Protest Oldcastle County Meath IPAS

 #ProtestOldcastle, IPAS, Johnny Guirke TD

#protestoldcastlemeath Over the weekend 13-16 June 2025, news began to filter out that a local hotel in Oldcastle, County Meath, The Oldcastle House Hotel, had been approved for International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), a Centre to house those seeking International Protection. Yet locals had been told in March, 2025, that the Hotel which has been closed for some time was not being considered for IPAS.

Protest Oldcastle Meath 16 June 2025

The Oldcastle House Hotel did not recover from the Covid shut-down in 2020, leaving Oldcastle with no Hotel over the past 5-years.

On Saturday evening, local Millionaire Landlord, Sinn Fein’s, Johnny Guirke TD, issued a statement in relation to the IPAS announcement, Guirke’s statement can be read in full below.

Johnny Guirke TD driving through a dangerous junction in Oldcastle while using his mobile phone.

The Oldcastle House Hotel is on the door-step of Caffrey’s pub which is owned by Millionaire businessman and Landlord, Sinn Fein Councilor, Peter Caffrey.

This is Caffrey's pub in Oldcastle and just out of shot to the right is The Oldcastle House Hotel.

Johnny Guirke TD Millionaire Landlord

A rental property owned by Sinn Féin TD Johnny Guirke was not registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), the Irish Independent can reveal.

Mr Guirke has four rental properties across the country – two in Co Longford, a house in Co Meath and a property in Co Galway.

A search of the RTB’s database of registered tenancies this week showed that while the two houses in Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, and the house in Oldcastle, Co Meath, are listed, his house in Coisna hAbhainn in Galway was not.

When contacted for comment, Mr Guirke said this property was managed by a letting agency that had taken on responsibility for registration with the RTB.

“This property was initially registered. However, it has come to my attention that this registration lapsed due to an error on behalf of the letting agent,” the Meath TD said.

“As soon as I became aware of this, I immediately rectified this and the property is registered again with the RTB.

“I take my responsibilities very seriously and regret that this error occurred.”

Landlords who do not register a tenancy can be fined up to €4,000 and face imprisonment of up to six months on conviction after new laws were introduced last April.

Mr Guirke has two three-bedroom houses in the Abhainn Glas estate in Edgeworthstown that are owned by his company, Moylagh Construction, and a four-bedroom house in Cluain Loinn in Oldcastle.

All three are registered with the RTB.

“I own four rental properties, which I have always declared in full with SIPO [Standards In Public Office Commission],” Mr Guirke said.

“I manage three of these properties directly.”

Mr Guirke did not respond to queries about when he became aware of the issue with the Cois na hAbhainn property and when it was rectified.

IPAS Press Release Johnny Guirke TD some interesting points underlined by this author.

I was shocked when I first heard about Section 5 being granted in Oldcastle. The very first I learned of it was when a local resident contacted me via text on Saturday. Neither the government nor Meath County Council had notified me that the only hotel in Oldcastle has been considered exempt from planning regulations from a Hotel to an IPAS centre.

(Johnny fails to mention that the Hotel has been closed for a long period, and therefore, is NOT the only hotel in Oldcastle as the Napier Arms is also a Hotel that is closed in Oldcastle).

This complete lack of transparency and communication is unacceptable. I have raised my concerns in the Dáil about Section 5s and the impact they can have on local communities. Yet, communities like Trim and Oldcastle are being left in the dark, with decisions made behind closed doors without consultation with the public and elected representatives.

In the Programme for Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael explicitly promised that they would not use the only hotel in a town as an IPAS centre. This was a clear commitment to protect local tourism and businesses. The hotel in Oldcastle is the only one in the town that was always vital to attracting visitors and supporting local investment — including up to 10 major businesses that rely on the hotel to accommodate investors.

(It does appear that Johnny believed a ‘promise’ from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael)

This situation is a direct result of the failed policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They are to blame!

Despite my numerous correspondence to the Minister of Justice and the Community Integration Team raising serious concerns about the negative impact on Oldcastle, I have yet to receive any official notification or confirmation of a contract or decision since my last correspondence from them which previously shared. I have followed up multiple times, but the silence speaks volumes.

This is a mess created by the coalition of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, a mess that puts the interests of a few above our local communities. I am opposed to using the only hotel in Oldcastle as an IPAS centre because of the severe threat it poses to tourism and local businesses.

Tainaiste Simon Harris has publicly stated that the government would not use the only hotel in a town for this purpose. Now, it’s time for the government to stand by their word and honour their commitments as per their own programme for government.

The people of Oldcastle deserve honesty, transparency, and respect — not the backroom deals and neglect that have brought us to this point.

We need to know now if the hotel has been sold and if the government has done a deal!

I tried to get in touch with the Minister for Justice over the weekend and the planners to find out what is going on. I will be working on it and trying to get answers first thing tomorrow morning and next week.