Sir, – Fintan O’Toole says “just over 16 per cent of the town’s population identified as ‘non-Irish national’ in the 2016 Census” (“It is absurd to claim ‘Roscrea is full’. The town’s real problem is depopulation”, Opinion & Analysis, January 23rd).
There were almost 632,000 non-Irish citizens living in Ireland, according to Census 2022, which was 12 per cent of the population.
Roscrea may not be full but it is doing more than most in providing accommodation for “non-Irish nationals”. – Is mise,
TOM McELLIGOTT,
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Listowel,
Co Kerry.
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole writes eloquently about immigrants and Roscrea. He says the town is not full, and names various premises in Roscrea which have been empty for years.
Why then did the Government make an offer too good to refuse to the owners of the only functioning hotel in Roscrea, which provided employment for locals, and a facility for local social functions, when these other premises were available?
Indeed, a disused hotel is right in the centre of town. Perfect for asylum seekers and refugees with no transport.
Now the hotel is gone, the jobs are gone, the facility for local social functions is gone. An important local facility is lost.
Many people aren’t against immigrants, but when a town takes such a body blow by losing its only functioning hotel, when alternatives were available, that is bound to anger local people.
As things stand, GP surgeries, schools and health facilities are also under-sized, even for the existing population, due to lack of planning and lack of investment by Government.
Additional pressure on these facilities from a further growth in population, without investment in expansion of the facilities to cope with that increase, adds to resentment.
Ireland may have a population density far less than some other European countries, but from the point of view of provision of sufficient facilities for a local population, it is not well served. The health system, for instance, is well under capacity. Waiting lists of years, in some cases. Many schools don’t have any capacity for expansion and no plans by the Department of Education to support expansion either.
Housing has become very expensive, with a severe shortage which is causing severe stress among those who either cannot find any accommodation, or are paying through the nose for it, if they have found some.
People are getting angrier with the lack of recognition of these problems by Government and real action to tackle same. People make do, but why should they, when Government boasts about the massive amount of excess taxes it has taken in?
The protesters outside Racket Hall in Roscrea have never said they are against immigration.
But after years of neglect and underinvestment by Government and now the closing of their only hotel, is it any wonder that the people of Roscrea, and people everywhere, are getting tired of Government excuses for not expanding necessary public facilities, while at the same time sneakily making plans to further increase the population with more people who will also have to rely on the same already under-stress public health and education facilities.
People’s anger isn’t really at immigrants, but at the politicians who have failed to manage this country well and have not invested sufficiently in the things which matter to people.
We have a housing crisis, an underperforming health system under severe pressure, many schools don’t have enough capacity or teachers and many of our young well-educated people are leaving the country because they don’t see a future for themselves here. They can’t see themselves ever owning a home in Ireland.
We have more than 13,000 people who are homeless.
These are problems caused by the Government’s lack of planning and failure to invest in society.
If our Government solved these basic societal problems, which affect less well-off citizens particularly, perhaps the protests we are seeing against the imposition of bigger populations on towns already under stress wouldn’t be happening.
It’s true, as Fintan O’Toole writes, that Ireland is not full, but only if talking in terms of simple population density, but in terms of the facilities needed to cope with additional population, Ireland is already full to the rafters and overflowing.
The Government needs to invest wisely in the expansion of these facilities, and solve the housing problem, or it enables the troublemakers. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.
A chara, – I wonder if Fintan O’Toole chooses to deliberately miss the point, when castigating the sign that reads “Roscrea is full”? The country is full of vacant, derelict buildings, and in the very recent past it must be remembered that a great percentage of “vacant” properties were deemed uninhabitable, when offered specifically to house Ukrainians fleeing war. Perhaps Fintan O’Toole could suggest filling any “vacant” space in Roscrea with doctors, dentists, extra services, hubs, a cafe or two. Not unlike those in charge of immigration issues, your columnist doesn’t appear to have actually listened to what the concerned people, including immigrants, of Roscrea have been saying. – Is mise,
PETER DECLAN O’HALLORAN,
Belturbet,
Co Cavan.