The debate about racism in Ireland has gained considerable momentum since asylum-seekers began arriving in increasing numbers.
However, this cannot be blamed for the emergence of racism in the State. One only has to look at the racial discrimination experienced by Travellers to see this is not the case, according to Mr Philip Watt of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI).
"There were reports of racism against Travellers and black Irish long before refugees and asylum-seekers arrived. Racism is not just a product of immigration which is how it tends to be perceived," he said.
Mr Peter O'Mahony of the Irish Refugee Council said racist incidents have increased steadily in Ireland in recent years. People of different ethnic origins who have lived here happily for decades have witnessed "a huge change", he said.
The change is reflected in the current Lonely Planet guide for Ireland, which for the first time under the heading of dangers and annoyances in Dublin, warns visitors of potential racist attacks.
In June the NCCRI set up a monitoring system for recording racist incidents. Already 34 have been reported, six of them involving physical violence. They happened throughout the State, Mr Watt confirmed.
The Garda is also to record racially motivated crime following the adoption last month of a formula for classifying such incidents. The definition it will use to decide if a crime is racially motivated was drawn up the Garda Racial and Intercultural Office, established last year. However, the fact that there have been no successful prosecutions for racially motivated attacks under the incitement to hatred legislation is causing concern.
Since the legislation was enacted over 10 years ago only two prosecutions have been brought - one against a Dublin bus driver last year after he told a Gambian man to go back to his own country and referred to him as a "nig-nog", and another taken against a local councillor in Mayo following remarks he made about Travellers at a health-board meeting.
The bus driver, Mr Gerry O'Grady was convicted in the District Court under the Prohibition on Incitement to Hatred Act (1989) but the conviction was overturned on appeal to the Circuit Court. The case against Mr John Flannery was dismissed in the District Court.
A review of the Act was promised a year ago by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue. The review is continuing, a spokeswoman confirmed.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has expressed concern about the length of time the review is taking.
"While the Department has indicated that a review is taking place it is not at all clear to those of us who work in this sector how active that review is. Certainly there has been no consultation that I'm aware of with NGOs to ascertain our views on this matter of central concern," its director, Mr Donncha O'Connell, said.
The Minister has also promised a £4.5 million public awareness campaign on racism but this too has come in for criticism because of the length of time it is taking to get it started. Devised by the NCCRI and announced last September, it still has not started. However, it is due to be launched next month.
Interested groups believe it should have been implemented earlier to counteract a campaign by the Immigration Control Platform led by Ms Aine Ni Chonaill, which wants tighter asylum laws and has complained that democracy is being "subverted" by the spending of Government funds on anti-racism activities.
Dr Ronit Lentin, co-ordinator of Ethnic and Racial Studies at Trinity College, Dublin, blames the Government for fuelling racism. Comments by politicians about "bogus refugees" filtered down and made people feel they had permission to use similar terms, she said.
She added that the decision by the Justice Minister to sign an agreement with Nigeria earlier this month, aimed at speeding up the deportation of failed asylum-seekers, sent out a similar message.
The Minister said he believed legislation and structures had been evolved over the last four years to meet the challenge of racism head on.
Tomorrow: Miriam Donohoe on racism in China