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

No it wasn't.

It was a point aimed at the theme of the thread, and another nonsense accusation without merit, foundation or anything resembling evidence.

But no, immigrants are not the main reason for child poverty.

I'm sure though you'll edit your post to reflect that. 👍️

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0910/1532769-population-ireland/

"Growth...to be driven by immigration"

"58,000 additional people coming to the country per year over the coming decades"

Where is the housing for these people and the community supports. It seems like madness to me to compound the issues we currently have but apparently we need this influx of people because women in Ireland are having less children than before but we need the labour force to grow.

Surely it would be better to make it easier for Irish women to have bigger families if they wanted to by offering better rates of maternity benefit, more creches and childcare places etc etc

I'd say the main reason Irish women are having less kids is because of education, contraception and the world of opportunities available to them nowadays. People had 10 or 12 kids when in extreme poverty in Ireland, women just don't need to do that any more.

They can have more if they wanted, no one is stopping them

If you are stating that the human race has evolved to the point where it wishes to disappear, then that is a pretty strong statement.

You're right it's not illegal in Ireland to have children but one has to ask why women only have 1 child and not 2, 2 and not 3 and so on.

Surely the cost factor has to come into it, household income not able to support another child, house too small, crèche and childcare costs high to income, job pressures of taking time off work to care for illness (regular coughs and colds etc), not enough classroom places in the local schools etc etc

Surely you're not going to suggest that none of the above are taken into consideration by today's modern woman.

You forgot to mention 80,000 Ukranians here most who will remain also requiring housing . They say 30% are employed but in what capacity full time , voluntry , part time or community service .

Reality doesn't fit the Narrative.

Norway which is the one true welfare state in Europe has one of the highest female work participation rates in the world, the most generous maternity leave in the world, the most generous child care and schooling systems in the world.

Their birth rate is lower than Irelands at 1.4.

Education and a shift in how we parent are the 2 main reasons for the trend.

Friend of mine hoped to have more than just 2 kids but it just wasn't financially feasible.

Most of my friends are fair affluent, career and community driven, own larger than standard homes and have a very good work life balance.

None of them wanted more than 2 children, one has 3 but the third was the result 3 bottles of wine.

The actual goal now is what they call The Gentleman's family.

1 boy and 1 girl, the boy to be older than the girl and to have been born in January to take full advantage of the age brackets in the GAA.

Yes, most people don't want 8 children like my grandparents did but some would like to maybe have a second as opposed to 1 or have a third as opposed to just the 2.

Some might want to have 8. Some might want to have none. We can anecdote it all day.

But the glaring trend here and across the majority of Europe is predominately Women now want to further themselves in work and education.

That has nothing to do with immigrants and all to do with a more progressive society.

Yet another nonsense blamed at the feet of immigrants, following on from child poverty yesterday.

Can't wait for Tomorrow. Mayo's inability to win the Sam Maguire, maybe?

Well that's fine, you can ignore the negative implications of excessive population growth if you want to but it does have impacts like I described above and this impacts on people's options.

You just don't seem to want to understand how excessive population growth caused by excessive immigration has wider impacts for all of society.

I'm perfectly aware that women having more options is a factor in reducing the number of children born however it isn't the only factor and lack of childcare and housing (and increased cost of living caused by the cost of housing) is a factor in people not having children or having as many whether you want to accept it or not.

I never claimed it was the only factor I just said it was a factor and it undoubtably is.

No immigrant stopped your friend from having a 3rd child.

It's beyond ludicrous.

The main reasons for reducing birth rates in Europe and here have been explained several times.

But if you think everything is the fault of immigrants, I'm not qualified to change your mind.

Without immigrants our birth rate would be lower.

Might take a minute or two to square that circle.

I'm not convinced that generous family benefits will boost fertility. Maybe a bit.

By family benefits I mean the following:

cash Child Benefit

maternity/paternity/parental leave

subsidised childcare

The USA has zero cash Child Beneit, no maternity leave, and yet fertility is not really low.

I wonder would more affordable housng have a bigger impact on fertility?

Sky News hosting a show about immigration this evening that sounds like a pivot to a more sympathic anti immigration policy.Just listening to build up and it seems like English folk will ber listened to without being shouted down with name calling. Will be interesting.