Immigration to Ireland - policies, challenges, and solutions *Read OP before posting*

Moving from place to place in any sort of numbers throughout history was in most cases down to invasion and/or colonisation and indeed they had more "personal freedoms" to do so. Border checks and the like are a relatively recent thing.

We already have restrictions on movements across the world. There's a reason passports and visas exist. Even nations like the US, Australia and other European colonies founded upon and in need of mass migration introduced restrictions as they went on. There's a reason places like Ellis Island existed. Again these were colonies founded upon and in need of mass migration. So nothing like Ireland, or Europe for that matter so that easy argument has little actual value in reality.

Even those ex colonies started to tighten up entry when inward migration(more, a mass movement of bodies) wasn't nearly as required. Their entry requirements are a lot more stringent these days.

As for restrictions, the narrative of one side runs with "we have few", the other runs to "severe". The reality is, or rather should be, adequate restrictions, and it seems Ireland at this moment is more on the "few" than the "severe". It can apparently be somewhat arbitrary too. EG with the Syrian war which led to the biggest mass movement into Europe in a century, we accepted around 3000 Syrian refugees, all "vetted". The Ukraine war with similar casualties, even similar actors involved, we opened the gates with zero restrictions beyond prove you're Ukrainian and took in over 70,000 in a much shorter timeframe.

As for "doomed to failure", I would contend that modern multiculturalism, while not a complete failure, is far closer to that than the success it's been constantly claimed and painted as, not least for those people who look least like, or culturally act least like the 'locals'. It's become an Accepted Truth(tm) that doesn't take much prodding to see the giant holes in that truth. One indicator is no nation, regardless of local history and politics has made it work particularly well. As an example name one European(or European ex colony) nation where Black and Brown folks are less likely to be overrepresented in poverty, crime, social support stats and over generations too. I'll save some time; there isn't one. Ireland, barely a generation into 'multiculturalism' is already reflecting this all too consistent trend and that won't change. Our future extra social issues around multiculturalism will the same as France's, Britain's, Holland's, Germany's etc etc, only the subtle local flavours will differ.

Personally and imho the horse has long bolted(and the gate's still open) for Ireland to not follow all the others down the same path, so even debating it is moot. The jus soli law loophole opened that gate and even after that was closed by one of the biggest voter majorities of any referendum, successive governments have continually opened the gate more, with no actual alternatives in potential governments to vote for to close, or even restrict movement through it. They're all a Hobson's choice(contrary to the pearl clutchers screaming about the far right boogyman nobody with a functioning braincell is voting for loony rightwingers) as they're ALL singing from the same hymn sheet.