A planning application for a controversial new mosque and Islamic center in one of Ireland’s most touristic towns has been challenged in dozens of formal objections, with local residents recently attending a packed public meeting to voice their opposition to the project.
A decision is expected May 10th on the controversial proposal which could see Kilkenny City become a major center for Islam in Ireland, serving the south east of the country.
The application made on behalf of the Kilkenny Islamic Center seeks permission for a two-story mosque complete with dome and minaret, with adjacent living quarters and guest accommodation, classrooms, halal shop and community hall. The existing Islamic center has been located in a rented premises on the outskirts of town for several years.
Whilst numbering less than 100,000, Ireland’s Muslim population is one of the fastest growing in Europe, having doubled since 2006, with prayer rooms and smaller premises no longer of adequate size to meet demand.
In April, a heated public meeting chaired by local political representatives heard from over two hundred residents, the vast majority opposed to the project, several citing the proximity of the proposed development to a Catholic cemetery and the prospect of the call to prayer being broadcast multiple times a day. Michael McGrath, a local photo-journalist humorously described the meeting as ‘’one of the most ferocious encounters in Kilkenny since the civil war.”
During the discussion, residents heard from Imam Ebrahim Ndure, representing the town’s Muslim population, and architects for the proposed development. Local and national media described the crowd reaction as hostile, quoting angry residents opposed to the project.