Ireland and Immigration

I can't believe it has already been a week since we left Ireland! I felt like it was yesterday---I was so sad to return to the States! For my project, I decided to focus on immigration. During my time in Ireland, I befriended both native Irish as well as immigrants to Ireland. In speaking to both groups of people, I found that the subject of immigration was an important and highly contentious issue. Traditionally, Ireland has been a land of emigrants, in which the country's citizens have left the land for a chance of a better life. This issue was most apparent during the Great Potato Famine, which touched off mass emigration from Ireland. The Famine began in 1845 and lasted nearly 5 years. It eliminated the sole subsistence of millions of Irish, forcing many peasants to starve or emigrate to other countries. Overall, almost 3.5 million Irishmen entered the U.S. between 1820 and 1880; nearly half the Irish population at that time. However, in the last several decades, Ireland has become a country of immigration. As Ireland has grown economically (specifically with the "Celtic Tiger, " 1995-2007), Ireland has become a land of opportunity for those living in poorer countries. This huge contrast has created many cultural and political rifts in Ireland.
Overall, Ireland has a much smaller immigrant population than other countries in the UK. Although the number of immigrants in Ireland is comparably small to other European countries, the issue of immigration is emphasized due to Ireland's small size, as well as their unique history and strong traditions. Ireland has historically been a homogenous population; solely white and Irish. Further, Ireland has unique traditions include the Irish language Gaelic and step dance. Some feel that these unique traditions could be threatened by the increasing influx of immigrant populations, who bring different traditions and languages to Ireland.
Speaking with native Irish gave me an idea of the resistance and hostility some Irish feel concerning the immigrant population. Of the many people I spoke with, these are a select few. I spoke with a student from UCD named Thomas O'Mally, who seemed incredibly resistant to the influx of Irish immigrants. His father had recently lost work as a furniture maker, and he felt that the immigrant workforce had prevented his father from finding another job. On the other hand, many immigrants felt positively about coming to Ireland. I met PJ, a jewelry maker from Argentina, in the Galway street market. He said that life was far better in Ireland than in Argentina . Although he held one of the most lowly jobs in Irish society, PJ felt he lived a more comfortable life in Ireland and was able to better support his family. I also spoke with Babu, who was a service worker at the Jury's Inn at Croak Park, where my mom and I stayed for a night. Babu was from India, and was studying at Trinity. He was only allotted a visa to study in Ireland, instead of citizenship. However, Babu was working to obtain citizenship from the Irish government, and said he wanted to bring his family over from India.
Overall, I felt the contentious issue of immigration in Ireland mirrored that in America. In America, the immigration controversy is more concrete, as Arizona just passed immigration laws essentially based on one's appearance. This law is considered by many, including myself, to be incredibly discriminatory and an unreliable form of keeping immigrants out. During my presentation, we spoke about the Economist's take on immigration in America, in which America would let all immigrants in. However, there seems to be no way that this concept will be acceptable in the near future in either Ireland or America, as there is so much resistance to the immigrant population. Finally, American issues with immigration seem to be heavily divided on party lines; the Democrats generally want to loosen or uphold current immigration regulation, while the Republicans want to tighten immigration laws. However, immigration does not seem to be divided along party lines in Ireland. Rather, the issue is divided between native Irish and the immigrant population. The native Irish resistance to immigrants seems fairly widespread and pervasive in the country. Overall, I learned so much in Ireland. I miss it already!