The townland of Inch, Co Clare, is only 7km from the county town of Ennis, but it has a distinctly rural atmosphere. The surrounding countryside is mostly undeveloped, with cows grazing in lush fields, abundant hedgerows, and a labyrinth of small winding roads without signposts, which suggests there is no need for them, as the traffic is mostly local.
The beautiful 200-year-old Claureen stone bridge is so narrow that approaching drivers need to stop and give way to whoever is already on the bridge. There is no local shop, post office, bank, pub or retail; no immediately obvious services of the kind that caters for larger communities.
The nearest thing Inch has to a centre is its primary school, with a gable of colourful mosaics depicting a child blowing bubbles. The school is located beside Our Lady by the Wayside Church, which dates from 1833.
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A two-minute drive from the church brings you to the turn-off that leads to the former Magowna House Hotel, which closed in 2019. This is now the focus of a national story that involves the Government, local Inch community and some 34 male International Protection (IP) applicants.
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A large car park serves the church and school buildings. There’s a postbox here and at the church’s entrance a defibrillator, “Donated by the O’Loughlin Family, in memory of Brigid O’Loughlin, Mahonburgh, Inch, who died 4th October 2017”.
Inside the simply decorated church, there’s a notice on the board announcing that next week’s jackpot for the weekly Kilmaley GAA Lotto is €3,150, along with a poster advertising a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in September. A box marked “old specs and stamps” is crammed full of donations of both.
The IP applicants arrived by bus from Dublin on Monday to take up a period of residency at Magowna House. It had been reported that there was capacity for 69 refugees in total, between the former hotel and the three ancillary bungalows also on site.
Since the arrival of these residents, members of the local community have blockaded, around the clock, both road entrances that lead to the hotel. They have stated they were not previously consulted by anyone from the Department of Integration about whom would be arriving into their small community, and neither were they notified as to when that would be.
They have expressed concern about fire safety, sewage capacity at the location, lack of services, lack of public transport and the fact there are no footpaths anywhere in the vicinity. The arrivals have been staying in the three bungalows: the hotel remains unoccupied.
On Tuesday evening, at about 8pm, a Garda van was just departing the location. A number of people, including children, who identified themselves as members of the Inch community, but who did not wish to give their names, were standing at one entrance behind a row of traffic cones and a sign that stated, “local access only”. I was asked to produce my reporter identification before being allowed to proceed.
Blockaded road
Further up the road, several people were in intense conversation with Fianna Fáil Senator for Clare Timmy Dooley who had travelled from Dublin for the day specifically for this reason. Those people declined to speak to this reporter, saying there would be no further comment while “negotiations” were ongoing.
Some 20 cars, vans and a red tractor were parked along this blockaded road, all but one with Clare number plates. Clusters of local residents stood around at intervals but also fell silent when approached for comment.
One offered the single word, “shellshocked” before others present suggested it was better she say nothing more. Another later emailed this reporter to say that residents were “exhausted and frightened”.
There were hay bales covered in torn black plastic at the entrances to the hotel premises. Most curtains were closed at the three white-painted bungalows, despite the bright evening sun. A helicopter hovered overhead for some minutes and then departed.
“It’s not safe here for people,” said one woman. “I passed two of them on the road near Claureen Bridge this morning and they could have got killed, the roads are so dangerous to be walking on.”
The blockade continues.
