direct provision

Dublin native Lorraine O’Connor founded the Muslim Sisters of Éire after she converted to Islam and began to wear the hijab. “Unfortunately I was the victim of racial attacks and Islamophobia and I wasn’t sure how to cope with that. It made me think of the women who had immigrated here who wear the headscarf. How are they feeling when it happens to them?

• A voluntary group set up last year to welcome asylum-seekers to West Clare welcomed the Department of Justice and Equality’s decision in August to close the emergency Direct Provision centre. • On August 12th - the day the closure was announced - the Miltown Malbay Welcome Group thanked Minister Helen McEntee for her prompt action. • Civil society voices who welcomed the move included Clare PPN’s Sarah Clancy, author Ruairi McKiernan, and human rights activist John Lannon.

Amid ongoing discussions about the Irish direct provision system, one student-run social enterprise is working to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers are able to integrate in their communities.