuttering and stammering over being labelled racist. And this thing about there being no services in the area needs to stop also.

Even if we had all the services in the World we still shouldn't be planting 10's of thousands of foreign men and alien cultures in Ireland each year.

 

[scolairebocht]

It was the very first interview she ever gave and she was nervous!

 

[Myles O'Reilly]

Fair play to the young lady though. She's out there and she's doing it

 

[scolairebocht]

Absolutely, there was a real fighting spirit there in Ballina. That's the home turf of Dara Calleary, deputy head of Fianna Fail, so even though its the heartland of the traditional parties they reckon this kind of uprising will be reflected on June 7. I really hope so.

 

[Declan]

 

[Declan]

Any no clown will win in the comments either. We either answer or just wipe off and ban them.

 

[scolairebocht]

Here you can see the kind of pressure they are under there, its only a few days ago:
View: https://x.com/Mick_O_Keeffe/status/1795518843278037374
. If we lose badly in this election there are batons going to fly onto the heads of all those guys in a few days, I'd say, so we need to support them.

 

[nobody knows I'm a dog]

That's a posh enough hotel. I swam in it's swimming pool years ago, and there's a spa and tennis courts. There's also an outdoor swimming pool at the river across the road.

 

[Declan]