She was speaking in the Merriman Hotel in Kinvara, Co Galway, at a celebration of music and food involving some 70 asylum seekers and 60 members of the local community.
“Food, friendship, music and song are reminders of what Irish people are,” she said, adding “that identity is much stronger” when friendship is extended to all newcomers.
Mercedes Verona Pereira, from Cuba — one of the event organisers — told the gathering: “You don’t need to fear anything, as our mutual responsibility as a community is to take care of you.”
Pereira also paid tribute to the 10 local families who threw open their kitchens to allow ethnic food to be prepared that morning by the hotel’s residents from 15 different countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Sudan and Ukraine.
If people live in this community, they belong to the community
The invite to President Connolly, issued by the Kinvara For All group, came just six months after a convoy of farm machinery was driven through the streets of the south Galway village to protest the Merriman Hotel’s designation as an international protection accommodation centre.
The hotel, located in the village centre, first accommodated international protection applicants in 2019, and housed Ukrainian refugees from 2022.
Musicians Kitty Sabry and Eimear Clancy with President Catherine Connolly in Kinvara, Co Galway
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Sunday December 7
When the Government decided earlier this year to contract the premises for international protection applicants once again, an unsuccessful High Court challenge was taken by several residents.
Recalling the atmosphere at a community council meeting on the issue, soul-folk-reggae singer Sharon Murphy said that, for the first time, she felt “unsafe”.
The Merriman Hotel in Kinvara, Co Galway
She didn’t sleep all that night, she said but felt a “sense of relief” after a phone call from a friend who said “we need to do something about this”.
“If people live in this community, they belong to the community,” Murphy said, explaining the genesis of Kinvara For All.
Khalid Mohammed and his wife Baraa Ali from Sudan, who moved to Kinvara several months after the protest, said they had experienced a warm welcome so far.
The couple, who are expecting their first child, have both been given refugee status and had been living in international protection accommodation in Castlebar, Co Mayo, before being moved to south Galway.
Samira, from Afghanistan and a mother of three young children, said she was “very happy” to attend the event as she served up Kabuli palau, an Afghani speciality.
Irish people have played a large part in the history of human migration
President Connolly and her husband Brian McEnery were offered a taste of pupusas Salvadorenas from El Salvador, Nicaraguan gallo pinto y carne asada, agashi chicken from Sudan and much more.
“Ireland is a small country with a global diaspora, which means we have played a large part in the history of human migration,” said Dr Margaret Brehony, who has worked with the Irish Refugee Council for a number of years.
“The experience of parting with loved ones, looking for a better life or seeking protection is in our cultural DNA.
“Every negative story told about migrants coming to Ireland today was once told about Irish migrants in Britain and the Americas.
“This is why we in Kinvara join with President Connolly in working for an inclusive Irish society that values diversity.”