Fionnán Sheahan: Red tape means 160-bed asylum-seeker centre lies empty as ‘tent city’ grows

Government seeks solution to migrant encampment as Taoiseach lobbies for illegal Irish emigrants in US

Inside the empty asylum seeker centre with 160 beds as tent shanty town grows

Fionnán Sheahan

The rain bounced off the puddles on the road as three young migrants tried to tie a tarpaulin to railings and pull it over their tents for more protection.

Yet a two-hour drive away, a purpose-built accommodation centre with 160 brand-new beds lies empty, caught up in red tape. In a week when the Government travelled the globe to celebrate the contribution of Irish emigrants, the treatment of those arriving on our shores came into critical focus.