The Minister of State at the Department of Integration has called for the ending of a blockade on the approach to a former hotel in Co Clare that is being used to house asylum seekers.
Locals living close to the Magowna House Hotel, near Inch, have been blocking the access road to the premises, since it emerged that it had been selected as a location to house those seeking international protection.
They say the venue is unsuitable, given a lack of infrastructure and access to support services.
Joe O’Brien was speaking after he met a delegation representing the local community.
Locals made no comment after the hour long meeting. They will now brief others in the area about their discussions, before agreeing how to proceed.
The minister said he understood the concerns outlined to him and that he hoped to be able to address them.
However he gave no indication that the Government’s plans for the site would be abandoned, saying: "I would very much like this to be a place where we could bring more people".
He said he listened carefully to the concerns expressed by the community and made some proposals in an effort to resolve the matter.
He has asked that the barriers at both ends of an approach road to the hotel be taken down and committed that he would return to Co Clare in four weeks to meet locals again.
No additional asylum seekers would be placed in the hotel in that time, he said.
Minister O’Brien said the "wider community" would now be consulted and that the delegation would revert to him.
He pointed out that a lot of those seeking asylum would be eligible to work or have access to further education in the near future.
And he expressed confidence that when systems "bed in" tensions would ease.
"I hope that in four weeks time the people of Inch will see that this is a better situation for the residents and a better, less fearful situation for them as well."
He said the timeline around the proposed Direct Provision centre in Inch was "very tight" and information communicated "was not 100% accurate either".
He said he could understand why people in the area had been upset by the lack of advance notice they had been given.
But the minister said he was hopeful that people in Inch would agree to end the blockade. He described the delegation he met as "normal, decent people" with concerns, who had no association with the far-right.
Minister O’Brien’s meeting followed an earlier visit to the Magowna House Hotel, where he met some of those seeking international protection and visited the buildings the men are residing in.
Mr O'Brien's visit comes on the third day of local protests.
The demonstration is low-key, with just a handful of people manning the two entry points to the road that runs past the hotel.
There were no protests in or around the premises, where 29 people are being put up, when Mr O'Brien arrived.
This afternoon, a number of those being accommodated in three bungalows on the site were playing volleyball on the hotel grounds.
One of the men who was moved there last Monday said it was a significant improvement on his experience at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, where he had been housed for a number of months.
However the man also raised concerns about the relatively isolated nature of the site and how it would work on a long-term basis.
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Earlier, the Taoiseach said there would be further engagement with people in Co Clare who are protesting over the housing of asylum seekers at the Magowna House Hotel.
Leo Varadkar said he did not want to give any further details at that stage.
"I think it is important people's concerns are listened to, that they are provided with information, that communication takes place," Mr Varadkar said at an event in Dublin.
"Its also important we are very clear as a Government that no community has a veto over who lives in their area," he added.
Locals opposed to the use of facilities say they are disappointed and feel let down by the response of Government to their concerns.
They have reiterated an invitation to Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman to visit the site in person, to review the location and accommodation available.
They say their protest will continue.
Lack of consultation criticised
A local Independent TD has criticised the lack of consultation with the local community in Inch over the plan to accommodate people in Magowna House.
Michael McNamara asked why there was consultation with public representatives in Dublin over plans to house asylum seekers at a premises in Santry, but none with politicians representing Co Clare.
He said he was approached by peopled from Inch "because they saw works being done and asked what was happening" but that he received no answer when he asked on their behalf.
Having a Zoom call with locals about something that has already happened "is not consultation", Mr McNamara said, nor is consultation "a veto".
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'Take heat out of' Clare asylum seeker issue - Dooley
A Fianna Fáil senator has said it will be difficult to resolve the issue in Inch but Timmy Dooley said he remains hopeful the situation can be de-escalated.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he advised moving away from a "narrative of name calling of locals" and said "we just take some of the heat out of this".
There are "very significant concerns" in the locality, the Clare-based senator added, as he acknowledged that people have their fears over the housing of asylum seekers at the hotel and they have to be heard.
"They are not my fears, they are not the fears of many others, but they are the fears of the community. And I think we have to try to work better as politicians, all of us, in our roles to talk to and explain the situation to the people of Inch."
Senator Dooley said the negative attention on Inch is not good for the community.
The hotel is not ideal because of its remote setting, he added, but the alternative is to sleep on the streets of Ennis, or Limerick or Galway and that is "wholly unacceptable".
He also said the community of Inch is conscious that it does not want the infiltration of ideologically driven people who have a different approach.
There is a danger of this threat when a blockade such as this happens, but the senator said the community will resist those who are spreading misinformation.
"Those who have come from outside seeking to create a bigger issue out of it have asked politely and maybe some less politely to leave and that has happened."
Additional reporting Pat McGrath
