Courtney McGrailOpen Hearts, Open Arms: Welcoming Migrants to Ireland
by Alan Hilliard
(Messenger Publications, €3.99)
The other day, an appointment in Dublin’s city centre took me though upper Parnell Street. Since I was last there what had been a sort of little China town, had been transformed by the arrival of shops representing other cultures, the West Indies, Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, Poland, Russia and others.
A brief exploration of these shops in passing revealed all kinds of wonderful things. A Chinese shop had a fresh fish counter stoked with all kinds of things you won’t see in your local Tesco. Out of a sense of curiosity, I bought an item here and an item there among the shops, looking for something new and different.
The arrival of these new communities in Dublin and many provincial town – is there a large village in Ireland that does not have a Chinese take away? – have changed the country, but for the better. The schools are filled with new faces. Soon the Dáil will be too.
This little book explains in a brief space what some of these people have gone through to get here. It explains too how welcoming strangers can change and improve our lives.
We have nothing to fear. Change is a sign of growth, and growth a sure and certain indication of new life in our ancient nation.