Ballyhaunis Blog

Bridgestock - based in Ballyhaunis are Ireland’s biggest private sector operator of asylum seeker accommodation . They had pretax profits of €1.67 million in the 18 months to the end of 2009, recently filed accounts show.

This compares to profits of just €268,466 in the preceding 12-month accounting period.

During the period to December 31st, 2009, €500,000 was paid in dividends to Bridgestock’s shareholders, Séamus and Kathleen Gillen of Tullamore, Co Offaly.

The average number of people employed by the business rose to 177 from 163.

Bridgestock operates accommodation centres in Ballyhaunis , Galway, Sligo and Athlone. Previously it ran a self-catering centre in Co Roscommon, but this closed during 2010. The company also provides ancillary services such as catering and security, and has also started operating “Texas” retail outlets.

The provision of asylum seeker and refugee hostel accommodation has proved a cash cow for private businesses. Since 2001, the Government has spent in excess of €750 million housing asylum seekers through its direct provision system, with private firms winning most of the contracts.

In Bridgestock’s directors’ report, the Gillens said they considered the results for the period to be “satisfactory”. They believe there will be no growth in their provision of accommodation for asylum seekers but expect continued growth in their other activities. They noted the company operates in an industry affected by factors beyond its control, such as the Government’s immigration policy.

Ballyhaunis is on RTE again today - twice in one week !
First this week we had the O’Gorman half hour visit to Ballyhaunis - which didn’t do the town many favours. He must have been on a tight budget and a short timescale. He showed us two grocery shops that look like they haven’t changed since the 1950’s - both complaining that they were going out of business. I wonder why!
He also managed to find a charity/ second hand shop on Knox street - where he gave an Asylum seeker and her daughter more questions than a tribunal.
He also spoke to a female security guard outside a bookies - who only sleeps an hour a day and prefers to be single. When O’Gorman pointed out that her nice shiny black car could be good for “pulling” - she said she would need a towbar to hook up a trailer!
The Nour Food shop owners - (who he spoke to in an Alleyway across the road for some reason) - said that business was good - especially in the Halal meats. They were not worried by Lidl or Aldi .

O’Gorman also had a long chat with a Syrian lady - who is a Muslim and he even went to her house for tea. I don’t know how she put up with his silly questions about veils and arranged marriages - she was very patient.

see it here

Now Ballyhaunis is in the news today because of Travellers firing a gun at someone on Tuesday ! As usual around the Knock Novena in August - there were a few caravans parked up in Ballyhaunis. The Garda helicopter was called in and the armed response unit! After a search - a “car, industrial machinery and slash hooks have been seized”.
(Slash hooks seem to be essential requirements for a visit to Knock Shrine of course !)

From the Fine Gael website

“THE announcement that eighty refugees from Congo will be settling in Ireland next year has moved Mayo Fine Gael TD, Deputy John O’Mahony and his party colleague, Ballyhaunis Cllr John Cribbin, to call for the Government to fulfil its promises to develop the infrastructure of Ballyhaunis to enable the town to deal with the hundreds of asylum seekers currently living in the town.
The eighty Congolese refugees will spend the first six weeks of their lives in Ireland based in the National Orientation Centre for Refugees in Ballyhaunis before settling in a yet un-named Irish town
According to Deputy O’Mahony, the minister responsible for cultural integration, Conor Lenihan, last year promised both the deputy and Cllr Cribbin along with local community groups that he would support Government initiatives for investment in the town.

.”That’s a year ago now and still there has been little or no sign of any investment. The people of Ballyhaunis have played a significant role in facilitating the integration of asylum seekers into our country and now it’s time that the Government played their part. The problems that existed in the town in relation to lack of infrastructural facilities a year ago are still there and with more people expected to settle in the area in the not so distant future, we believe it’s time that the Government acted on its promises,” he said.

Deputy O’Mahony said he would continue to raise the issue in the Dail. “The people of Ballyhaunis deserve to be listened to and along with Cllr Cribbin I can promise them that I will continue to highlight this issue until something is done for them,” he said.”
END of Fine GAel Article

Note - the asylum seeker accommodation has room for 315 people.

After yesterdays allegations on Mid West Radio by a David Wallace - about the refugees from the Congo who are coming to Ballyhaunis - there was more discussion on the station today.
It is hard to understand why Mid West Radio gave this man the opportunity to express his racist views on air. He was allowed to accuse whole nationalities of being criminals - with hardly any challenges from the presenter. They keep pointing out that he was ex British Army and ex Irish Ranger - as if that made him more credible. Apparently he now works for security for the oil company Total.
Today the Irish minister for integration issued a statement refuting all the allegations by David Wallace about the Congolese refugees . Allso local FF senator John Carty stated that he was happy that all refugees were carefully selected and vetted by the UNHCR and the Garda - but the damage has been done and the seeds of doubt sown.
As a caller to Mid West pointed out - responsible journalists have a duty to check the truth behind a story before they allow people to make serious allegations live on air. But Tommy Marren didn’t seem too keen to get into that discussion. If someone rings up to put down Travellers or Jews - would they allow them over 15 minutes of free airtime?
We now have the local Chanber of Commerce chairperson - saying on air that “enough is enough” - when asked about refugees and asylum seekers coming to Ballyhaunis. I wonder if he tells Bridgestock the same thing - (they sponsored the recent festival in Ballyhaunis)
As I said yesterday - when Bridgestock have an asylum accommodation centre and the centre for integration in Ballyhaunis - that is where the asylum seekers and refugees are going to be sent. I have no problem with Ireland taking in refugees (it’s only about 200 a year) - the only strange thing is why a small town like Ballyhaunis was chosen for the Integration Centre.
Hopefully David Wallace will go on air again to apologise if his allegations are proven to be false.

A fair bit of scare-mongering and stirring up is going on at the moment because of the news that about 80 refugees from the Congo could be arriving in Ballyhaunis next year. People have called the local radio station alleging that the refugees are all ex child soldiers - some who have killed as many as 50 people. The radio station involved need to be careful who they give airtime to. Once people hear it on the radio - they asume it’s true.
With the “National Refugee Orientation Centre” located in Ballyhaunis since late 2007 - it should not be a surprise that refugees are arriving in Ballyhaunis. The idea is that for 6 to 8 weeks - new refugees are sent here to undergo training to prepare them for independent living in the community.
If people had a problem with the idea of Ballyhaunis being the chosen location for this “National Orientation Centre” - they should have voiced their opinions before it was built or before the contract was awarded. ….
But hold on …..- was there any public consultation on the matter? Was there planning permission required for this building “Bruach na hAbhainn” - in the middle of a town with less than 2000 population? I can’t find any mention of it on Mayo County Council website - after several searches.
I can understand the worries of some people - but Ireland has agreed to take a certain number of refugees from the UNHCR each year - and they have to go somewhere. But maybe a town the size of Ballyhaunis isn’t the right place? The main question here - is how did this “National Refugee Orientation Centre” get built. It is a new building - and I assume it was purpose built - but I do not recall reading anything about it until it was about to be opened. Have our local politicians anything to say I wonder?

The owners of the refugee centre are Bridgestock - who also own and operate accomodation for asylum seekers in the old convent in Ballyhaunis and other Mayo towns. The CEO is Michael Gillen.
Their “sister” company Midtown Developments is currently about to start building a hotel in Ballyhaunis.

According to the Sunday Tribune - Bridgestock accounts show that pre-profits at Bridgestock doubled in the 12 months to the end of June 2006 to 1.3m, compared with 670,267 the previous year.
Bridgestock recently expressd an interest in using the Ridgepool Hotel in Ballina as ayslum seeker accommodation.

The recent arival of about 50 Burmese refugees in Ballyhaunis has aroused my interest in what is going on in Burma. I found this web site shows some recent pictures of the type of refugee camps in Burma that these refugees were probably living in before they came to Ireland.

Burmese Refugee Camp

Figures from the 2006 Census in Ireland show that 36.6% of the population of Ballyhaunis are from outside of Ireland.
Out of a total of 1632 - 596 were born outside Ireland. Of these 358 are EU nationals , 50 are from Africa and 163 are Asian. 17 are from other countries and 8 did not give a country.
Only 1 town in Ireland with a population over 1500 people has a higher percentage of foreign nationats - that is Gort in Galway - with 40.7% non Irish living there (mainly Brazilians). Gort has a population of 2646 - and 900 of those are from the American continent.
The Ballyhaunis figures would include the asylum seekers that are housed in a hostel in the town

I knew that headline would grab your attention !

TRAVELLERS for Travellers’ in partnership with An Garda Siochana, Mayo Intercultural Action group and the FAI held their second annual intercultural soccer tournament on Sunday last at Milebush Park in Castlebar.

The first game was between the Travellers, otherwise known as Pavee United, and the Old Convent in Ballyhaunis (refugees and asylum seekers) with Pavee United emerging the victors after a 3-1 win.

The second game of the day was the Mayo An Gardai Siochana soccer team against Euro Nations, the migrant workers team. The Gardai were the victors after a 2-0 win.
The final was between Pavee United and An Gardai Siochana.
A scoreless draw was the result - but h the Travellers won the tournament on goal difference by one goal

The Citizens Information Service will be opening an outreach service in Ballyhaunis.
The new service will be available every 2 weeks on Tuesdays starting June 5, between 10.15am and 12.15pm in the Family Resource Centre, Friary House.

Citizens Information provide a free and confidential information service on a range of rights and entitlements for services such as social welfare, employment law, family matters and health.