Given just four days to move

Local IPAS families uprooted

A wave of shock swept through Kilnaleck this week as up to eight families were abruptly told they had to relocate following the sudden closure of the local IPAS accommodation, formerly the Copper Kettle pub.

With just a few days’ notice, parents and children who had spent years integrating into the community were ordered to pack their belongings and move to different counties, leaving behind schools, friendships, sports teams, and the networks they had worked so hard to build.

The development has also put pressure on the local national school, which the children attended, and now risks losing a teacher.

For many residents, the news felt both incomprehensible and deeply unjust. Among the families asked to leave was that of Shamielah Masood, a well-liked and highly respected member of the community whose story has touched the hearts of local people.

Eugene Farrelly, owner of the Community Café recalls vividly the day he first met Shamielah.

“She looked in the window of the café, looking bored, and we invited her in,” he said. “It turned out she was a fantastic worker. Once we got to know her, we learned she had owned a bakery back in Cape Town.”

But Shamielah had been living in fear for years. Her neighbourhood in South Africa had become increasingly dangerous. Her bakery was broken into multiple times. Her young son had once been kidnapped on his way to school and barely managed to escape; another child in a nearby family was released only after a ransom was paid. “There was no law and order,” Shamielah explained. “I just wanted a safe haven for my children.”

Ireland recognises South Africa as “safe country of origin”, making it essentially more difficult to be granted asylum. However, depending on race or religion, as Shamielah experienced by her own accounts, it can be unsafe, which is why her application is assessed on individual circumstances, not nationality alone.

When she, her husband and her two children arrived in Kilnaleck in March 2023, they quickly became an integral part of village life. The eldest daughter is in sixth class and was recently accepted into St Clare’s Secondary School, and she is actively playing football with the local Crosserlough GAA team. “

I was so happy to see my children had finally opened up to other people.”

The family felt safe for the first time in years.

That sense was shattered when they received a letter giving them just four days to relocate. “The children were in tears,” Shamielah said. “My son begged me to stay, he didn’t understand at all. We are very happy here.”

Upon hearing the news, the community called a meeting at TM’s Vintage Bar, where dozens came together to see whether anything could be done. “There was huge support, a huge crowd,” Eugene recalled. “But in the end, there was nothing we could do. It was devastating.”

Shamielah has become more than a resident, she was a friend. When Eugene’s wife, Monica, fell ill and the couple had to step back from running the café, it was Shamielah who stepped in to keep things going. She was also midway through a carer’s course she hoped would help her contribute to the community. “What was the whole point of that?”, asked Eugene in disbelief.

Coordinator of the community hub Edel Reilly said she was heartbroken to see the family uprooted. “She’s one of us,” Edel said. “She was involved in everything. It makes no sense. There are so many grants to help integrate people - and here you have a family that is integrated, and they’re completely uprooted.”

Cllr Trevor Smith, another supporter who attended the gathering, echoed the sentiment. “The children were very well integrated. It’s disappointing to see such a success story broken,” he said.

Cllr Noel Connell said it was outrageous to treat people this way: “If we are committing to looking after people, we should do better.” He said it was the children who suffer most. “How do you prepare them in three days to leave their home? Tell them they can’t attend a Christmas party or expect them to prepare for school midterm?”

The principal of Kilnaleck NS, Amanda O’Reilly, told the Celt how the families have made great efforts to integrate and they have now happily made Kilnaleck their home while they are awaiting a decision on their asylum application.

“One family is from South Africa, and they were fleeing kidnappings in their country. That is children being abducted for ransoms. They were safe, happy and settled here, they felt protected and now their lives are just in upheaval.”

The families affected come from Morocco, Ethiopia and South Africa and are all muslim. It’s understood there are eight families and 32 people, including children, impacted.

Ms O’Reilly is also the fifth class teacher at Kilnaleck PS and she taught two of the children who are now being moved on.

“They are already vulnerable, their situation was harrowing enough before this,” the teacher said.

“When their transport comes to take them away, they will not be able to bring white goods like a washing machine with them, they will just have just their basic belongings with them. “I think it is a government decision to move people out of the Kilnaleck accommodation and it is not Christian in any way, shape or form,” she opined.

Ms O’Reilly said the decision affects the entire community. “Losing four children has a huge impact on a small school like ours, the knock-on effect includes us losing a teacher. No small school can lose up to five children but, that’s not what’s most concerning here; it’s about the welfare of children and families who were working, who were volunteering in the community, who had become part of our community and were contributing to our school and community but have now just been given a week to move on.”

Silver lining

There is a small silver lining: because Shamielah has a scheduled operation in February at Cavan General Hospital, the family will be moved to Ballinamore rather than to Dundalk, as originally planned. “At least it’s another small town,” Eugene said. “We might still be able to support her.”

For her part, Shamielah says she is still processing the shock. She stressed that she did not come to Ireland for welfare. “I wanted to work. I wanted to give my children a safe life. As a mother, that’s all I could think of.”

Despite the uncertainty, she remains deeply grateful for the outpouring of support. “I am overwhelmed and thankful for the heartfelt messages.”

Going forward, the Local Authority Integration Team has confirmed the Copper Kettle will cease to be an IPAS Centre.

The premises is to be expected to offer private rentals in the near future.