Sir, – I can never “unsee” that little boy’s lifeless body. We have room for refugees. We have room. – Yours, etc,
CAROLINE CONNOLLY,
Dundalk,
Co Louth.
Sir, – The image of the little Syrian toddler washed up on a Turkish beach is the most profound image I have ever seen. His parents dressed him before their voyage, put on his little T-shirt, shorts and shoes, they told him that they were going to a better place, to Europe or beyond and that everything was going to be okay. Like all parents they had hopes and dreams for their little boy, dreams that ended in the Aegean Sea.
What happened is so sad, it is beyond words.
To fix the problem that causes families to risk the lives of their children by taking to the seas will take time, time which these families do not have. We as Europeans have the resources and the wherewithal to help these people today. All that is lacking is the political leadership. Every country in Europe must take these people in and European leaders need to step up now to make this happen. – Yours, etc,
ANDREW WHELAN,
Foxrock,
Dublin 18.
Sir, – I trust that the photo of that helpless and drowned boy washed up on a Turkish beach will persuade our Government to take in many more of these desperate refugees than it currently plans to do. If it does not, then what does it say about this Government? And what will future generations say about the people of today who failed to respond when they could have? – Yours, etc,
IVOR SHORTS,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Ireland has taken fewer refugees than any other country in the EU. Many people are understandably concerned about the impact of a refugee influx on Irish workers.
But past experience shows that immigration, even by refugees, can be an economic win/win that benefits native workers as well. A study of Denmark’s experience with refugees fleeing the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s has shown that, far from “stealing” native jobs, low-skilled refugees created jobs and pushed up native workers’ wages by allowing for greater specialisation in the economy. Similar studies, such as of Cuban refugees to the United States, have found no harm to native workers.
Working with the rest of Europe to take a greater number of refugees need not be costly to ourselves. Unlikely as it may seem, they may prove to be an economic blessing in disguise. – Yours, etc,
SAM BOWMAN,
Deputy Director,
Adam Smith Institute,
London.
Sir, – In 1956 an impoverished and deeply conservative Irish state provided refuge for 541 Hungarian refugees following the uprising in that country.
They were housed in camps at Knocknalisheen just outside Limerick city.
It would appear that in 1956 our hearts were bigger then than our capacity to deal with the problem as most of the refugees, having experienced the poverty here, eventually emigrated to Canada.
Notwithstanding the scale of the present refugee crisis and the inadequacy of the responses of many countries, including those outside the EU, surely the Irish capacity and infrastructural systems are vastly better able to handle the situation today.
To talk of taking 600 refugees in 2015 compared to 541 in 1956 is not saying much for our development as a country and as a people over the last 60 years. – Yours, etc,
PETER McNAMARA,
Limerick.
Sir, – While the Naval Service can be justly proud of its humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean, we seem to be unable to follow through on the consequences of its action. Until the EU can decide on an agreed allocation of refugees to each member state, it would seem reasonable that Ireland should agree to accept a number of refugees equivalent to the number of those who have been rescued by the Naval Service. To offer less than that would seem to be dishonest and somewhat hypocritical. – Yours, etc,
LOUIS O’FLAHERTY,
Santry,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – What we are witnessing in Europe is suffering on a massive scale, suffering that happens in many parts of the world every day. However, now the conflict in Syria has reached our shores, we are compelled to confront it.
We in Ireland have the space in our country to welcome refugees – we need to find that space in our hearts as well. We need courage and imagination to leave fear behind and embrace the uncertain. The daily stories and growing statistics are insistently and urgently demanding a response. History has shown that acceptance of refugees has never been a burden in places where they have been welcomed, but rather a very positive asset. Let us believe the evidence of the past and act now to stand with Germany as defenders of true humanitarianism in Europe. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOAN GILLER,
Schull,
Co Cork.
Sir, – Having supported Nato intervention in Iraq and Libya and having supplied arms and support to the “opposition ” in Syria, the citizens of the EU seem surprised at the outcome – carnage, destabilisation, social fragmentation and growing despair and resentment on the part of the citizens of those aforementioned countries. It is with a sense of shame, not pride, that we should welcome these victims of EU political folly. – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Dublin 24.
Sir, – The exodus of refugees fleeing cruelty and death in their home countries deserves a more humane, compassionate response than we have seen to date.
The toddler in the red T-shirt is a cry to all of us to listen to our individual and collective consciences. As individuals, we are not powerless. Two suggestions from readers on this page (September 3rd) are worthy of action. Kevin McEvoy suggests that each parish in Ireland could adopt an individual family, and Brendan Butler points out there are many ready to volunteer to help support these refugees in local communities. It would be heartening if our own pastors took a leadership role in this challenge to our values and humanity. – Yours, etc,
GINA MENZIES,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – If we can find it in ourselves to co-ordinate a humane and concerted European response to the humanitarian crisis now on our continent, we will, I believe, create a real opportunity to open up a new, more fearless and far more enlightened front in the fight against terrorism. With compassion shown to our neighbour we can prove, perhaps once again and for all, that the basic democratic principles of our avowed humanism are, in fact, truly worth risking life for. – Yours, etc,
COLM O’ROURKE,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.
A chara, – Seeing the harrowing images of the toddler washed up on a Turkish beach is upsetting on many levels.
It is time for Ireland to take its place in the world as a country where we value decency, honour, empathy, charity and compassion for our fellow human beings. We spend millions lobbying foreign authorities to manage our emigrants and we celebrate our diaspora, yet we in the old country will not replicate the same welcome we demand from others. – Is mise,
COMAN FLANAGAN,
Cavan.
Sir, – In the not-too-distant past in Ireland, we derided “Frankfurt’s Way” and caricatured Angela Merkel as a Teutonic bully. The refugees from Syria fleeing Isis who are being shown a warm welcome at Munich’s train station might well beg to differ. – Yours, etc,
JOHN RYAN,
Dublin 9.
A chara, – Anyone who is watching the news or reading a newspaper knows that these people are risking life and limb not for a few euro of social welfare, but to be given the chance to live. Are we going to sit idly by while tens of thousands sit at ports, railway stations and makeshift camps? – Is mise,
ELIZABETH WHELAN,
Aughavas,
Co Leitrim.
Sir, – In so many ways Ireland is a great example to the world but in our response to the current refugee catastrophe our response has been disgraceful. If we compare our response to that of Jordan, or Kenya, or any of the many countries with massive refugee camps, all of whom are desperately poor compared with ourselves and the rest of Europe, perhaps we can get things in perspective. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK DAVEY,
Shankill,
Dublin 18.