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IRELAND HAS LONG been admired for its warmth, openness and commitment to peace. A small island nation with a rich cultural legacy, Ireland has successfully navigated its place in the global landscape by cultivating a reputation for hospitality and moral leadership.
But recent years and months have presented a more troubling reality: a rise in racially motivated attacks, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and a climate of fear that is deeply at odds with the inclusive values Ireland claims to uphold.
Across Dublin and other urban centres, violent incidents targeting individuals of Indian, Nigerian, Chinese, Eastern European and other nationalities have shaken the confidence of international communities and visitors. The fact that these are not isolated incidents, but possibly a pattern linked to growing Far Right activity and social media-fuelled hate, demands serious public attention.
The state’s response, while not entirely muted, has often been sluggish and unconvincing. Prosecutions are rare, and victims commonly report feeling disbelieved or marginalised by the institutions that exist to protect them. Ireland belatedly introduced enhanced hate crime legislation in 2024, acknowledging the aggravated dimension of certain crimes, but gaps in enforcement and public awareness persist.
It is important to note that although Ireland did pass this legislation, the Department of Justice is now reported to be pushing back against the implementation of EU legislation on hate speech. This reflects a troubling political tendency to deny and minimise the prevalence of hate speech and racism while pandering to the free speech fetishism of the Far Right and their enablers.
Ireland’s economy depends on international professionals. One in four healthcare workers is non-Irish. The technology and financial sectors are powered by multinational teams. International professionals keep essential services running in logistics, caregiving, hospitality and beyond.
In recent years, the number of non-EU students in Irish Universities has increased significantly, now surpassing 60,000 annually. This is partly due to massive efforts by universities to attract students from non-EU countries. Irish Universities, facing underfunding from the state, rely heavily on tuition fee income from non-EU students who pay substantially higher fees than Irish and EU students.
Irish Universities have a moral responsibility to provide a safe environment for international students, whom they have attracted from over 120 countries across the globe. If universities fail in their moral obligations towards these students, it may manifest in a longer-term reputational and economic cost not just to universities but to the Irish economy.
These international citizens are not strangers; they are colleagues, neighbours, students, classmates, and caregivers. Many now report fearing for their safety in public spaces.
The incidents giving rise to these fears come at a time of real and visible stress in Irish society. Rising inflation, housing shortages, income inequality and healthcare access are all serious and pressing concerns. But scapegoating ‘others’ for structural failures is both intellectually dishonest and socially dangerous. The rise in xenophobia should be seen not only as a symptom of economic anxiety but as a failure to build robust narratives of belonging and solidarity in a changing society.
There is also a false dichotomy being drawn between ‘migrants’ and ‘skilled workers’ — as though these categories are mutually exclusive. Often, the target of criticism is, explicitly or implicitly, those seeking international protection. In truth, most non-Irish residents are highly educated professionals who actively contribute to the economy and cultural fabric of this country. It is precisely this dual identity — migrant and skilled, foreign-born and integrated — that Ireland must learn to embrace.
In my role as Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Galway, I strive, with other university leaders, to foster a vibrant and inclusive research and innovation environment. I find it increasingly difficult to reassure international researchers that they and their families will feel safe and respected in Ireland. If we cannot guarantee this basic assurance, it will be impossible to have honest discussions with world-class researchers about relocating to Ireland and building fulfilling and purposeful careers here. Universities must confront the serious threat that racism and xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance pose to the credibility and long-term sustainability of the sector.
Almost two decades ago, my British wife and I, along with our children, relocated to Ireland from the US as part of an initiative to attract high-performing global researchers to strengthen Ireland’s reputation as a country that invests in and supports excellence in research and innovation. We were excited to move to Ireland, and although soon after our arrival the country went through a severe recession, we found Ireland to be a friendly and safe place to raise our multinational family. I have found my work environment to be positively challenging and supportive of my scientific and academic endeavours. My hope is that other international families considering a move to Ireland in 2025 can have a similarly positive experience and that we can work together to ensure that Ireland continues to be a welcoming, prosperous and positive place.
Ireland is no longer a monocultural society. It is, and has been for some time, a complex, pluralist, multilingual and multi-ethnic nation. Yet, many public narratives still lag behind this reality. Limited or narrow perceptions of identity — particularly among those who came of age in a more homogenous Ireland — are being challenged by a younger, more diverse population that sees multiculturalism as a fact, not a threat. This cultural shift is not always comfortable, but it is undeniable. Nations evolve, and Ireland is evolving.
Ireland’s global reputation is also at stake when embassies start issuing cautionary travel advisories that provide a counterpoint to how Ireland projects itself to the world.
A democratic society must be measured not only by how it treats its citizens, but also by how it treats its guests, its workers, and its minorities. This is not an issue that the government alone can solve. Civil society, media, educational institutions and ordinary citizens all have roles to play. It begins with naming the problem: xenophobia, racism, and hate are real and rising. It continues with insisting on meaningful responses — from better law enforcement to public education and responsible journalism. Above all, it calls for moral clarity matched by political and civic leadership.
Ireland must decide whether it wishes to remain a country of welcomes, not just in slogans and tourism campaigns, but as a casual facet of daily life. The right to safety, dignity, and belonging is not a luxury; it is actually a right. It must be the universally accepted bedrock of any decent society.
What is at stake is not only the lives of those directly targeted, but the kind of Ireland we wish to live in, and the one we offer to the world. Recognising the “New Ireland” means embracing its diversity, not as a problem to manage, but as a strength to celebrate.
Professor Lokesh Joshi is the Vice-President for Research and Innovation and Stokes Professor of Glycosciences at University of Galway. Views expressed here are personal.
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