Time for a zero refugee policy? - *Read OP for mod warnings and threadbans - updated 11/5/24*

"But there wasn't a foreigner to be seen."

That's certainly not true. I'm not sure just how ignorant you are of our social history or whether you're just being sarcastic. We've always had foreigners in Ireland who made a great contribution to our culture. Ireland has long been a mixture of insular and simultaneously outward looking. Our history curriculum in Irish schools should really include in depth social history and definitely a module for each region of the country because they all differ somewhat. Most people know the political history, but not the social history as you've just demonstrated.

"Sketchy details of some incidents in Poland"

It's not 'some incident'. If you want the full details the soldier's name was Mateusz Sitek. He was stabbed with a knife which had been attached to a long stick/pole. It was clearly a weapon created with the intention of being used from a distance. There was deliberate intent behind the action.

"manipulated by Putin and his cronies, deliberately to spread division led by anti-immigration sentiment.Funny you don't mention this?"

I thought it's pretty much common knowledge that Putin and Lukashenko are orchestrating this - many of the migrants at the border have Russian visas and have been told that they can cross into the EU. The fact that they decide to do so by stabbing and assaulting, when prevented by the border guard, is a separate matter.

Far from being fear-mongering, it's a simple statement of fact, a fact which you find unpalatable as it doesn't fit your own particular narrative.

So even though you recognise Putin and his cronies are orchestrating this, you don't think they had anything to do with the knife on a long stick attack?

Attacking a border guard with a knife on a long stick seems a strange way to seek asylum to me. Why didn't they just sneak under the fence as others crossing do?

I've shared the links several times on how people are crossing the 'hard' border in Poland, despite the 10,000 soldiers and thousands of cameras, do I need to do so again?

Couldn’t agree more!

We clearly all didn't cheer Adam Idah scoring though. The son of Nigerian man. We've all seen the comments here, let's not pretend otherwise. The same with Rhasidat adeleke who parents are Nigerian. Clearly people on this thread are worried about the future of Ireland and our culture when we let foreigners into Ireland.

Blind As A bat himself quoted the 20% figure being migrants. Those 20% aren't all here illegally.

"I never felt skin colour is what made a person Irish."

Indeed. Phil Lynott was a Dub, through and through and he wasn't even born here.

I'm just not too hopeful for the survival of what's left of our culture when so many Irish people seem to despise it. I quoted an Irish poet and I'm sneered at by another poster and cast in the role of an ignorant, small-minded bogger. If I were a newly arrived Nigerian and I quoted an African poet, would I be sneered at by the same poster? I doubt it very much.

I personally cheered Idah’s goal - I’m not hopeful we’ll have much to cheer v Portugal but if we do we’ll cheer regardless of skin colour or birthplace. You put on the green shirt and you’re ours.

Those in the far left and their cheerleaders want to paint everyone who wants a realistic conversation on immigration and setting a sensible asylum policy as racists - they have no real cogent argument and so can only smear and troll.

I'm not painting anyone as racist. People on this thread have shared plenty of stores about driving to their local nature area and seeing loads of migrants there, walking into their local cafe and seeing more migrants than "irish" and driving past football grounds and seeing migrants playing football as all negative things and an erosion of Irish culture. Do you accept this conversation on immigration has to include a conversation about not letting too many foreigners in? That seems a message that has repeatedly been presented in this thread.

Indeed. Something you know but cannot be defined.

Stop trying to get people to define Irish culture. It's like a castle.

Well I know my local “far right” candidate is a complete head the ball. There would be people who think there is too much immigration but at the same time can’t bring themselves to vote for a mentalist. Perhaps that was the case elsewhere. Also I only ever saw SF getting criticised/getting the most of the criticism while the actual government got off Scott free in comparison. I did find that tactic a bit bizarre , SF had a stinker but the government parties did well. I wonder will they change tactics and attack the government more now or stick with SF. Atrocious election for the “far right” as you put it.

I hope all the different nationalities that are moving here are as kind , friendly , helpful, funny & chatty as the Irish people are. I hope they are also as loyal & inclusive. only time will tell. What do you think makes an Irish person?

I didn't sneer at you for posting an Irish poem!

I was poking fun at your fear-mongering and ideas of cultural purity.

Always with the fake news!

For some of the hard left loons on here celebrating the local election outcome as some sort of victory for pro-immigration, don't get too carried away. It wasn't so long ago that there was a very clear anti-government vote with the recent referendum. This actually instigated some changes in government migration policy.

Secondly, local elections - by their nature - are much more parochial. People vote for the local man/woman who gets the potholes filled. So I wouldn't attribute the stability we're seeing with FFG to some pro-immigration sentiment amongst the public. Furthermore, even in these local elections, we've seen a significant increase in the independents - they are at 19%, not far off FFG. Read into that what you will, but the immigration issue - despite your wishes - hasn't and won't go away.