It could take over 18 months to process asylum applications for eight people found in a shipping container at Rosslare Port yesterday.

The three adults and five children were discovered after a ship from Cherbourg docked at the port yesterday.

They group was provided with medical attention yesterday.

They are believed to be Kurdish refugees and have been brought to Dublin to have their asylum applications processed.

Catherine Cosgrave, Senior Solicitor with the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) said many refugees are still trying to escape France to other areas:

“It doesn’t surprise me to hear,” she said. “I mean obviously nobody ever wants to hear that people arrive in these circumstances.”

“There are several camps in the north of France and there continue to be people in the Calais region notwithstanding the fact that the camp known as ‘The Jungle’ there was dismantled last year.”

“There are hundreds of people still in the north of France in informal settlements; in forests and whatnot.”

She said the asylum process is extremely strict and well defended against any potential security threat:

“Every claim is very thoroughly assessed,” she said. “The system here; the fact that they are fingerprinted and whatnot; there are in-built checks and balances within the system.”

“It is certainly not an easy process to go through if you come out the other side with a successful determination.”

Earlier this year, authorities discovered 14 people hiding in the back of a refrigerated truck at the Wexford port.