How do the people of Longford feel about this week's controversy overnon-nationals in their town? Nuala Haughey, Social and Racial Affairs Correspondent reports.
Judith and Edith bound in to the African Women's Group meeting in Longford town in good spirits. Then the two Nigerians are shown a story in this week's Longford Leader and, reading it, their facial expressions range from hurt and disbelief to anger.
The inside page report opens with the words: "Coloured people may soon be banned from shopping centres in the region - if the spate of shop lifting incidents does not stop - that's according to Judge John Neilan who made the comments at a recent sitting of Longford District Court when two refugees appeared before him on charges of theft." Judith is instantly stung by the ramifications of such a report, predicting that it will make things worse for her and other immigrants in Longford. Already some of the town's elected representatives have said it's time to call halt on migration to the town.
"I feel real bad about this," she says. "Once you go into a shop it's like having a personal security guard. He follows you everywhere until you leave. It's so embarrassing."
Gradually 10 other women, mostly Nigerians, drift into the meeting in a classroom in a local school. "This will trigger reactions from people," says one woman of the newspaper report. "You will walk on the street and people will abuse you."
Edith, who is alone in the group in saying she does not notice being trailed by security guards in shops, is worried about the impact of such reports on potential employers.
"That's my fear. I don't care about the hundreds [of security guards] following me up and down, but I worry about getting a job," she says to merry chuckles from the rest of the group at the thought of her in Pied Piper mode with a trail of security guards behind her.
When the women get going, they form a lively, intelligent, good-humoured and articulate chorus. They talk over each other, railing against the daily prejudices they face, accusing politicians of provoking antipathy towards them and bemoaning the fact that they are not allowed to work legally and that their third-level qualifications, in law, marketing and linguistics, are not recognised.
The women appreciate that they have been afforded an opportunity for a better life, but say they feel frustrated with the enforced dependency on State provision, which in turn feeds into public resentment towards them.
Before arriving for the Thursday afternoon group meeting, the women had not heard of the controversy about Judge Neilan's comments which was raging on national radio and was the talk of much of the town.
The judge, known locally for his outbursts from the bench about social problems, apologised unreservedly late on Thursday if his remarks about "coloured people" had caused offence.
But this particular story does not end there, for Longford is clearly not a town at ease with its new-found and unplanned ethnic diversity, and the judge's comments have undoubtedly struck a chord with some.
In Longford's main shopping centre, some local women voice minor gripes about African immigrants, reflecting a cultural chasm between the two communities who come together in such public places, but appear to interact little beyond that.
The comments range from annoyance that "the darkies" bump into people with their babies' buggies, queue-jump in shops or breastfeed in inappropriate public places, to resentment that immigrants are living in brand new houses courtesy of the State, with grants to buy the best of prams. And they just don't seem very grateful.
The local health board felt obliged to release a statement recently on the exact welfare entitlements of immigrants, partly an effort to put an end to the prevailing myths that they receive State money for cars, and even hair-dos.
But for every negative comment from the majority community in Longford, a positive remark can also be found, sometimes even from the same lips. One shopkeeper who refers to her African customers as rude and obnoxious people, also repeats several times how her friend who works in the Coombe hospital in Dublin told her: "They are aggressive because of the attitudes we have to them".
"Maybe older people might see it as a bit of a threat but not younger people," says Sabrina (21), shopping in the local branch of Tesco where the immigrant women who appeared before Judge Neilan were accused of shoplifting.
"The odd time I've seen them in a pub with white people but it's very, very rare. Even walking down the street, you'd never see both socialising together."
In his new solicitor's practice offices on Main Street, the county's Fine Gael mayor, Alan Mitchell, says he speaks for Longford people when he says the authorities should call a halt to non-nationals moving to the area.
"The problem is really that \ Longford has a population of 31,000 with a large number of non-nationals now coming here with no end in sight. There's no control at present to say that 'Longford, you have taken your fair share'," he says.
Many of Longford's non-nationals are, like those in the African Women's Group, seeking residency status in Ireland as parents of Irish-born children, or have already been granted it. Many were attracted to the midlands town by an abundance of good quality, reasonably priced rental accommodation, much of it owned by investors availing of tax incentives brought in as part of a recent Rural Renewal Tax Incentive Scheme.
The pattern of chain immigration to Longford in the past two years appears to be a reaction to these housing opportunities, with Nigerians and Romanians among the two largest nationalities. Asylum applicants, refugees and applicants for residency now account for almost 10 per cent of residents of the town and its hinterland, which has a total population of about 8,000.
One particular estate in the Palace Downs housing area has been dubbed Harlem after New York's well-known black urban area due to the high concentration of African families living there. The Midlands Health Board says there are some 700 immigrants receiving welfare benefits in the county, most resident in Longford town. This figure is a dramatic increase from January 2002 when board figures show there were 225 asylum-seekers, refugees and residency applicants in the county.
Mitchell says the number of largely welfare-dependent immigrants is causing integration difficulties, putting a strain on services and leading to frustration among people. "There's an impatience coming over the issue which I would be concerned in time could have a backlash."
It's a problem, says Mitchell, and he makes no apology for speaking out about it, even though raising the issue means he leaves himself open to accusations of being racist.
"Let someone tell me that it's not a problem. I am a public representative. I have to reflect the views and opinions of Longford people and I am reflecting the problem. I'm trying to be a responsible public representative in not inciting racism or hatred which I would not condone."
The solution Mitchell offers to "the problem" is to speed up the processing of asylum and residency applications and introduce measures to stop such people moving "willy-nilly around the country".
An immigrant support group set up two years ago has, its chairman admits, run out of steam. Methodist minister the Rev Andrew Dougherty says they are trying to restart it, but he sounds less than wholeheartedly optimistic about the prospect.
"The situation is getting worse and worse and the ignorance is increasing and it's worrying for the future," he says. "We're trying to do a little bit but it's a small group and we are hoping that we will influence the wider community."
Back at the African Women's Group, the discussion is winding up. Responding to the mayor's argument that the town has too many immigrants, Edith points out that their talents are not being put to use because they are not permitted to work while their applications for residency or other statusare pending.
"Instead of complaining about numbers, why don't you put the talents to use?" she asks. Funke pitches in: "If you have a baby and you keep breast feeding it for 10 years, it means the baby is retarded."
The women burst out laughing as more baby metaphors follow. Then they leave the classroom and head for their homes, some pushing their babies in buggies.