February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The trio had to fly back to New Jersey after being turned away at Dublin Airport.
It is understood immigration control was unhappy the trio did not have bank statements to prove they could afford to travel, did not have return tickets, and did not have an accommodation address.
But the three lifelong friends, from Plano in Texas, have since waged a successful media campaign about their plight, arguing that Ireland was to be the first stop on a year-long trip but they never got the chance to prove it.
The story of the entry refusal broke in Dallas area media outlets including an ABC Television affiliate and the Dallas morning News and was subsequently picked up in Ireland.
And following an apology from an Irish government official based in New York, a Dublin hotel chain offered to pay for the threesome’s flights as well as hotel rooms, food and drinks for a week.
Colin Zwirko, 21, said the three had been delighted by the offer.
“We’re just waiting for confirmation that we’re not black-listed from entering the country as our passports were marked, and then hopefully we can get going.”
Zwirko, along with 19-year-old Gavin Sides and 21-year-old Ben Whitehurst, gave up his job to go traveling. The trio had planned to spend up to a couple of weeks backpacking around Ireland. But their plans were stynied when they were refused entry.
Zwirko said he offered to prove he had significant funds by accessing his bank account online, but the trio were told to pony up the cash for a flight immediately leaving for New York.
“We paid a lot of money, which kind of contradicts the reason we were being told to leave,” he said.
The trio, dubbed variously the “Plano 3” and “Dallas 3” became overnight stars in Ireland and are now going to be treated as such as they embark on their holiday.
They are being hosted by the D4 Hotel group at one of its three upmarket hotels in the Ballsbridge area of Dublin and being given spending money to boot.
“I heard the story, and considering the economic position we’re in at the moment, the thinking that I had is what the perception in America might be in relation to these three young lads being sent back from Dublin airport, which seems to be a misunderstanding, that it might be a negative one,” said the hotel chains marketing manager, Anthony Kelly.