‘My father is a farmer and he is already talking about the effects’

NEWS of the shock result from the Brexit referendum was causing some people on the streets of Dublin to fear for their future yesterday – while others were completely unaware of the potential repercussions.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, not a single person this newspaper spoke to was in favour of Britain leaving the EU, citing reasons including trade, jobs and the value of sterling.

The border between the North and the Republic was also a cause of concern – with many fearing Brexit could stir up political tensions from the past.

However, others were unaware of the potential knock-on effects the result could have on Ireland – and knew little other than that the vote had taken place.

The potential for immigration, a key part of the Leave side’s campaign, was an issue that had not yet been widely considered by most of the people we spoke to.

Ruth Murphy, pictured, said she feared the Brexit vote could cause tension in Northern Ireland. Ms Murphy, 21, from Kilkenny, said: ‘With the borders, we’re going to have to wait and see.

‘Anything could trigger The Troubles again because it’s still 50/50 up there. If it came to a vote now about whether they wanted to stay or go [from the UK], we don’t know what [would happen].’ Speaking about its potential effect on the Republic, she said: ‘Immigration is worrying, and lots of refugees and immigrants are going to come here now. If they decide that they’re not allowed there [the UK], they’re going to come here first. Our housing and health system is bad enough without having extra immigrants on top of it.’

Ms Murphy said she also feared trade would be impacted: ‘My father is a farmer so he has already been talking about how this will affect us.

‘We export so much to the UK. ‘But it’s not going to happen overnight, so I just hope it won’t be as bad as people think.’