22/07/2025
Ballina for All and Mayo Welcomes condemns outright the arson attack on Kevin Barry Street. Two council houses that should have been renovated for families on Ballina’s social-housing list were burned because of malicious rumours about asylum seekers. This was a criminal assault on our community, fuelled by lies and inflamed by online hate.
The council’s plan offered real hope to 631 households waiting for a secure home. Had the project proceeded uninterrupted, the site would have provided 31 own-door homes to those who need them most. Now that hope has been set back by violence.
Mayo County Council’s statement that it is “profoundly disappointed” is a completely inadequate response to a crime of this magnitude. The council must speak with clarity and force, make it clear that intimidation will never influence housing policy, and commit to rebuilding the thirty-one-unit development without delay.
The vast majority of people in Ballina and throughout the country believe that everyone, whether you're a newcomer or you've lived here all your life, deserves a safe, secure and affordable home, full stop. We reject the vile commentary that celebrated the fire and wished harm on migrants. That rhetoric does not represent who we are or what we stand for.
Immigrants did not create the housing crisis. Homes are built through planning, investment, and solidarity, not through arson or rumours.
We are grateful to the Mayo Fire Service and Gardaí for their swift response, and we urge anyone with information to help bring the perpetrators to justice.
Ballina’s identity is one of welcome and decency. We will defend it, rebuild what was lost, and stand against hate wherever it appears.
