Flood’s Cross refugee centre to reopen for 90 days

“Could ye not get your fu*king act together? And you can quote me on that,” said cllr Bill Clear, voicing his displeasure at the re-pening of the Accommodation Centre for Ukrainian refugees at Flood’s Cross, Newhall just outside Naas.

Originally built last year to house up to 1,000 refugees, it was closed and dismantled only seven months ago in March. It is to reopen this week for another 350 arrivals, although only for a 90-day tenure.

“A sixth 90-day accommodation centre will open on 16 October in Newhall, Naas with an initial capacity of 350,” confirmed a spokesperson from the Department of Justice. “It is not an IPAS facility,” she stressed.

“The centre previously provided 90-day accommodation from March 2024 to March 2025 for people fleeing the war in Ukraine and has been re-engaged to address the recent increase in arrivals from that country.

“The initial contract is for 90 days, but may be extended depending on demand,” the spokesperson concluded.

However, this did not sit well with the local councillor.

“It is a complete and utter waste of money to close down the place [in March] and reopen it again now,” said cllr Clear.

“It should’ve been kept open and used to house essential workers. There’s lots of staff up at Naas General Hospital crying out for accommodation.

“Also, I don’t understand this 90 days rule. Where will they go after 90 days?

“There is nothing in Naas, literally zero. People are stopping me on the street asking if I know of any accommodation.

“I do understand they’re [Ukrainian refugees] in a desperate situation being bombed by Russian drones every night, but it is a total and utter waste of our money.

“It’s only the tip of the iceberg around the country. Nobody in charge seems to know what they’re doing.

“People think there’s a plan going forward. If this is the strategy – opening, closing – it just shows the government has no strategy,” he concluded.

However, his colleague cllr Rob Power, who is from nearby Caragh, had a more forgiving tone in relation to the camp’s return. “I never heard about any problems inside the fence,” he said.

The Kildare Nationalist spoke to Fintan Flood upon whose land the centre was erected.

“There’s nothing really to say … I’ve been away in the UK working and this is my first day back, and I haven’t heard any negative reaction,” he added.

“Although I don’t do social media anymore, but I haven’t heard anything, good, bad or indifferent.

“I’m going back to the UK this week – my life is so boring now!” he chuckled.

“That really sums it up. I will keep the head down and say nothing.

“The guys [camp operators] ran a good shop, and all we’re doing is trying to help people from a war-torn country.” However, he was sympathetic to cllr Clear’s position when he spoke last March.

“If somebody said to me ‘Horsebox, we need good value accommodation at short notice’ I’d be able to say no problem,” he said.

“It’ll now go back to grazing sheep, but if you really wanted nurses instead of sheep – no problem.

“If you wanted 1,000 people in accommodation out there within 12 months – no problem – and that could start within ten weeks.

“It is a fully serviced site, and at peak times there were 685 people being fed there every day. You could walk into Lidl in ten minutes, get a taxi to Sallins Railway Station in ten minutes, walk down to the bus stop and be in Dublin in 40 minutes.

“There was even a pathway into the middle of Naas specifically built so you wouldn’t have to walk on public roads. I’ve walked it, and can do it to Naas Town Hall in 26 minutes,” said Mr Flood.

“Commercially, it has been an unmitigated disaster, and that’s the nicest thing my accountant said to me!

“I’ve had pigs heads thrown at me, shite thrown over the gate, my wife and children abused, and I had to give up a seat on a local board after being screamed at that I was a people trafficker.

“But we did a bit of good, and we’re very proud of it,” he said.

“You’d see somebody coming in with legs blown off, yet a week later you could be having a cup of tea with them and they wouldn’t be shaking any more.

“I remember the first time we had to do the mandatory fire alarm test, and the first thing everybody did was dive under the tables.

“When I asked why, they said that every time they heard that sound over the last few years it meant bombs were coming.

“But the biggest thing we could provide for them? Silence.

“I met a mother who hadn’t slept in months, and what she said about Newhall was the silence and the sleep.

“That’s what I feel good about. When you can look a mother in the eyes and she was happy because she could let her children sleep.”