Along with the influx, Ireland has seen an economic turnaround in recent years. Unemployment is about 4 percent, a far cry from the 17 percent of the mid-1980s. Last year, Ireland surpassed the United States as the world's top exporter of software. Despite the large number of refugees, some jobs still go begging. The influx has forced the government to confront some unpleasant truths, says Philip Watt, director of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism.
Black people are much more visible on the streets, and asylum-seekers are dispersed.
It's a much more visual issue. We need to make sure that these communities that come into Ireland don't experience this same type of discrimination. Some Irish may feel the refugees are taking advantage of the system, she says. Recalling days when their nation staggered under the twin burdens of high unemployment and homelessness, many Irish watch and fume as some refugees live off the state without being allowed to take jobs. Many feel the asylum-seekers take their jobs and social welfare.