There are calls for an Athlone nursing home to reopen and accommodate elderly people, instead of refugees. Up to 60 international protection applicants are set to be housed in the former Stella Maris nursing home in Baylough, which closed in 2022.
Up to 80 people held a protest yesterday after the news was confirmed by the Department of Integration. The Irish Freedom Party's Catrina O'Donohoe, from Coosan in Athlone, is against the move:
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