The Irish town where my mother was born and raised, very much Christian, held its annual gay pride parade this year.  With children holding banners and waving flags, with store windows displaying enthusiastic support, this second-year march was bigger and “better.”  It is sad to see a town I have grown to love over the years slide down that slippery slope.  What was confined to bedrooms is now thrust is everyone’s face.  I keep wondering...do those parents with their participating or observing children sit them down to explain how sodomy works?

That aside, could another progressive idea be slowly crumbling?  Last week, many Buncrana residents locked arms to prevent migrant buses from dropping off 66 unvetted men in their town.  There was no notice from county or town officials, and the residents found out about it only through a Facebook group opposed to the opening of further migrant centers.

“The Department of Integration have adopted a de facto policy of avoiding consultation with local people before opening centres for migrants and asylum seekers in towns across Ireland.”  The town’s proposed accommodation center had only 19 beds available.

While the local Sinn Féin councilor, Jack Murray, understood the frustrations of the townspeople, he stated that “the scenes in Buncrana this week were the actions of  a very small minority who have manipulated this issue within the community.”  A necessary political utterance, for sure.

This was done in the dead of night, which raises the question: who benefits from the dispersal of migrants?  Not the community, which doesn’t have enough police to monitor matters.  Not the schools, which are overburdened now.  Not the health services, which are struggling to provide for their own in a timely manner.  The lack of housing plaguing Buncrana’s native people only adds to the problem.  Any empty facility may be “requested” for temporary housing — but then what next?

Those fighting back will be called racists, ignoring that the look of Ireland has changed, with many different nationalities and colors evident already in their town.  To get Irish citizenship, you must have five years of residence in the state.  If you are married to an Irish citizen or are a declared a refugee, you can apply after three years.  As of 2011, the foreign-born make up 28.8% of the population in Buncrana.

Buncrana’s population is 5,911.  Buncrana job opportunities requiring skilled personnel as of 2023 are exactly 16.  None of the migrants will fit the bill, so the taxpayers are left footing the bill for housing, food, medical, and any transportation costs.  And what would the migrants do to occupy their time?  Some menial labor hired by whom?

Donegal is often referred to as the Forgotten County, as it is the northernmost county in the Republic.  However, it is not forgotten when it comes to dispersing migrants.  According to government figures, some 1,239 migrants seeking asylum were being accommodated in Donegal at the end of August 2023, while almost 6,000 Ukrainians are also being housed.  County Donegal has a population of 167,084.

It is estimated that 30,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Ireland since the conflict began.  While this is a generous gesture to those in despair, the three counties bearing the burden of support are Dublin, Kerry, and Donegal.

Ireland stands out as “the land of a thousand welcomes.”  Seared in my memory is the first time I visited Ireland.  As I walked up her path, my cousin’s next-door neighbor called out, “Welcome home.”

Cordial as she has always been, I fear that Ireland is being used.  In conversation with my cousin in Buncrana this week, her caregivers related that many Ukrainians were putting in for travel permits to go home to Ukraine for Christmas, afterward to return to their holidays in County Donegal.  They know of several women who travel to Ukraine periodically for their Botox treatment.  Life is good. 

America continually welcomes unvetted illegals — except if you are a resident of Martha’s Vineyard.  You are allowed to reject them with a smile and a hug.  I guess that’s as close to an arm-in-arm protest as we’ll ever get.

Molly Maffei Baldwin is a retired New Jersey elementary teacher.  She now lives comfortably in small-town Texas.  She may be contacted by email at mollymaffeibaldwin@yahoo.com.

Image: Greg Clarke via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0.