Mixed feelings about influx of refugees into rural towns
Madam Editor, I’m sure many people in Ballaghdreen have mixed feelings including politically incorrect ones about the planned influx of Syrian refugees. While the great and the good insist that mass immigration is a benefit, it does have its downsides. Living in a Dublin suburb in which a large number of immigrants have settled, I have seen some of the problems that can arise. Local schools come under a lot of pressure, with larger classes and teachers having to devote extra time and resources to students whose first language is not English. Standards suffered and some local parents switched to other schools. White flight? An African lady organised early morning prayer meetings in a disused warehouse. When local people complained of noise and sleep disruption, she cried ‘ Racisim.’ Older neighbours feel uneasy at the changes in the social and cultural landscape that have followed on large- scale immigration. It can be disconcerting to walk into a shop and hear only foreign voices and tongue. One local woman remarked to me: “I rarely go into town nowadays - I feel like a stranger in my own city.” Yours Sincerely, Michael Kearns.