Sir, – As the Dublin-born son of an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father, I found Bertie Ahern’s remarks about “the Africans” (May 13th) both depressing and revealing.
Many of us who grew up visibly different in Ireland carry a quiet, lingering anxiety about what those around us really think when they believe nobody else is listening. Mr Ahern has once again given voice to precisely that fear.
Living in London, I am also conscious of the old slogan from decades past of “No blacks, no dogs, no Irish”. We rightly remember the sting of being stereotyped and unwelcome abroad. It sits oddly, then, to hear a former taoiseach casually deciding which ethnicities are more acceptable than others.
Mr Ahern once spoke of extending “céad míle fáilte” to newcomers. Apparently, the welcome depends on who is at the door. – Yours, etc,
RM Block
DR GABRIEL BEECHAM
Maida Vale,
London.
Sir, – Bertie Ahern’s recent remarks were racist, wrong and harmful, but this issue goes beyond one individual.
Ireland is facing a growing problem of racism and division in public discourse. When politicians or commentators repeat racist stereotypes or rhetoric, they legitimise prejudice, dehumanise entire communities, and undermine efforts to build a genuinely inclusive republic.
[ Quiet desperation: Why no one speaks up about racism in IrelandOpens in new window ]
Let this moment remind us of the importance of the National Action Plan Against Racism. Long overdue investment in antiracism education and public awareness – backed by sustained cross-party, cross-sector and whole-of-society action to confront racism seriously and consistently – is now urgently needed. – Yours, etc,
RUAIRÍ McKIERNAN
Chief executive,
Irish Development Education Association,
Dublin 1.
Sir, – Bertie Ahern’s recent remarks on immigration, albeit recorded unbeknown to the former taoiseach, were disappointing to hear. To suggest that Bertie is racist, though, is a wild and unfair stretch.
Bertie is no racist. It’s a pity his current detractors didn’t show the same elasticity at the time of the financial collapse at the end of Bertie’s time in office, and acknowledge that our economic downfall wasn’t all Bertie’s doing [as was the populist line back then] but in part the result of a global financial crisis that as a small, open economy we were bound to be affected by. – Yours etc.
BRIAN QUIGLEY
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – While not condoning in any way his comments on immigration, might I suggest that Bertie Ahern would hardly be the only politician to say what he thought an individual voter expected to hear. – Yours, etc,
RITA O’BRIEN
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
