Newbridge Monastery and Kildare town Convent should be used to house Ukrainian refugees, Senator says

Newbridge Monastery and Kildare town Convent should be used to house Ukrainian refugees: that's according to Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O' Loughlin.

It follows one week after she attended a meeting in Newbridge with the Ukrainian community living in Kildare.

Senator O'Loughlin said: "I have written to the interim CEO of Kildare County Council asking that the newly acquired Monastery in Newbridge and the Convent in Kildare Town be made available to accommodate any Ukrainians in need should they need it."

"The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is truly heart wrenching and I have been doing everything I can on the ground in our community to support local Ukrainians and their families.

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She continued: "The outpouring of solidarity and offering of help from right around South Kildare has been incredible, with many people offering spare beds in their homes to support those in need.

"I do feel that the long term strategies for these properties should be to provide dedicated community facilities and I have been advocating strongly for some time that these facilities would be used to support community activities and would become hubs of community activity.

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"However, given the scale of the humanitarian crisis I feel that these buildings should be used on an interim basis to house those Ukrainians who need it," she concluded.