Sir, - As an Irish expatriate, it is both amusing and saddening to read about the Mississippi-1950s-style reaction to asylum-seekers in Ireland. Perhaps the next Neil Jordan film could be called "Tramore Burning - a portrait of the civil rights struggle in the Celtic Tiger".
I'm not against some restrictions, but the tone of the debate is what concerns me. Just what is it that we are trying to protect? Economically, the country is dependent largely on exports and foreign investment. Socially, we are a laggard, and rely on Eurolegislators and intellectual innovations overseas to teach us how modern societies should develop. Even culturally, many of our greatest were driven from Ireland by the small-mindedness of the people. If ever a country was in dire need of immigration to energize the culture and gene pool, it is this one!
Let's not forget that for centuries Ireland exported our "worst and dumbest", as well as our "best and brightest" to other nations. Even people who belonged in prisons or mental asylums ended up on the streets of New York or London (no visa required, even as IRA bombs exploded nearby).
Apparently intoxicated by a few years of decent living standards, Ireland should not forget that first-world economies have first-world responsibilities. We excel at taking whatever we can from the global community, but we can't play the victim forever. It's time to give something back. - Yours, etc.,
Kerry O'Shea, Tokyo 157, Japan.