Thirteen per cent increase in asylum seekers to Cavan

There has been a 13% increase in the number of International Protection (IP) applicants in Cavan over a 12 month period, yet the county continues to rank among the lowest numbers residing here countrywide.

Just 155 asylum seekers are currently being accommodated in County Cavan, the third lowest figure nationally.

That's compared to 137 for the same period last year, according to stats released by the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

As of May 19, there were over 30,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (7,494 of whom were children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022.

In the first 20 weeks of 2024, nearly 8,000 people have arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation from the State, averaging 398 people per week. This is more than five times the average from 2017-2019.

The Cavan figure also represents the lowest percentage increase of any of the 26 counties, with only two areas recording a reduction in the number of IPs living locally - Kildare (669 down from 675 in May 2023), Limerick (414 to 402).

By comparison across the region, Leitrim saw the number of asylum seekers accommodated there more than double, from 100 to 209; Longford 77 in May 2023 up to 135 in a year; Meath 905 to 1,001; and Monaghan numbers rising from 499 to 693, an increase of 39%.