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04 Oct 2025
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04 Oct 2025
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Government bosses have been accused of keeping the Longford public in the dark over the county’s response to shouldering its share of the Ukrainian refugee crisis.
A number of councillors led by Peggy Nolan and Gerry Warnock hit out at last week’s meeting of Longford County Council in the wake of uncertainty as to how many refugees had entered the county.
Cllr Nolan said she had been approached on numerous occasions by local constituents, much of which had been centred at the number of International Protection applicants who were now housed in apartment accommodation along the county town’s Bridge Street.
“The public has to be informed of what is going on,” she said in the wake of speculation Connolly Barracks could become home to a “tented village” style type of accommodation centre.
And while that innuendo was roundly dismissed, Cllr Nolan said the public required full transparency.
“We, as councillors, can inform them (public) of our Ukrainian visitors but we are not informed or up to speed with what is going on with the International Protection people.
“Embrace diversity, embrace what these people can bring but my biggest embrace is for the people that put their faith in me to look after their business and give me the voice on their behalf,” she said.
Cllr Warnock followed suit, saying there were “legitimate fears” among the wider public and said it was imperative any reconditioning of Connolly Barracks’ principal building was not undertaken at the behest of Longford’s future regeneration needs.
Plans to take in further Ukrainian families as Longford's refugee numbers hits 800 mark
There are in the region of 800 Ukrainian refugees living in various locations across county Longford with the promise of more to follow, it has been revealed.
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