Sir, - Recent incidents in Clogheen have been unfairly labelled as racist by the national media. The village is being forced to accept one refugee for every 10 of the population; this is equivalent to approximately 100,000 refugees for Dublin or 30,000 for Cork. The objection is to this vastly distorted number per head of population, not to the principle of accepting refugees. That is the main point and there is nothing racist about it.
The fire is an unfortunate act of hooliganism when the spotlight is on Clogheen. Vandalism and criminal behaviour happen in every parish.
We should remember that this is a national problem and an inevitable consequence of our prosperity. America had this problem in the early part of the century, England after the war - it's our turn now. It's up to the politicians to implement a fair and just policy of dealing with refugee applications. There should be a visa system for people not suffering persecution. These should be allowed to work and integrate into the community in a controlled manner. - Yours, etc.,
Jimmy McHugh, (formerly of Clogheen), Frankfield, Douglas, Cork.