Merriman Hotel
The Merriman Hotel in Kinvara, Co. Galway is listed as an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) accommodation centre in the Government's gov.ie IPAS County Galway 2025 inspection collection (inspection report dated 24 November 2025). According to RTE and The Irish Times, the Department agreed a two-year contract for the hotel to operate as an international protection centre accommodating up to 98 people; the premises had previously housed around 50 Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection since 2022 and had been used for international protection applicants since 2019. The change of use was opposed by Kinvara Community Council, which said the town was losing its sole hotel, and was the subject of a High Court judicial review application by local residents.
Capacity
98
people (reported)
Per night
€84
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€3.0m
estimated
Background
The site is at Merriman Hotel, Kinvara, Co. Galway, Ireland. Irish international protection accommodation is provided through IPAS (the International Protection Accommodation Service), under the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. For how the system works and what it costs, open the cost panel on the interactive map with Ireland selected.
Incidents & reporting
Only events reported by named outlets and explicitly tied to this site are listed. Charges are allegations, not convictions — the presumption of innocence applies.
- Mar 2025Community campaign — calls for policy review
Community council calls for end to IPAS contract
According to RTE, Kinvara Community Council called on the Government to end the IPAS contract at the Merriman Hotel, saying the town was being placed at a social and economic disadvantage through the effective loss of its sole hotel. The council made formal calls for a policy review; the report describes no protest activity.
RTE · source
- Jun 2025Judicial review — leave application adjourned
Residents seek High Court challenge to asylum accommodation plan
According to The Irish Times, four Kinvara residents sought High Court permission for a judicial review of the decision to use the Merriman Hotel to accommodate up to 98 international protection applicants, arguing the Minister had not adequately assessed the hotel's suitability and local impact. Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger found there was insufficient material before the court, allowed the applicants to amend their papers and adjourned the matter. The challenge was a civil judicial review, not a criminal matter.
The Irish Times · source
Cost
Irish IPAS accommodation is funded by the State. At a blended benchmark of about €84 per person per night (the 2024 whole-system average reported by RTÉ), the 98 people reported here imply roughly €3.0m per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice — over 90% of IPAS accommodation is commercially provided and emergency rates run far above State-owned centres.
Sources
gov.ie — IPAS Inspections of Direct Provision and EROC Centres in County Galway 2025 · Nov 2025. View source
Coordinates geocoded from the published address/town via OpenStreetMap; status reflects the cited reporting and may have changed since.