Sarah Harte: Top-down approach to asylum takes Irish welcomes for granted

We don’t need to draw a tighter line around our international responsibilities to refugees, but we must articulate our policies and communicate with communities asked to welcome them in

Anti refugee protesters pass by pro refugee protesters outside the Shelbourne Dublin earlier this month. Picture: Sam Boal

Last weekend, two events showed the different faces of Irish people reacting to foreign nationals.

The first on Saturday was the exceptionally sad funeral of Joshua Odonkor, a toddler who died when a grape lodged in his windpipe. I know Joshua’s family. Without wishing to breach their privacy, I also know that Joshua’s dignified, hard-working Ghanaian parents who made Skibbereen in West Cork their home were supported by the local community.