Tánaiste says ‘inn was empty’ as he brands councillor’s comments on asylum seekers ‘completely unacceptable’

Tánaiste Michéal Martin confirmed that he had spoken to Galway councillor Noel Thomas regarding his “inn is full” comments but had not been able to reach Séamus Walsh

By

Louise Burne Political Correspondent

• 14:58, 19 DEC 2023
• Updated16:05, 19 DEC 2023

‘cynical’ | 

Galway councillors slam Garda searches of homes over hotel arson attack

‘You wouldn’t see it on Love/Hate or Kin’

Today at 19:31

Gardaí investigating an arson attack at a disused hotel in Galway where asylum seekers were to be housed carried out a dawn search on the home of Fianna Fáil councillor Noel Thomas this morning.

Gardaí also searched the home of someone known to another FF councillor Seamus Walsh, who told the Irish Independent, “You wouldn’t see it on Love/Hate or Kin,” he said.

Councillors Noel Thomas and Seamus Walsh faced criticism from their party for their comments in the wake of a fire at Ross Hill House in Rosscahill, near Oughterard, Co Galway in December.

Both men today told of their anger at the searches.

“It’s a joke,” said Cllr Noel Thomas, who was woken at 6am by a team of gardaí attached to the Galway Divisional Crime unit supported by the National Bureau of Crime Investigation.

“The question I want to ask is where is this coming from?”

Councillor Thomas and his family including his wife and four children were in the house at the time of the search.

“All we could hear was doors banging, windows banging and lights shining in the windows and shouting.

“There was a lad from Dublin leading it and then five or six local guards.

“Imagine what it’s like having these lads come in rooting in your house?

“Imagine bringing down the serious crime units from Dublin is there not better use of their time?

“They took my phones. They didn’t take anything else.”

Gardaí took all the phones they found in the house but returned those belonging to the rest of the Thomas family.

“They held all the phones in the kitchen for a while and then handed them back again.” Councillor Thomas said.

Cllr Seamus Walsh expressed his anger at the search of the property of the person known to him.

“They went through every room and every drawer. They took every electronic device.”

“They (the guards) could have come at any time of the day and would have been well treated but I resent them coming at 6am in the morning.”

“You wouldn’t see it on Love/Hate or Kin.”

“I will never while there is breath in me cooperate with the guards on anything. “My wife is some woman, she has been with me 43 years and she is well used to me and politics but this broke her. She burst out crying.

“I’m not a man who goes running to the press – I avoid the press in fact. But this was cynical and came about from (political) pressure being applied.

“They feel like if they can break Noel Thomas and myself that he will frighten other councillors into their way of thinking.

“I want to send the strongest message- myself and Noel Thomas are not for moving,” he said.

In December Tánaiste Micheál Martin has dismissed as “absolutely unacceptable” comments made by the two Fianna Fáil councillors who criticised the Government’s policy on migration.

In a statement today, a Garda spokesperson said the operation was conducted by Garda members attached to the Galway Divisional Crime unit supported by the National Bureau of Crime Investigation.

Gardaí said a number of exhibits were seized and they will be subject to analysis that will determine the next stages of the investigation.

The Garda described the investigation to date as “large scale”, with 229 investigative tasks having been conducted to date and 145 statements taken.

Gardaí reiterated their appeal for anyone with information about the attack to come forward