Caiseal Mara fire raised in Dáil as first of nearly two dozen arson attacks targeting migrants

The Inishowen hotel was torched in the early hours of Sunday, November 25, 2018. It was due to house up to 100 asylum seekers under Direct Provision.

The fire was raised during a debate on a recent spike in arson attacks targeting migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees.

Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly said: “The first such attack which can be attributed to anti-migrant sentiment was at the Caiseal Mara Hotel in Moville, County Donegal, which led to one person being injured. According to the Garda, 100 asylum seekers were supposed to be accommodated on site."

The incident was also highlighted by Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.

“What have we dealt with over recent years? As has been said, in 2018, the Caiseal Mara Hotel, Moville, County Donegal, where 100 asylum seekers were proposed to be accommodated, was burned out,” Deputy Ó Ríordáin stated.

The Labour TD also referred to attacks in Buncrana in January 2023.

“There were two attacks linked to refugee housing in Buncrana, County Donegal. A building at Ludden, Buncrana, where a businessman was going to establish a centre for Ukrainian refugees was set on fire,” he added.

The Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy said: "RTÉ's ‘Prime Time’ programme has helpfully mapped the arson attacks since 2018 when a hotel in County Donegal earmarked for 100 asylum seekers was set alight.

"Since then, 23 fires have been set in properties that have been linked to housing for international protection applicants or beneficiaries of temporary protection.

"There has been an escalation. Ten of those fires have occurred since last November.”

Independent Donegal TD Thomas Pringle expressed disgust at recent arson attacks and pointed out how communities in Donegal had rallied against them.

“Attacks like these are devastating for a community to witness and they do not reflect the feelings of a community, only the hate of a handful of individuals. These individuals claim to care about the safety of a community, while, at the same time, they are burning its buildings to the ground. The only thing these people care about is spreading hate and igniting violence.

"The justification of their actions as being in a community’s interest is disgraceful and disingenuous because the people burning down local buildings are not the people involved in Tidy Towns or community council meetings each week.

"They are not the people packing bags or standing with collection buckets for local clubs or charities, and they are certainly not the people running local support groups, youth groups, community kitchens, food banks or parish quizzes.

"Many are not even from the communities they seek to divide and the claim that they are acting for the good of that community while they undo the work of many great and genuine community workers is an insult,” he said.

Deputy Pringle stated ‘communities across Ireland and County Donegal have rallied against acts of violence and hate towards asylum seekers and have come together in support of people coming in and the diversity that they bring’.

Moville residents express solidarity in wake of '˜hateful and cowardly act'