Embrace diversity
Have we forgotten our history of immigration?
We Irish are notorious for having emigrated across the world. In fact it seems that almost every other person has a great grandmother who was Irish. We might laugh at this old cliché but perhaps we should give it a little more thought.
Ever since the Famine, Irish people have emigrated in search of a better life, and there are few places that an Irish person has not settled. We were discriminated against and were the so-called ‘blacks of Europe’, we took the jobs that no one else wanted and built much of America and England by slogging on the building sites.
In fact, it is only in the past number of years that it has become trendy to be Irish and it is hard to believe that there were once signs on shop windows that read ‘No Dogs, Blacks or Irish.’ However, since the Celtic Tiger reached our shores the tide has turned and now people immigrate here in search of a better life.
Considering all of these facts, one might assume that given our history we would embrace these people with open arms. But instead it seems that we have forgotten how it feels to be discriminated against in a foreign country. Ireland has a large number of asylum seekers and refugees, but often they live under the threat of being sent back to their home country.
Many of these people have spent years in this country, have borne Irish children and have integrated into the community. But despite these factors they are cruelly wrenched from their homes and returned to a place where they may face persecution. So much for "Cead mile failte"!
One of the major reasons that others dislike refugees is due to the fact that the government pays out millions in benefits to them, while they have to work hard to support their families. Perhaps if the government would allow refugees to work and support themselves, people might be more supporting of them?
We are living in an era that must embrace all nationalities, not send them away. Where would we be as a nation if our ancestors had not sent money home from other countries? It was this money that helped build our country into what it is.
Perhaps we should think about all the Irish who emigrated around the world before we turn other nationalities away. Our economy could change and we may have to depend on these people in the future. After all, kindness starts at home.
By: Marie Duffy
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