Immigration and Ireland - MEGATHREAD *Mod Note Added 02/09/25*

Don’t be daft, one isn’t required to live in Ireland to know how much revenue is generated in tourism. I got the figures from the article I read wrong (it was €700m in one month, knew it sounded a bit off when Government were investing €1Bn), big whoop, I’d have linked to the source as I always do only for the fact that there’s some sort of a bug on the site that’s preventing links from appearing -

The total amount added up to €881.9m including travel fares, or €646.5m excluding fares.

Day-to-day spending on costs like eating out, entrance fees to activities, and public transport was where the largest chunk of that money went in the Irish economy, adding up to €320.4m, which is more than one-third (36.3%) of the total spending.

Accommodation accounted for 33.2% of the costs at €292.8m.

…

There were 654,500 visitors from abroad who completed a trip to Ireland in June 2025, which was down 2% compared with June 2024 but up by 6% compared with June 2023.

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/press-releases/ministers-martin-and-byrne-announce-details-of-budget-2025-for-the-department-of-tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-media/

https://www.thejournal.ie/how-much-did-tourists-spend-in-ireland-in-2024-6779720-Jul2025/

Tourism, like I said, isn’t going anywhere.

It’s up to more than 37% now -

More than 70% of new doctors who started work in Ireland in 2022 had trained abroad, with the State now “highly dependent” on foreign doctors, the Irish Medical Council’s latest workforce report shows.

I wouldn’t even suggest it was as high as 10% in preceding decades, the reason I said the public healthcare system has always been dependent on immigrants is because it has -

Our healthcare system was always dependent on immigrants, but in the last few years since the population has increased, there are more demands on the healthcare system than there were in your grandparents generation. There were pressures on the public healthcare system then too, only they didn’t get as much attention in the media. I don’t know if I could point at any single event and say ‘that’s when our public healthcare system became dependent upon migrants’

It was in response to your suggestion that you’d love to know when our healthcare system became dependent on immigrants, to which I responded it always has been, and more so in recent decades.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41348246.html

Perhaps you’d be satisfied with a public healthcare system that was operating at nine tenths of its capacity in a system where it doesn’t have the ability to fulfil that last tenth, and while the argument could be made that it’s in an effort to save taxpayers money, it wouldn’t pass muster at the ballot box, which is why the Ministerial Health portfolio has always been referred to as a ‘poisoned chalice’… actually I’d better not say always, I know you’re a stickler for accuracy, not sure when the phrase originated, could’ve been around the time Mary Harney became Minister for Health, was an absolute disaster.

It wasn’t that the intention was to flood the market with cheap labour, it was that the intention was to cut costs, and when cost-cutting measures are the priority, that’s when we end up with cheap labour and a system that’s only capable of operating at nine tenths efficiency, though I would argue that the public healthcare system is operating well below that, simply because they can’t get the staff, and they can’t maintain the staff in a globally competitive labour market.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41560789.html

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/harney-did-great-harm-to-health-service-1.1278928

The healthcare sector is still woefully inadequate and unfit for purpose, but in order to rectify it, it would require a level of investment that would be political suicide. Already it’s become difficult to justify expenditure on a single hospital project that seems to be more about form over function, for those who care about appearance over ability.

doctors can work anywhere but the main draw for doctors to ireland would be the ridiculously high salary consultants get paid, i would imagine. i know a lot of doctors through my partner who is a doctor and pretty much every irish doctor works abroad for a few years too, i've never met one who hasn't. it's also hard to get irish doctors to work in some of our regional hospitals because someone on 250k doesn't really want to be living and working where some of our sh*ttier hospitals are located.

At this stage Jack I'd like to know have you ever been to Ireland?

I’ve no doubt you would, and at the risk of being considered rude, I’ll simply point out two things:

• This is a public forum
• It’s absolutely none of your business

I know well what’s happening in Ireland, I don’t have to search for anything, but I do so in order to provide evidence in support of my opinions. That’s why I’m unable to provide evidence for anecdotes where a hotel sought to charge well over the odds for a standard room in a midlands town with feckall in the way of tourist attractions, and why it was much easier simply to hire a whole house for the same price for the duration, as I’m guessing is becoming a more common practice among tourists rather than staying in hotels which are gouging tourists while at the same time they have the hand out for more public funds which I contribute to already.

I understand however that the purpose of public funds is to support the common good, so I don’t have an issue whatsoever with public funds being used to provide accommodation and support services for asylum seekers and those granted refugee status. I do have an issue however with public funds being wasted by being paid to private companies who are providing the services, rather than the services being provided by the State, but this issue was flagged over 20 years ago when the idea of Direct Provision was first touted, and politicians were advised at the time that it was simply unsustainable (article was published in 2019):

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/direct-provision-the-controversial-system-turns-20-1.4081833

That is in contrast to your notions of demographics, public sentiment or tourism decimated by the refugee industry, etc:

‘Demographics’: Certain parts of Dublin make me feel like a stranger in me own country”

‘Public sentiment’: Here’s a poll showing people are concerned about Housing and Immigration. It doesn’t say what those concerns are, or anything about who is expected to address them, but people are concerned.

‘Tourism decimated by the refugee industry’: Ahh Jack, you have no idea, tourism industry is booming, generates billions, not millions, do you even live in this country?

Typically Irish though - playing the victim, and imagining you’re better than everyone else at the same time. ‘Twould be hilarious if it weren’t so droll 😒

Government playing a blinder managing to deflect Isreal/Gaza all the way up to 4th

They were out on the street near the Apple market during the Spraoi festival in Waterford on Sunday handing out leaflets promoting Islam, it must have been difficult for them to watch people enjoying music, drama, food and drink while dressed inappropriately, in there eyes.

Youve consistently claimed the majority doctors in our healthcare are foreign. Thats not even true at this very moment after 25 years of immigration.

The more you turn back the clock the more and more outrageous the statement becomes.

I really hope youre not a radiologist with those observation skills.

”X isn’t happening”

“It is happening, here is evidence”

“Get a life!! 😭”

Very convincing argument

I can Google hotel prices in say Wyoming and also local news there too. Not for a second would I think I know what's happening on the ground there though.

Its safe to say Ireland's ludicrous immigration policies of the last 5-10 years won't be affecting you in any way, shape or form.

The absolute neck of you referring to stupid things as “a bit Irish” and talking about victimhood and thinking you’re better than people as “typically Irish”

You come onto an Irish discussion forum to pontificate to Irish people about things you aren’t even experiencing or will not affect you because you’re not even in Ireland!

The utter arrogance of it

It's a pointless exercise when our Sligo beheader is considered as Irish as the rest of them

You certainly are guessing my English, and not making a very good attempt at it either, claiming that I scream racism, when I've never brought it into the discussion at all.

Your nationality doesn't matter to me,you have revealed your preduices towards Irish people, that's all I need to know.

The wholescale adoption of the corporate neo liberal ideology is the dumbest move the state has made.

The fact that many on 'the left' have been gaslit into running interference for it is just depressing.

The HSE is not hiring people from outside the EU because they are some sort of philanthropic organisation, just trying to make the world a better place for people from.poor countries. They are doing it because of cheaper labour and a likely higher tolerance of reduced working conditions.

Workers from the country are more likely to have a support network of extended family and friends, than someone hired on a temporary contract. They are more likely to demand industrial action to change perceived poor working conditions. This is a potential headache for the HSE, or any other business.

There is nothing even remotely humanitarian about the reasons for Irelands current immigration clusterfuck.

People years ago used to say that the country should be run like a business. Well this is what it looks like. The country is being run as and for business, with any other considerations a long way behind.

It is right wing corporate policy dressed up in a Leftist skinsuit.