Residents of another accommodation centre for asylum seekers have begun refusing food.

The protest at the Montague Hotel in Emo in Co Laois is the third to hit direct provision centres in recent weeks.

It is housing up to 160 residents, 60 of whom are children.

Asylum applications this year are said to have increased by 40%, with 24 direct provision centres across the country.

Local parish priest Monsignor John Byrne says the protest escalated this morning, when it is believed management were stopped from entering the premises.

Msgr Byrne is expressing concern for the welfare of the children in the system.

And speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, he compared the impact of direct provision to past controversies in Irish society.

According to human rights group Doras Lumni, the average length of time individuals spend in direct provision is four years - with 25% of asylum seekers spending over six years in limbo.