Refugee Crisis: The long walk to safe havens

A race against time is under way to get Ireland ready to open its doors to refugees as warnings mount that preparations need to begin immediately.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald both put a figure of 1,800 on the number of people Ireland is likely to be asked to take in when the European Commission unveils an action plan to deal with the crisis next week.

That is three times the 600 Ireland committed to accepting between now and the end of 2016 when initial estimates of the numbers in need were discussed by the EU earlier this year.