Calls on State to help religious groups aiding immigrants

Updated / Tuesday, 23 Dec 2025 11:12 Up to 300 Evangelical Christians come together to celebrate their faith in a former Labour Exchange building on Gardiner Street Samantha Libreri By Samantha Libreri Eastern Correspondent There have been calls on State bodies to include religious communities in efforts to help integrate members of immigrant communities. A recent report found there are 49 different faith-based communities operating in Dublin's northeast inner city alone, and that they're often the first port of call for new arrivals here. In a former Labour Exchange building, located between the Customs House and O'Connell Street, every Sunday morning up to 300 Evangelical Christians come together to celebrate their faith. Senior Leader at Trinity Church on Gardiner Street Joseph Kerrigan says this place is often the first place new arrivals to Ireland of that faith seek out when they are trying to settle here. A service under way in Trinity Church "There's a vast diversity of people come through our doors. We have people from Lithuania, from Poland, we have people from Nigeria, we have people from India. We have people from across the world," he said. "This used to be on the port. It was purposely built back in 1837 for this area. A lot of people come into this area on the boats, and they were welcomed here, and they are still welcomed here. "They come looking for a place where they can rest, where they can worship, where they can feel a home even though they're away from home. "For those who come here there's a sense of belonging and for locals who attend, it is a chance to meet people they may not ordinarily get to know." Mary Samuel Jayachandra with her husband Jason and daughters Pearl and Coral Mary Samuel Jayachandran is originally from southern India. She and her husband Jason came to Ireland 17 years ago and lived in Wexford before settling in Beamount in north Dublin. She said that for the couple, and their two girls Coral and Pearl, Trinity Church feels like home. "We don't have any extended family here and so this is really, really crucial that we have a community, and we feel very welcomed here. You can actually see almost every continent is represented, not every country, but every continent is here in this church," she said. "There are days that I would come in really feeling low, and somebody here would always have a lending ear to listen to me, and that's all I want. "Then there are days that where we feel that there's a lot of success and good days, and this is where we come and share our joy as well." Tantiana Batwendesao says the church is a safe place for her Tantiana Batwendesao came from Congo to Ireland as an asylum seeker when she was 17 years old. She now lives on Gardiner Street and says the church is a safe place for her. "It's hard to be alone. So, if you...

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