Tánaise Leo Varadkar has confirmed that he and his partner Matt Barrett have registered with the Irish Red Cross to accommodate Ukrainian refugees in their spare room.
Speaking on Saturday after meeting with refugees at Dublin Airport, Varadkar said the "biggest challenge" facing the Irish State is providing sufficient accommodation for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
"Accommodation is going to be the biggest challenge, that is fair to say," Varadkar told reporters at Dublin Airport on Saturday.
"At the moment we are relying very much on hotels and B&B accommodation around the country, but if we are at 10,000 now, we are likely to be at 20,000 by the end of the month. This is more likely to continue than slow down."
Varadkar said the Irish Government is in talks with the army about using Gomanstown Camp to provide emergency accommodation for refugees.
The Tánaiste added that his partner registered their house with the Irish Red Cross, offering their spare bedroom for at least six months.
"We got the acknowledgment, and what they are prioritizing now is people who can provide a vacant property, own-door accommodation. That is going to be the priority for the Red Cross and the Refugee Council," Varadkar said.
"What they will do then is move onto people who can provide a room and are linked to public transport. We are in Category 2 in that regard."
He said 20,000 people have registered their properties with the Irish Red Cross and urged them to be patient while the charity organization moves through the list.
More than 9,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland since the outbreak of the conflict, according to the latest Department of Justice figures.
Minister of State Anne Rabbitte said earlier in March that Ireland may take in more than 100,000 refugees over the course of the conflict.
Varadkar visited the reception center for Ukrainian refugees at Dublin Airport after returning from a 10-day visit to Chile and Colombia as part of his St. Patrick's Day visits.
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