Month: May 2025

A packed Kinvara Community Centre gathered last night for an important update on the ongoing campaign to restore the Merriman Hotel to commercial use.

Despite invitations, none of the East Galway Oireachtas members attended due to Dáil business. Only one written statement was received—from Louis O’Hara TD, which was read aloud at the meeting.

The Community Council has yet to receive a meaningful response from the Taoiseach, Ministers, or elected representatives regarding why Government policy has been breached—a policy that explicitly states the sole hotel in a village would not be contracted for use as an IPAS centre.

Instead, the government insists the Merriman “is not a hotel.” This raises serious questions:
• If it’s not a hotel, why wasn’t a change-of-use application required?
• Why has it renewed its liquor license for 2025?
• What has a new fire safety certificate not been issued for housing 98 people?
• Were these matters considered in signing the contract with MLC Hotels Limited?

These questions remain unanswered.

The meeting also confirmed that a judicial review application has been lodged in the High Court, with a decision expected by 23rd June. A petition with over 800 Kinvara residents’ signatures accompanied the application.

The Community Council have raised concerns with Galway County Council on potential planning and fire safety breaches, a reply is outstanding.

Particular condemnation was voiced over the decision to displace the Ukrainian families currently housed at the Merriman by 4th July. These families are part of our community, and we appeal for local support in helping them find alternative accommodation in Kinvara.

Several attendees expressed support for people seeking international protection, calling for suitable and dignified accommodation solutions from the government. Finally, a strong appeal was made to keep our campaign respectful and prevent outside groups from using this issue to push divisive agendas.

The message from the community was clear: We expect answers, transparency, and leadership from our elected representatives.

Meeting at 8pm 21^st May 2025

In Kinvara Community Centre

AGENDA

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of last meeting
3. Matters arising
4. Correspondence
5. Paul Killilea Update
6. Park & Stride
7. Tigh Sayre’s
8. Accommodation for Ukrainian’s
9. Kinvara tidy towns community clean up, watering and thank you to volunteers –
10. AGM 18^th June –
11. Merriman Hotel Update
12. Date of next meeting: 18^th June at 8pm

15th May 2025

The Community Council remains in regular contact with East Galway TDs and Senators regarding the Government’s breach of policy in awarding a two-year IPAS contract to MLC Hotels Limited. Despite continued efforts, our elected representatives have not yet succeeded in reversing the decision and returning the Merriman Hotel to commercial use.

Our public representatives have informed us that the Department of Justice has notified them that, on 4th July, the 44 members of our Ukrainian community currently residing at the Merriman Hotel will be relocated if they still require State-contracted accommodation. The Department stated:

“We will also inform people of their options to source their own accommodation if they wish to remain in the area—either through the Pledge and Offer a Home schemes (subject to availability), or privately, using available supports such as rent supplement.

Information on the location of their follow-on State-funded property will be provided closer to the date of transfer, with as much notice as possible. We will provide a list of all relocations, dates, and, in time, destinations to key local State stakeholders to activate support services as needed—for example, school registration support in the new areas.”

At the April meeting of the Kinvara Community Council, attendees expressed willingness to host displaced Ukrainian families. If you or someone you know would like to participate in this local support initiative, please visit the following link:

https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/32f0a-offer-a-home-offer-hope

The Community Council remains committed to advocating for the continued support of our Ukrainian guests.  

Kinvara Community Council is continuing in its efforts to make the Government adhere to its policy ‘not to award an IPAS contract to the sole hotel in a town’.  

Your assistance is required to bring to the attention of our public representatives the strength of feeling that the restoration of the iconic Merriman Hotel to its original commercial purpose means to this community. Please send your personal message to:

Sean Canney TD (Independent)          sean.canney@oireachtas.ie

Albert Dolan TD (Fianna Fail)              albert.dolan@oireachtas.ie

Louis O’Hara TD (Sinn Fein)                louis.ohara@oireachtas.ie

Pete Roche TD (Fine Gael)                  peter.roche@oireachtas.ie

A local group is applying for a judicial review, and over 700 signatures were secured in the accompanying petition. Further information will be advised at our May Community Council Meeting.

📌 Next Community Council Meeting

🗓 Wednesday, 21st May

🕗 8:00 PM

📍 Community Centre

All Kinvara residents are welcome to attend.

The government continues to claim that it did not breach its policy of not contracting the sole hotel in the village, as the Merriman is not a hotel.

On 31^st March in a Dáil question, Deputy Louis O’Hara (Sinn Fein) asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Norma Foley (Fianna Fail) if she would pause plans to provide an IPAS centre in the Merriman Hotel, Kinvara to allow for engagement with the local community, provide clarity on the future of the hotel’s current Ukrainian residents, and make a statement on the matter.

In a written answer (summarised by Kinvara Community Council), the Minister stated:

“My Department recently announced that 98 beds for families seeking international protection will be provided at the Merriman Hotel in Kinvara. The property was previously used to house people who were beneficiaries of the Temporary Protection Directive due to the war in Ukraine and was also used as an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation centre prior to 2022.

At the moment, relocations of people from Ukraine are paused, and if any new information becomes available on longer-term accommodation arrangements for this group, residents and local community groups and supporters will be updated without delay.

One of the queries raised during community engagement in Kinvara was the agreement to not contract IPAS accommodation in a given town’s only operating hotel, which was accepted by Government during the period of intense need and was agreed to on the basis of not removing an important current amenity from public use. In the case of the Merriman Hotel in Kinvara, our understanding is that this hotel has not been in public use since the COVID-19 pandemic, and since 2022 it has been contracted to this Department to accommodate people fleeing the war in Ukraine. In this circumstance, it hasn’t been considered necessary to reject such an offer from a property as it was not providing a hotel facility in this community. “

Kinvara Community Council has responded to the Minister:

“Your understanding of the status of the hotel is a misrepresentation to deflect from the Government’s responsibility to follow its policy, specifically, the commitment not to remove the last hotel from public use in a community. “

We await a reply.

Meanwhile, we have asked our government Oireachtas members to redouble their efforts to make representations to their government colleagues to pause the contract and enter a dialogue with Kinvara Community Council on the use of the hotel. You may email your views to our  East Galway TDs at:

Sean Canney (Independent)        sean.canney@oireachtas.ie

Albert Dolan (Fianna Fail)              albert.dolan@oireachtas.ie

Louis O’Hara (Sinn Fein)                louis.ohara@oireachtas.ie

Pete Roche (Fine Gael)                  peter.roche@oireachtas.ie

Separately, a group of concerned residents have commenced an application for a judicial review of the Government decision. To support the application, you may sign the petition, which is available at: https://chng.it/25YfQnL7vR