Ireland’s Electric Picnic festival site to house refugees
nme.comBBC News].The music festival in County Laois wrapped yesterday (September 3) and after revellers departed, work began on readying the site for hosting refugees over the next six weeks.DCEDIY plans to operate the site at full capacity by this Thursday (September 7).
There will be provisions for hot meals, hot water and hot shower facilities, toilets, and on-site access to a paramedic and first aid.Since February 2021, the Irish government has accommodated more than 92,400 people seeking refuge.
This consists of 69,518 people who have fled the war in Ukraine and 22,700 people seeking international protection.“The summer months have seen an increase in the number of arrivals from Ukraine, with more than 10,000 people fleeing here since May 1, an average of around 650 people per week,” a DCEDIY spokesperson said.“It is estimated that up to 500 people could continue to arrive over the next weeks from Ukraine.”Around 70,000 people attended this year’s Electric Picnic, which hosted performances by Billie Eilish, Niall Horan, The Killers, Fred Again..
and many others. The music festival was first established as an annual event in 2004.Additionally, the Irish government has sourced accommodation from the tourism sector and student housing elsewhere to help with the influx of refugees.
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