Councillors hail court ruling in IPAS case as "a victory for the people of Athlone"

Four Athlone councillors who successfully challenged the Government's decision to set up a 1,000-person International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre in Lissywollen have hailed yesterday's High Court ruling in the case "as a victory for the people of Athlone".

In court on Friday, Ms Justice Emily Farrell formally quashed the Section 181 order used by the Government in order to establish the controversial temporary accommodation centre on a State-owned site next to an existing direct provision centre.

Ms Justice put a four-month stay on the order taking effect - meaning that if the Government does not enact legislation to regularise the planning status of the site before March 7, 2026, the centre will then be in breach of planning and environmental law.

At a press conference that was also attended by members of the public in Athlone's Shamrock Lodge Hotel this afternoon (Saturday), councillors Paul Hogan (Independent Ireland), Aengus O'Rourke (Fianna Fáil), Frankie Keena (Fianna Fáil) and John Dolan (Fine Gael) hailed the ruling as a decisive moment in their year-long High Court battle.

They said they have "no confidence that the Government can produce such complex retrospective legislation" to regularise the planning status of the centre in the next four months - "especially given its repeated delays and excuses over the past year".

In a joint statement read out by Cllr Aengus O'Rourke the councillors said they regarded the outcome of the case as "a pivotal moment in the national conversation about immigration in Ireland".

"This case, taken by four councillors from across the political spectrum, sends a loud shot across the Government’s bow," they said.

"Ireland needs a coherent, transparent, and consultative approach to immigration — one that engages with communities rather than dictating to them and ignoring them."

The councillors' joint statement said the court ruling was "not just a win for us as councillors or as citizens — it is a victory for the people of Athlone, for due process, and for the fundamental principle that no Minister and no Government is above the law.

"From the very start, we stood with our community, insisting that planning laws exist to protect everyone — residents, service providers, and future generations. The Government arrogantly tried to sidestep those laws, ignored local voices, and denied local representatives any meaningful engagement.

"Instead, it ploughed ahead, disregarding planning and environmental protections, and built an unlawful development in Lissywollen. Yesterday, the court made it clear: it must come down.

"Today the tents are gone, all above-ground structures are being fully removed — and they will never return."

The councillors statement - which was met with a standing ovation from the members of the public in attendance - said they would be seeking to re-zone the lands on which the IPAS centre was established for leisure and sporting use.

"This High Court decision sends a clear and powerful message to the Government: never again ignore the people, and never again dismiss locally elected representatives," the councillors stated.

"We want to sincerely thank the people of Athlone for their steadfast support, their encouragement, and their early GoFundMe contributions, which were crucial in getting our legal challenge off the ground.

"We also want to express our gratitude to our legal team — Patrick Cunningham of PB Cunningham Solicitors, Barrister David O’Brien, and Senior Counsel Oisín Collins. They stood with us through every setback, every affidavit, and every period of uncertainty. We worked extremely well together and could not have done this without them.

"Thanks also to the media, in particular the local media, for ensuring that the public were fully informed throughout this process.

"And finally, to our families — thank you for your patience, your support, and for giving us the time and space to dedicate ourselves fully to this cause."

The statement from the local councillors concluded: "Yesterday was a good day for Athlone — and a very good day for democracy. The Lissywollen site is empty, the tents are gone, the order is quashed, and the law has finally prevailed."

* For more, see this week's Westmeath Independent.