A public meeting was

held on Wednesday night last in the village of Tournafulla. The meeting was held by the village community in an effort to address concerns arising out of the sale of and the refurbishment of a prominent property, once a Nursing Home and up to two weeks ago, the Community Shop. An application had been made by the new owners of the property to the International Protection Accommodation Services – IPAS, asking that the premises be considered for accommodation. A crowd of over three hundred people attended, along with local County Councillors Michael Collins, Liam Galvin, Jerome Scanlon, Adam Teskey, Francis Foley and John Sheahan. Also in attendance was local Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science of Ireland, Patrick O’Donovan, Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Niall Collins and TD Richard O’Donoghue. The meeting, organised by village residents, was chaired by Celine Aherne and Johnny Ward. Celine thanked the TDs and local representatives, and the crowd at large for their attendance. She read aloud an email confirming the offer of accommodation to the department, and expressed a hope that the meeting would address any concerns and clarify the position. Johnny also thanked those in attendance and reiterated what Celine had already said, asking for respect for all speakers, who were invited to address the congregation. First to speak was Minister O’Donovan, who had returned from a family holiday earlier the same day. He acknowledged the concern in the locality and reassured everyone that his office had been in communication with the Minister (Roderick O’Gorman) and with the office of an Taoiseach regarding the offer. “My position on this is that the community here has lost it’s shop, a key and integral part of any infrastructure that’s needed when new people are brought into a community.” He added “This afternoon, it has been confirmed for me that the process with regard to Tournafulla has been stopped, until a full review has been carried out. It will be short, it will be to the point, and it will be carried out fairly quickly, and I have asked that Department will engage with, not only the local representatives, but with your community council.” He reiterated that, as of that afternoon, the application process has been halted. “Given the fact that there’s no shop, there is no commercial activity in the village during working hours, it puts us in a very difficult position to have the application received. The amenities in the parish have been supported by and large by the community and things like Sports Capital Grants, so for the time being, the latest and most up to date report on this is that the process is stopped. There will be a further review thereafter. Whatever has been suggested up to now is no longer the case” he reassured people. He was well received with a loud applause. Next to speak was Minister of State, Niall Collins, who said he had the same level of engagement with Minister Roderick O’Gorman and his office. He explained that he too had outlined to the department the concerns of the people. “It’s my own view that this proposal by the property owner flies completely in the face of government policy on how to deal with and handle the issue of migration. Personally, I couldn’t see how this place would pass the test of the department and that’s the argument I made in relation to the issue” He explained that its open to any property owner, in any part of Ireland, to make a proposal to the department. “People are submitting property proposals every day. The depth of feeling expressed by the community here tonight has been reflected by me and I’m sure by other representatives” He added that he would be confident that the proposal would not proceed, “given the feedback that Minister O’Donovan and myself have been given”. Richard O’Donoghue, TD spoke about the lack of infrastructure and referred to the closing of the local shop saying, “we’ve now lost something that was beneficial to the whole area.” He said he was glad to hear the Minister say that the application is being reviewed and said “It’s being reviewed because of your concerns. I’ll work to make sure that any information that comes up is brought to the community. Anything that happens here should be community led” He praised the people for the way the meeting was set up and continued saying “the way this meeting is handled is a testament to Tournafulla”
Each of the local representatives spoke in turn, Michael Collins expressing his shock that the application had actually been made. He said that when he inquired at County and City Council office, it was confirmed that an application for a Fire Safety certificate had been made with regard to the premises, and that it was eminent. Detail of the application stated that twenty-nine people would be housed in seven bedrooms and that five staff members would also be accommodated. “I’m totally opposed to this” he said, saying that he would continue to engage with all concerned. Councillor Francis Foley also expressed his support of the whole process being stalled, saying “I’m fully supportive of the action being taken by the ministers, and of the Tournafulla community”
Councillor Liam Galvin expressed his concerns too saying, “We’re seeing what’s happening in Dublin and other areas and we don’t want that happening in Tournafulla.” He suggested that the government liaise with local authorities, community councils and community groups because “these are the people that are living and dealing with community every day” He also stated that the sewage treatment facility in Tournafulla is at capacity, and planning has been previously refused for further development. Councillor Jerome Scanlon told the meeting that, when he heard about the application, he contacted Sonja Reidy, (Ukrainian Response Accom-modation) at Limerick City and County Council. She confirmed that she had advised the department that the premises in Tournafulla was inappropriate for housing Ukrainian refugees. He complimented her discernment, and also paid tribute to the people of the parish for organising the meeting. He praised the minister and the TDs for the work they were doing on behalf of the parish and stated that he was fully supportive of the people. He said that essential communication left a lot to be desired, from the top down, and finally expressing his hope that the application would be refused. Councillor John Sheahan said “Look, we know where we stand now, which we didn’t know before we came into the meeting. If this meeting hadn’t taken place tonight, we may not have had that letter stating that the application is under review.” He said that the suggestion of the building of modular homes would be watched, as planning would be required. He again stated his support of the parish and the concerns of the people. Johnny Ward then called for questions from the floor. Several people asked for clarity on various points, to which the representatives answered to the best of their knowledge. One speaker pointed out that while it was welcome news that the application had been halted, it was not, in fact refused and the fight was far from over. The question of communication with the department was raised again, and the Minister Niall Collins stated that, even though communication was through the local community council, any group or individual in the parish could in fact, email the department directly (at community@equality.gov.ie). Richard O’Donoghue suggested that everyone should also cc the local representatives, so that everyone is kept informed. Councillor Adam Teskey put forward that a letter be sent to the new owners of the property asking them to refrain from any further application going forward in relation to the property. He warned against complacency, saying that in his experience with the parishes of Ardagh and Askeaton, similar applications were accepted in spite of lack of infrastructure. He warned also that the department is not listening. He added that, at the time he was dealing with Ardagh and Askeaton, he had spoken directly to Roderick O’Gorman and former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and they simply would not listen to him.
The takeaway points from the meeting were clear. Tournafulla is a designated CLÁR DED and considered a rurally disadvantaged area. The village of Tournafulla is about approximately 1.6km in length, based 19KM from Newcastle West and 14km from Abbeyfeale. Due to the location of the village, which is off any main road, there is no through traffic, and it is “off the beaten track”. The site in question is in the centre of the village, bordering the church grounds of St. Patrick’s Church and Church car park. There is a preschool and community centre and community garden on one side of the building and the primary school and playground on the other. There is no commercial business open in this village by day – the sole activity in the village each day is that of the Pre-School which is based in our Community Centre and that of Glengort National School. According to the 2022 census the Glengort/Village area itself had a population of 204 people. From what local representatives said, a fire cert has been applied for to include 29 residents and 4 staff – an increase in our population of 16%, however there is a serious lack in services and amenities as it stands. There is no taxi service available in Tournafulla and the nearest bus stop is 6.6 km away. There are no childcare facilities or a creche in the village. There is a preschool which is running at full capacity and many children in the area are forced to avail of ECCE years in neighbouring villages or in Abbeyfeale/Newcastle West. There is a 4 classroom/4 teacher primary school – Glengort NS. The village is serviced by buses to Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West for post primary school. The proposed accommodation site is in fact the pick-up and drop-off point in the village for those children. There is no GP or medical facility in the vicinity. The Garda Barracks in the village have been closed for a number of years, there is no Garda presence in the village, and there are no Garda cameras in the area either. The nearest Post Office is 6.2 km away in Templeglantine.
The Community Shop was set up to provide essential goods to the community locally but mainly to provide a social setting for some of the more isolated and vulnerable in our community, be that through volunteering or through social engagement when visiting the shop for a paper or a coffee. This project was unfortunately based in the building being put forward for accommodation and therefore has had to close down.
Again, Minister O’Donovan explained that, due to lack of a local shop and other commercial activities, the review would deem the premises unsuitable for IPAS. Speaking with him after the meeting he told me he was fairly confident that the application would be denied.
The organisers thanked the political representatives for their presence, acknowledging the prompt response and effort that was made on behalf of the parish.
A follow up parish meeting is taking place tonight at 7 pm ( Wednesday, August 27th) in Halla Tadgh Gaelach, with the local community council, for further updates.
As of yesterday morning, the parliamentary assistant at Minister O’Donovan’s office confirmed that the application was still under review.