Eviction of refugees from Kildare-Carlow border  'inhumane' 

A PLAN to re-locate an undecided number of asylum seekers from a location on the Kildare-Carlow border to Kerry in the week before Christmas has been described as “inhumane” by a local politician.

The families are presently settled in mobile homes and shepherd’s huts adjacent to Tougher’s Restaurant near the M9's junction 4 motorway exit, however Cllr Veralouise Behan is now working along with Carlow TD Jennifer Murnane O'Connor to try and stop this.

Families were told that the premises used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees since 2022 is to close due to fire safety concerns.

“I went over there when they first arrived with a Russian translator, and helped secure a mini-bus to take the kids to Levitstown National School,” she said.

“The problem in Kildare schools is so often over-crowding, but not in the rural schools,” said cllr Behan.

“To be fair, we’ve only just heard about this and can’t confirm it just yet ... but what we heard is that the families of six of the kids in Levitstown are to be moved on Wednesday (18 December) to Tipperary and Kerry”.

“Picked up and moved out right before Christmas – it’s inhumane! The kids are part of that community now, some of them even have parts in the Christmas play. I’m trying to figure out if they have to be moved. Couldn’t it be done after Christmas?” she wondered.

“Most of them are in mobile homes and shepherds huts at Tougher’s on the county boundary.

“I’m working with Jennifer [Murnane] on this and she believes it’s a health and safety thing with the main building, but the majority of the residents are in mobile homes.

“It’s very unfair, and these kids’ classmates are very upset. It’s very cruel to do this to people coming up to Christmas. If they don’t have to be re-located, leave them there. To uproot families like this by the stroke of a pen is inhumane."

A protest was held in Carlow on Monday.