Sir, - As an Irish woman working for an Africa-focussed NGO in Washington, DC, I was deeply disturbed to see a full-page article on racism in Ireland featured in the Washington Times (March 12th).
Not only does such bad publicity tarnish our reputation as a warm and welcoming people, it highlights the shameful double-standard which has recently become clear in some quarters in Ireland. In a nation which has long been known for exporting its own to other lands, the suspicion and resentment which has greeted many immigrants to our country now risks painting the Irish as hypocritical, as well as begrudging and plain racist. Moreover, dealing on a daily basis with the crises and issues in Africa that create these displaced people and cause them to seek asylum elsewhere, it is truly discouraging to read of the ignorance and hostility which many have faced on their arrival in Ireland.
Having left their homelands under what are often terrifying and horrific circumstances, it seems incredible that a nation with a history of great generosity and humanitarian conscience should be so unwelcoming. Let us nip these racist tendencies in the bud, lest negative images of Ireland in the international media become the rule rather than the exception. - Yours, etc.,
Ann-Louise Colgan, Washington, DC.