A Roscommon man who leads a charity working to end direct provision hopes controversy which enveloped Rooskey three years ago will not happen again in other communities.
John Lannon, CEO of Migrant and Refugee organisation Doras, says the Government needs to engage constructively with communities prior to opening direct provision centres in future.
The government confirmed in March 2019 that it was scrapping plans for refugee accommodation in the village after a split in the community over the proposal at a former hotel and arson attacks.
He believes the people of Rooskey were unclear on the issues due to a lack of engagement from the State, and the human rights worker is urging communities to continue to open their doors to migrants.
Lannon, who is a native of Rooskey, says the government has a lot of work to do to ensure communities embrace diversity.
