Eire is just not a rustic with a protracted historical past of immigration. Somewhat the other, as Irish individuals prior to now migrated all around the world — to flee the nice famine within the 1840s, and thru tough years within the nation’s previous when house had little to supply.

Extra lately, nevertheless, Eire now welcomes hundreds of asylum seekers every year, with many escaping wars, famines, and myriad tough circumstances.

For a lot of of those individuals, the primary port of name is a federal assist system known as direct provision. Direct provision is the identify used to explain the lodging, meals, cash, and medical companies asylum seekers obtain whereas their worldwide safety software is being assessed. Sadly, this generally is a prolonged course of, and plenty of discover themselves dwelling within the limbo of a direct provision heart for months or years, ready for a chance to be absolutely built-in into life in Eire.

One nice initiative that’s serving to to bridge the hole — and welcome these new arrivals extra wholly into Irish communities — is the non-profit group Sanctuary Runners.

Sanctuary Runners on the 2022 Insurgent Run in Cork, Eire. Photograph: Sanctuary Runners

Sanctuary Runners was based by eager runner, Graham Clifford, from Kerry, a county within the southwest of the nation. A direct provision heart had lately been established in his native rural group, and he felt strongly about the necessity to combine its residents into the group and supply a correct welcome — however noticed no buildings at present in place for locals to befriend them. The concept to place collectively a working group took place whereas Clifford was racing the favored John Treacy Dungarvan 10 Mile street race.

As Ailís McSweeney, Eire Lead of Sanctuary Runners, defined: “[Clifford] thought this might be a good way to get to know individuals, as a result of working or strolling collectively side-by-side is such a straightforward factor to entry, and it may be fairly good having a chat whenever you’re shoulder to shoulder. So, from that, he put collectively a Sanctuary Runners crew within the relay on the 2018 Cork Metropolis Marathon. Some 250 individuals ran in a Sanctuary Runners t-shirt there.”

The concept grabbed the eye of runners in different elements of the nation the place there have been direct provision facilities, and folks began to ask, Can I do that in my group? “So, a bunch began in Limerick, [a city in the south of Ireland,]” recalled McSweeney. “It simply began to develop organically when individuals mentioned, ‘Let’s convey our communities collectively.’ Folks from all completely different backgrounds, nationalities, authorized statuses — it might be a means of constructing bridges in our group.”

Sanctuary Runners now operates 40 teams across the nation, every with a core group of volunteers. Volunteers from every group set up common meetups for social runs or walks, prepare to attend most of the free Saturday Parkruns across the nation, and goal races for the group to take part in. Additionally they usually go to direct provision facilities to increase the welcome to new arrivals.

McSweeney described among the challenges asylum seekers in Eire face: “When individuals come to Eire, they don’t have a lot selection about the place they dwell, the sort of lodging they’re in. They could have come right here fleeing some traumatic circumstance. Their life’s actually up within the air, they’ve misplaced that management, and the situations the place they’re dwelling may not be that nice. So, even considering of signing as much as one thing, getting out of the place you’re dwelling, may be difficult. And there may be the language barrier.”

She went on, “What Sanctuary Runners do is prolong an invite. After which, extra subtly, assist break down among the boundaries individuals may need — the necessity for gear and different issues like that.”

Runners participating in Sanctuary Run, an occasion by Sanctuary Runners on the Sport Eire Nationwide Cross Nation Observe in Dublin, Eire, October 2023. Photograph: Sanctuary Runners

In 2023, Sanctuary Runners shaped an alliance with the Irish path working group — She Summits — to introduce a path working ingredient for among the Sanctuary Runners teams primarily based near trails and mountains.

McSweeney shared: “I feel there was a mutual admiration for what each organizations did … So, we chatted with Alicia [Christofi-Walshe] at She Summits and tried to determine a method to work collectively indirectly. Our group in Bray, [a coastal town south of Dublin,] had been actually eager to have the ability to discover the paths close to them significantly, round Bray Head, so we put collectively an eight-week path working sequence of exploring Bray Head. It introduced an entire new ingredient to the group there, it was a little bit of a problem, attracting individuals who had been extra concerned about working than the stroll and the espresso as properly. It was actually beautiful to see two teams of runners coming collectively and making friendship and connections, as a result of that’s what Sanctuary Runners is all about.”

McSweeney, herself a former worldwide sprinter, who held the Irish 100-meter document for near 10 years, is eager in her function with Sanctuary Runners to increase their providing to many several types of working and journey sports activities.

She mentioned: “We’re retaining our minds open to completely different partnerships, like with She Summits, and with Athletics Eire. We did an exquisite sequence with Swim Eire final 12 months known as Sanctuary Swimmers, all about open water swimming and group integration by that. We did one thing with Mountaineering Eire as properly, a hill-walking day. We’re simply making an attempt to discover all the gorgeous elements of Eire and getting individuals to train in them in no matter means works finest.”

(Athletics Eire and Swim Eire are respectively the governing our bodies for the sports activities, and Mountaineering Eire is a federally funded group supporting mountaineering and mountain climbing.)

Deirdre Balfe is a Dublin-based Sanctuary Runners volunteer, who has been concerned with the Poolbeg, Dublin, department of the group since September 2020. She felt compelled to grow to be concerned following a tragedy in her native space, which highlighted the struggles of many individuals dwelling in direct provision, and the higher want for group integration.

She defined: “I heard about Sanctuary Runners by a pal, after which there was a younger man in a direct provision heart in my hometown who took his personal life. I simply thought, There’s a group the place individuals have made such an effort to return to this nation, and it’s so vital that we make them really feel welcome. For me, it’s a really non-political and non-judgmental means of attending to know individuals.”

The runners Balfe welcomes in her group come from a spread of nations together with Zimbabwe, Algeria, Nigeria, Ukraine, and Botswana — mostly, from Ukraine and elements of Sub-Saharan Africa.

She shared, “I make it some extent to not ask [about people’s backgrounds] because it may be traumatic, however generally they’ll inform you. It actually makes you consider how privileged you might be whenever you hear some individuals’s tales and causes for coming right here.”

The group sees a excessive turnover, as new individuals arrive in search of asylum, and others obtain their work permits and might progress on their journey to full integration — however enduring friendships kind alongside the way in which.

As Balfe mentioned, “When individuals come initially and so they’re not working, they’re actually crying out for an outlet — to get out of the direct provision heart and begin assembly individuals. Then lots of people find yourself working within the caring and repair industries after which they have a tendency to work weekends [when many races and Sanctuary Runners events take place], so you will note a fall off, however individuals keep involved in numerous methods.”

About their weekly actions, Balfe mentioned, “We piggyback off the Parkrun on a Saturday morning in Poolbeg and, additionally, we goal different runs to take part in. Ones we’ve participated in within the final 12 months embrace the Raheny 5 Mile Highway Race, the Remembrance Run, and the Irish Runner 5 Mile.”

Endurance Dube is from Zimbabwe and has been in Eire since March 2023. She heard about Sanctuary Runners and joined quickly after her arrival.

She informed iRunFar, “Throughout that point, I simply wished to get outdoors. I used to be simply in a foul area and wanted one thing to distract my thoughts. It helped me so much — going out and assembly individuals and simply realizing that there have been individuals going by the identical issues as I used to be going by.”

Dube had not been a runner previous to arriving in Eire, however the social outlet of Sanctuary Runners turned a significant lifeline to her, and he or she mentioned: “It was one thing I’d sit up for — I had nothing to do all week, however I’d sit up for Saturdays with Sanctuary Runners.”

Deirdre Balfe (proper) and Endurance Dube (left) representing Sanctuary Runners on the Remembrance Run. Photograph courtesy of Deirdre Balfe.

Dube rapidly made pals by the Saturday outings with Sanctuary Runners, and so they started to prepare their very own meetups for walks and runs through the week, which turned central to her social life, and he or she added: “By Sanctuary Runners I acquired to know one of many women, Yulia [Shebek], who has grow to be my finest pal. We saved in contact, and we all the time have one another’s again.”

Collectively, Dube and Shebek — who arrived in Eire from Ukraine — have achieved various street races within the Dublin space, and in addition taken half in open water swimming, and the 2 now eagerly dive into no matter out of doors journey is on provide.

Additional to the social outlet, the act of working has grow to be a type of remedy for Dube, who mentioned: “Now I run so much. Typically 12, 15, or 18 kilometers, or extra.” She additionally shared that she finds it an important stress reliever now to simply exit the door and run far, and not using a plan or set route. Her objective for 2024 is to construct as much as the marathon distance.

Of the founders and organizers at Sanctuary Runners, she mentioned: “I don’t assume they notice how a lot they’ve achieved for us.”

Yulia Shebek additionally arrived to Eire in March 2023 and — much like her pal, Dube — had not been a runner at house.

She recalled, “My first race was the Poolbeg 5k on June 10, 2023. There have been completely different distances of 1 mile, 5k, 8k, or 16k. I used to be very happy with myself as a result of I’d by no means run earlier than.” Shebek attended the race along with a big contingent of Sanctuary Runners, and cherished the solidarity of the group exercise.

She shared, “I cherished the large assist from the members.  I favored that we had been all carrying the identical t-shirts, with completely different capabilities, however with one objective — to achieve the end line.”

Each very sociable ladies, Dube and Shebek have grow to be “Parkrun vacationers,” and love visiting completely different Parkrun areas the place Sanctuary Runners has a presence and assembly new individuals.

She mentioned, “In every single place we go, we meet very pleasant, type, and honest individuals. My English continues to be weak, however this doesn’t intrude a lot with communication since we’ve a standard curiosity and passion.”

Endurance Dube (left) and Yulia Shebek (proper) of their Sanctuary Runners t-shirts. Photograph courtesy of Yulia Shebek.

On this means, Sanctuary Runners has used the language of working to interrupt down boundaries between individuals, and the advantages are felt all through the communities of asylum seekers arriving in Eire, and by the native Irish communities who’re all of the richer for having them.

Name for Feedback

• Have you ever heard about Sanctuary Runners in Eire?
• Are you aware comparable organizations working in different areas of the world?