My wife, Virtue, was recently on the receiving end of some nasty online vitriol. As you may imagine, it was distressing for both of us. You don’t really appreciate its nastiness until you are on the receiving end of it. But despite it (and sadly its not the first time) she remains steadfast in her determination to remain true to herself.
I am from Dublin and remember a time when Ireland was (pretty much though not completely) free of discrimination and xenophobia. Indeed it was a country famous, perhaps mythically, for its copious welcomes. It was a time when Ireland’s young were leaving in droves to find work and hoping to find a welcome in whatever part of the world they landed. There was talk of apologizing to the English, asking them to take the country back and turning off the lights as we all ultimately fled for pastures new. Oh my! How times have changed.
I am struck by what an Ireland without Phil Lynott would have been like. How can Thin Lizzy, one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time not have existed. How poor would be the fabric of Irish life, indeed the very notion of Irishness, in an Ireland that Philo had been ripped out of. No dancing in the moonlight. The boys would never have come back. If hate had killed Lizzy we would all be so much worse off.
To me being Irish means a lot of things. It means living here, investing in the country. Working here. Raising a family here. It should be all encompassing and yes all welcoming. Immigrants enrich all societies that they settle in. They bring their own traditions, food, culture that often when integrated become something much more. Immigrants bring different ways of living. They work in our universities, our industry, our hospitals, our schools, our food services. Pretty much everywhere. They bring elite athletes and artists of the present and the future. And they often through hard work, creativity and a never say die attitude manage to create something wonderful in say maybe the fashion industry.
Ultimately, they set our own expectations higher by forcing us to challenge the status quo – never a bad thing. Sadly, immigrants are also often scapegoated for all a society’s ills.
Ireland clearly is neither a military nor a financial powerhouse. When you travel you realise that whereas we know lots about say the US, the UK and Australia they on the other hand know much less about us. Yet we do have an opportunity to stand out as a country that embraces difference, welcomes change and sees the potential of a society that is global and self-enriching.
I want to live in an Ireland with a history that includes those that came hoping for a welcome. Those like Phil Lynott, Bundi Aki, Phil Babb, John Aldridge, Paul McGrath, Tolü Makay and so many more.
We have a great opportunity to swim against the rising tide and strive to build something better.
Billy Shine