Steady flow of arrivals fleeing Ukrainian war forces creative thinking on accommodation

Amid an expectation of thousands more refugees arriving, politicians and builders are set to thrash out the best way of finding somewhere for them to live

Refugees from Ukraine at the Medyka border crossing in Poland: thousands more refugees will arrive in Ireland in the coming weeks. Picture: Getty

At twenty past six on Friday evening, Tom Gilligan was unable to finish up work for the day. He hadn’t hit his target.

The director of services at Mayo County Council had been up since 6.30am. First thing in the morning, he was tasked with securing 75 bed spaces for Ukrainian refugees by the end of the day.

When he took a call from the Business Post on Friday evening, he had 65 beds secured. ...