‘We have our suspicions that this hotel has been earmarked to receive refugees either today or in the coming days’
Dad of three, James Conway, of Cannaghanally, Dromore West, who describes himself as a builder/farmer, is standing for the Irish Freedom Party in Ballymote/Tubbercurry.
He posted the video outside the hotel in Dromahair which he claims has been “earmarked to receive refugees”.
He says in the video that he went to the owner “of this hotel” on Saturday, “to try and convince him of the error of his ways”.
“But unfortunately it seems that that’s going to be ignored and they’re going to go ahead and plant the country again,” he states.
“Hello there,” he begins the video that shows him outside a fenced off property.
“First and foremost I want to say at the outset of this video I’m not here to incite violence or mitigate it, or tell anyone it shouldn’t be done that way. It’s not.
“I didn’t come to Dromahair here in Leitrim, one of the most beautiful villages in one of most beautiful counties in Ireland.”
Conway at the Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair
He gestures to the property behind him and states: “This is the Abbey Hotel behind me, fenced off the moment, you can see (and) a clear Garda presence monitoring it outside,” as the camera pans around to show a parked Garda car.
“We have our suspicions that this hotel has been earmarked to receive refugees either today or in the coming days,” he continues.
“I went to the owner of this hotel on Saturday to try and convince him of the error of his ways and that Ireland isn’t really appreciative of what’s going on at the moment.
“But unfortunately it seems that that’s going to be ignored and they’re going to go ahead and plant the country again.
“I just want to say to everyone out there, we are trying to resist this. I should be at work today but the terms of my bail has made me going to work impossible so I’ve been left primarily with nothing now over fighting for this.
“So, anyone who can lend their support to the good people of Dromahair please do.
“And I’m going to try and make sure that the Irish freedom party has a candidate running in this area, that they have proper representation.
“I want to thank the leader of the Irish freedom party Herman Kelly for his patience I know he’s under a lot of pressure from inside and outside of the party to distance himself from me, so thanks to him on that point as well.
The 31-year-old West Sligo man was arrested and charged arising out of an incident at a house in Enniscrone on Saturday.
He posted videos of himself at the scene on social media and in the rear of a patrol car.
Conway was brought before a Special Sitting of Sligo District Court on Sunday where he appeared before Judge Eiteann Cunningham. The defendant was charged with causing criminal damage to Carrownedin House, Enniscrone on April 27 and with trespassing.
There was no objection to bail and Conway was remanded to appear again on May 30. The defendant was represented by Mr John Anderson, Solicitor of McGovern Walsh Solicitors.
Conway is also before the court on a separate assault charge, a case which has been adjourned to later this year.
Leitrim County Council is facing a six figure bill for legal costs after its failed High Court action to prevent the former hotel in Dromahair from being used to house 155 international protection applicants.
According to the Irish Independent, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys found the proposed use of the Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair village, was not unlawful, as alleged by the council, and “can go ahead”.
Justice Humphreys said owner Dromaprop Limited was entitled to avail of a planning exemption to change the use of the hotel, which shut during the financial crash in 2009, to accommodate “protected persons” under 12-month contract with the Department of Integration.
He refused the council’s request for an order prohibiting the temporary housing of asylum seekers at the premises.
He also found in Dromaprop’s favour in its separate case taken over the council’s decision rejecting its building compliance certificate for works to convert the hotel for use as asylum seeker accommodation.
The council last January declared Dromaprop’s certificate invalid and refused to enter it onto its official register.
