County councillors held a meeting yesterday about the decision to house potentially up to 200 Syrians in a hotel in Ballaghaderreen.

Fine Gael senator Maura Hopkins, a Ballaghaderreen native, wants a number of questions answered about the resettlement plans.

“You’re talking about 250 people coming in,” she said. “Ballaghaderreen has a population of just under 2,000. That’s one in eight people when this happens.

“We need to know what extra resources will be put in place in order to be convinced that these people are properly supported.”

Councillors are also irked by the fact the arrival of the Syrian families was allegedly only communicated by email on Thursday by the Department of Justice.

An impromptu meeting of the council was arranged so department officials could brief local representatives.

Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy hit out at the Government and Department of Justice for their “appalling lack of consultation” over the decision to house the Syrian refugees in the former Abbeyfield Hotel.

He said employment options for the wider community would also have to be considered.

“Much of the hopes and plans around developing Ballaghaderreen’s tourism potential were linked into this four-star hotel in the town which includes a swimming pool as a tourist destination and now such tourism potential has been dashed,” he said.

However, the Department of Justice said the Syrian refugees going through the town was a “transitional arrangement”. While initially 80 people are expected, more would arrive, a spokesman said, but they will then move on.

“Where a contract is signed the local council is informed at the earliest possible opportunity. This was the case in relation to Ballaghaderreen.”

Ireland has agreed to accept up to 4,000 refugees under an EU relocation scheme and resettlement programme from UN camps. Children’s Rights Alliance CEO Tanya Ward tweeted yesterday that she hoped communities could support the refugees. “Conditions in Greece for refugees are dire,” she said.