Fr Tom Gilroy, the parish priest who has been based in Kinnegad since 2004, has voiced his opposition to ongoing protests outside Harry’s hotel in Kinnegad, stating that he has “major problems” with those gathering in front of Church of the Assumption, Kinnegad– as protestors have for the last two weeks – only to use it as the backdrop for an “anti-migrant tirade.” Protesters. belive the hotel, which has been used as an accommadation centre for Ukrainian refugees and IPAS residents, should be returned to locals.
Fr Gilroy, who lives near the church, believes that the protests, contrary to what some demonstrators will say, are “anti-immigrant marches” fuelled by an “ideology of anger” which contradict the principles of living in “a free and open society where we emphasise opportunity for everybody”, adding that the views expressed were not based on empirical data but rather “suspicions and manufactured fears.”
