Pollagh (Achill)

Pollagh An Pollach
Town
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°57′40″N 9°08′21″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Mayo
Irish Grid Reference	F 61763 04631

Pollagh (Irish: Pollach) is a village on Achill Island off the coast of County Mayo. It is surrounded by the villages of Keel, County Mayo and Dooagh.

Controversy

In November 2019, Pollagh became the scene of controversy after local people began a three month-long 24/7 protest to prevent refugees being accommodated in the Achill Head Hotel in the village.^[1] Because of the protest, the Department of Justice, which is responsible for refugees in the direct provision system, decided that staying in Pollagh was not in the best interests of the vulnerable female refugees concerned.^[1][2] Protesters insisted their motivation wasn't racist,^[2] a stance that was met with skepticism from some quarters.^[3] The protest petered out after just two weeks.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. Boland, Rosita (7 December 2019). "'There will always be two groups in Achill now'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
2. Logue, Patrick (1 November 2019). "Achill residents insist they are not opposed to asylum seekers but have safety concerns". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
3. Cassidy, Amanda (1 November 2019). "The refusal to welcome 13 vulnerable women to Achill is worse when it's dressed up as concern". IMAGE.ie. Image magazine. Retrieved 25 August 2022.

External links

• Pollagh (Achill) at the Placenames Database of Ireland