‘Sanctuary Runners’ group to be launched in Athlone
Ireland’s direct provision system of housing asylum seekers will soon be 20 years old. It’s a system that has been widely criticised, but Athlone woman Lisa McGonigle Murray said Irish citizens who disagree with it often feel powerless.
“At times there’s a sense of what can we do, you know?” she remarked.
Lisa and others are now trying to make a positive difference by setting up an Athlone branch of ‘Sanctuary Runners’, a national movement which sees Irish citizens and asylum seekers meeting up regularly to run shoulder to shoulder.
“It’s a way of bringing both communities together and, as a result, both communities benefit,” said Lisa.
“It’s non-political, non-religious, and non-profit. We keep things fun, and that brings a lot of positivity on both sides. It’s a great way of getting asylum seekers out of the direct provision centres and breaking down barriers that they may perceive are there.
“There are a lot of Irish people who want to help but just don’t know how. This is just a small thing but it can have a big impact.”
Sanctuary Runners was founded in Cork in February 2018 by journalist Graham Clifford, and since then branches have been formed in other parts of the country, such as Dublin, Limerick, Longford and Galway.
Lisa, a keen trail runner who heard about the initiative on Twitter, took part in her first Sanctuary Runners gathering at the Streets of Galway 8k event on August 10.
She linked up with Charles Lawn, the race director of the Park Run 5k which takes place in Athlone IT every Saturday, with the aim of starting an Athlone group that would be open to residents of the local direct provision centres in the town and in Horseleap.
Lisa and Graham Clifford recently visited the Athlone centre, in Lissywollen, to hold their first recruitment day for the running group which is to be launched on Saturday, September 14.
Everyone who runs with a Sanctuary Runners group receives a distinctive blue top inscribed with its core principles: Solidarity, Friendship, and Respect.
While some living in direct provision are now legally entitled to work, Lisa said barriers to employment remain, and finding activities to take part in each week continues to be a challenge for centre residents.
“Two years ago, I met an asylum seeker in Longford who was helping my mother-in-law with her garden. He didn’t want anything for it, he told me he just needed to get out of (the centre),” she said.
“He told me he loved work and needed to work. By working with my mother-in-law take up a few weeds, and help out a little, it made him feel human.”
The Athlone Sanctuary Runners group will involve asylum seekers and Irish citizens meeting to take part in the well-established Park Run, a 5k run on a grass track in Athlone IT, at 9.30am on Saturdays.
“Running, by the way, isn’t a necessity,” said Lisa. “You can be any level. You can walk it if you want. And we’re definitely eager to get both Irish residents and people in direct provision, so that it’s not exclusive to asylum seekers.”
After the Park Run, the participants will gather in the canteen in AIT for a coffee and a chat.
Lisa said transport to Athlone for residents from the Temple Accommodation Centre in Horseleap would be a challenge, and she hoped some residents in the Moate area might be in a position to pick up some people from the centre and 'carpool' to the Sanctuary Runners meet-ups.
She was hopeful that there would enough interest in the Athlone group to make it a success over time, and said in addition to the weekly Saturday gatherings there would be the potential to enter races and organise outings to trails like Slieve Bloom in the future.
“As with any kind of running, even a 5k or a fun run, there's a real sense of camaraderie that comes from it,” she said.
* The first Athlone Sanctuary Runners meet-up will take place at the AIT Park Run on Saturday, September 14, at 9:30am. For more information, or to get involved with the group, contact: sanctuaryrunnersathlone@gmail.com or info@sanctuaryrunners.ie