We celebrate his feast day every year and yet we often don’t recall – and we certainly don’t celebrate – that St Patrick was brought to Ireland as a slave. He was effectively a refugee.

At the start of the year, the rural youth committee within Macra na Feirme set up working groups, one of which is a community group.

Sarah Kelly, chair of Rural Youth, explains why Macra asked the Irish Farmers Journal to host a group of refugees at Tullamore Farm.

“We are trying to make Macra more diverse, show it’s open to everyone, regardless of cultural or ethnic background.

“Linking in with our inclusivity and diversity group, we thought that this [visit] would be a fantastic opportunity to link inclusivity and community together,” she says.

The project is focused on rural similarities and this fits well with the integration aims of the grant Macra accessed: the Communities Integration Fund.

“One thing most cultures have in common is farming, so we thought a farm walk could be an opportunity to mix with a different culture while perhaps having something in common to talk about,” Sarah continues.

The kids checking out the herd on Tullamore Farm\ Philip Doyle

Volunteering under pressure

To organise the event, Macra liaised with James Gannon, coordinator of the volunteer refugee support group for the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre (EROC) in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon.

The group is voluntary, not part of the centre itself, which was an unused hotel, a relic from the boom times that opened as an EROC in 2016.

Tullamore Farm manager Shaun DIver rounding up the farm's flock in front of the visitors. \ Philip Doyle

James is keen to point out that it is different to direct provision in that it is designed to help orientate people towards life in Ireland. The people in the centre are programme refugees, which means that they have already gained their status as refugees before coming to Ireland. They have the same rights as anybody in the country in terms of work, social welfare and health care.

The Syrian people came from Greece or Lebanon and the Afghan people mostly directly from Afghanistan.

The first group that came in 2016/2017 were younger men aged 16 to 35. James says this group had been through huge trauma in Syria, as opposed to the children coming in now that were born or moved to refugee camps when they were very young.

IFJ beef editor Adam Woods giving a talk to the group on Tullamore Farm. \ Philip Doyle

The volunteers, who originally came together to act as a welcoming group, now provide assistance for the people even after they have moved on from the centre.

“We are the back-up if they have an issue with housing, social or employment,” he explains.

“It takes a lot to get them settled in, going to a post office, opening bank accounts, things we take for granted on a daily basis. Before COVID there was football games, sports games, knitting groups, ladies groups and they haven’t really come back to the norm just yet.”

An issue that threatens the future of the groups is that the grant they received previously from the Department of Justice has been moved to the Department of Children and with that, according to James, very difficult to access. He understands the need for governance but exclaims, “we are just a loose bunch of volunteers so it’s hard to deal with all the bureaucracy”.

Shaun Diver showing the group a batch of AI straws used on Tullamore Farm. \ Philip Doyle

“We won the People of the Year award in 2018 [community award] but we might end up folding. There is still a need for the work we are doing, the state should be doing it. We don’t have the time, weeks chasing emails, chasing documentation. It’d be sad but that is the reality”.

The group also provide mental health supports if needed.

“We don’t understand what these people have gone through,” says James. “They were getting on with their lives, enjoying good employment and family life and social life and all of a sudden, boom, they were ripped up and transported to this small town in the west of Ireland, in a wet, windy, cold winter.”

The success of the day in Tullamore from James’ perspective is that; “they eat meat (halal) and now they will know where it is coming from. It’s for the kids to have a story about the lamb or the calf or whatever for school on Monday. And for the parents to get out to the hotel, to break the monotony”.

The refugee visit on Tullamore Farm was organised in conjunction with Macra na Feirme. \ Philip Doyle

Sport is universal

Mohammad Daham Al-Akrah is from Syria and together with his siblings – Marah, Ahmad, Haleh (baby), his mum Fatemah and dad Dham – he has been in Ireland for one year and three months.

Although expecting to move to Meath soon, the family are currently living at the centre.

Mohammad is in first year in secondary school and tells me a bit about his life here.

Niko the dog was popular among visitors. \ Philip Doyle

“I’m playing football in school. In Syria, it was the same life – playing sports and going to school. The same thing as here in Ireland,” he says.

We talk about how Meath is a strong football county and he says that Gaelic is hard but he is learning fast. However he wants to play lots of sports, basketball too and running, and is going to the gym every week.

Marah is the chattiest of all the children that visited the farm. She is in fifth class and also plays football.

When I ask about the farm, Mohammad says that he likes the visit and in terms of a preference for the animals he could not pick. Both Mohammad and Marah would like to be teachers or doctors when they grow up.

Same, same.

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