New train services for asylum-seekers living in the former Mosney holiday camp in Co Meath will begin from next Monday. The off-peak suburban trains will travel south to Dublin and north to Drogheda from Mondays to Saturdays.
Some 170 people have been moved to the centre, which will eventually house up to 500 asylum-seekers. This follows a £15 million agreement between the Government and Mosney's owner, Mr Phelim McCloskey, to lease the site and its facilities for five years.
That agreement dismayed the organisers of the Community Games, which have been held at the camp for more than 25 years. The move was criticised by the Irish Refugee Council as running a serious risk of creating a ghetto, while local people have expressed concerns over health and safety issues.
A spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann confirmed that, following recent discussions with the Department of Justice, five scheduled suburban trains will begin stopping at Mosney to cater for asylum-seekers living there.
Two trains each day bound for Dublin city centre will stop at off-peak times at Mosney. Three trains travelling in the opposite direction towards Drogheda will also stop at the camp.
The organisers of the Community Games recently rejected a claim by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, that it was pulling the event out of its traditional venue because of racist complaints about asylum-seekers. The organisers of the games have said an emergency meeting of their executive will be held next Saturday to decide on a venue, but Mosney remains the most likely option.
The asylum-seekers are living in chalets on the 300-acre site, with meals provided in the complex by outside caterers. They receive £15 cash per adult per week in "comfort money" and £7.50 per child.