Sir, - The ever-increasing numbers of refugees arriving in this country, and the difficulties their arrival creates for those charged with their welfare while decisions are made on their status, have provoked strong reactions. A first selfish thought, made possible by what someone has called "the tendency of the preoccupied middle-aged heart to shield itself against emotion", is that the benefits of the so-called Celtic Tiger have been earned by, and should be reserved for, the people who worked through the dark times to bring the country to its present state of prosperity, and that the participation of others in this prosperity must be rigorously controlled.
The potential problems which such an attitude might create for our economy are not for me to develop, though a moment's reflection must lead to the realisation that our future prosperity largely depends on the provision of a skilled workforce in numbers such as this country alone cannot yield. Rather, the social and humanitarian aspects of the issue deserve equal if not more attention. The command to "love your neighbour as yourself and not to "wrong a stranger or oppress him" are not simply a part of the Christian inheritance (the discarding of which seems to be seen by so many as a sign of our national maturity). Rather, they are fundamental requirements of what it means to be a human society - a recognition that long antedates Christianity.
The increasing renewal and diversification of society through the incorporation of people with different beliefs and traditions is not simply desirable in humanitarian terms; it is essential in order to avoid destructive stagnation in social and political terms. There is no hope of this country ridding itself of the ideological straitjacket which bedevils its political development North and South until its history and traditions are enriched by contributions such as those to be made by refugees.
The varieties of Irishness which in fact at present exist in this country will achieve recognition only under the impact of a much wider set of cultural traditions. It is the welcome that we give to refugees and the generosity of the provision that we make for them that will be the real sign of our national maturity. - Yours, etc., A. D. H. Mayes,
Shielmartin Park, Sutton, Dublin 13.