The rugby coach of a South African teenager who was deported over the weekend has said his departure has had a “devastating” impact on him, his family and his teammates.
Titilayo Oluwakemi Oyekanmi and her three sons, Samuel, Joseph and Genesis, moved to Ireland in October 2023 and lodged a claim for asylum, claiming they had been attacked in South Africa.
The family quickly settled into life in South Dublin, where Samuel and Joseph excelled academically and in sport.
However, the State rejected their application for asylum and issued the family with deportation notices.
Over the weekend, they were taken to Dublin Airport and escorted onto a flight back to South Africa.
On Lunchtime Live, Sam’s rugby coach, Finbarr O’Brien, said the community hoped until the last moment he would at least be able to stay to complete his Leaving Cert.
“We were going to put in, go to the Garda National Immigration Bureau and ask them, ‘Would they, on compassion grounds, allow Sam to finish his Leaving Cert?’ - and not see Joseph to go along and finish out his academic year in school,” he recalled.
However, on Saturday afternoon, they realised this would not be possible.
“Titi and Joseph were staying over with friends because Joseph had a match on Saturday morning and Sam was in the IPAS Centre out on Navan Road by himself,” Mr O’Brien added.
“The Guards arrived, he was arrested, we contacted Titi.
“Then they went back to the IPAS Centre because, obviously, Sam was in trouble.
“And then they were all just unloaded onto a bus and taken to Dublin Airport.”
The Oyekanmi family. Image supplied.63 people were on the deportation flight from Ireland to South Africa, of whom nine were children.
It arrived in Johannesburg on Sunday morning.
“I had messages from Sam, he just didn't know what was happening, didn't know who was on it,” Mr O’Brien continued.
“He knew there was sort of prisoners, families, individuals on the flight with them.
“And, obviously, they were being escorted by the Gardaí as well.
“So, just a very frightening time for the family.”
As late as Friday, Mr O’Brien felt there was “some glimmer of hope” Sam could stay on to complete his Leaving Cert.
“At the end of the day, at the end of this, there's children involved,” he said.
“They're being taken away, put in a bus, not being told what's happening and just being told they're being deported back to South Africa.”
A further deportation flight left Dublin yesterday and landed safely this morning in Johannesburg, South Africa. There were 63 people on board who had received but not complied with Deportation Orders.
— Jim O'Callaghan TD (@OCallaghanJim) March 1, 2026
Mr O’Brien added that they are “fully integrated into the community”.
“From the family's point of view, it's devastating,” he said.
“But it's also devastating for their teammates, their school friends, their friends in the church, just members of the community in general - and I've met a number of them over the last few days.
“Sam is one I know best; I've coached him for the last two and a half years, he's a very, very good student, would expect to do very well in his Leaving Cert in June.
“Now there's no chance of that happening, I don't think there is any way that he can sit it from South Africa.
“Obviously, from Joseph's point of view, he's just in the middle of an academic year. Like, it is very tough.”
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he ordered the deportation in order to “ensure that there is public confidence in the application of our laws in this area”.
“If a person does not have a legal permission to be in the State, or has been involved in criminality, they will be removed,” he said.
Main image: Samuel Oyekanmi.
