Sir, - P. Quinn (July 27th) suggests that organisations which enrol foreign students to learn English "give them an orientation course on what is acceptable and courteous in Ireland". Might I suggest instead that somebody give a certain section of Irish society an orientation on what is internationally regarded as acceptable and courteous in the treatment of visitors to one's country.
In the several years since we became involved in bringing students from all over Europe to Dublin to learn English, our visitors have always remarked on how welcome they have felt both in their host families and at the school. However, in the past fortnight I have had to deal with no fewer than three complaints of racial discrimination experienced by our students - one relating to a leading fast-food chain, one to a well known entertainment complex, and the most serious relating to the treatment of a group of visitors at a restaurant on the Aran islands.
I would hasten to add that in a situation where a customer misbehaves, the proprietor has every right to take appropriate action, regardless of the offender's nationality. However, in the last instance, a number of students were refused permission to eat the food they had purchased in the restaurant under the supervision of our accompanying leaders, for no apparent reason other than their age and nationality. Needless to say, the matter is currently being pursued through the relevant tourist authority, but what I find remarkable is that such incidents can happen on an island whose economy is totally dependent on tourism for its well-being.
It must be remembered that foreign students inject upwards of £50 million into the Dublin economy each year and occasional crowding of transport resources or so-called verbal noise pollution would seem to be a small price to pay for such an inflow of wealth. Our current economic prosperity should not lead us to disregard the value of such a tourism sector - we may need it badly when things are not so good. Unless we can stand up to the xenophobic mindset developing in some quarters, by then it may be too late to attract these visitors back. - Yours, etc., Niall Molloy,
Dublin International Language Institute, Newtownpark Ave, Blackrock, Co Dublin.