Irish have long sought refuge overseas and so must offer refuge

So far, the Irish navy has rescued 1,700 men, women and children in the Mediterranean and deposited them in Italy.

Not surprisingly, Italy is having great difficulty coping with the huge numbers of asylum seekers that are being forced upon it, estimated to have been 170,000 in 2014 and expected to be 200,000 in 2015.

France has closed its borders to migrants travelling from Italy, and other European countries are also considering border restrictions.