Warnings against linking the issue of racism solely with refugees were given in a question-and-answer session at the end of the colloquium. Ms Marian Tannam, of Harmony, said racism needs to be examined "in its wider context", incorporating Ireland's treatment of Jews, travellers and other minorities both in the present and past.
She said we should not get the impression that racism emerged in Irish society only with the arrival of refugees and asylum-seekers.
Ms Iseult O'Malley agreed that discrimination against indigenous minorities tends to be overlooked in the debate about racism. She said the plight of groups such as the travelling community may, to some extent, have been "eclipsed by the more fashionable issue of refugees".
Ms Aine Ni Chonaill, of the newly-formed organisation, Immigration Control Platform, said Ireland should not make the same mistakes as the US, Australia and France, which, she said, have major problems with minorities.
Picking up on a phrase used by one of the speakers, she said we should be very careful "not to impale ourselves on the rhetoric of our best intentions".
She warned that Ireland's tradition of welcoming foreigners will be replaced by one of hostility if the issue of immigration is not tackled seriously.
She said the "most dangerous" remark of the evening was Ms O'Malley's call for an Immigration Act.
Mr Nigel O'Connor, the Northern Ireland convenor of the Union of Students of Ireland, expressed concern at provisions within the Northern Ireland Agreement which stipulate that all discrimination issues will be dealt with by a single body.
