Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

When we all speak in this debate, we speak for people who are decent. What I have witnessed in my constituency in the context of people coming in, whether under international protection or from Ukraine, is an overwhelming sense of decency and an outpouring of charity and of wanting to help people who have come to our shores seeking protection. I have witnessed that at first hand in my hometown of Mallow, where I live. It is a town where, for many years, we have welcomed people in and people have integrated. We have had our issues and challenges, but the overwhelming sense in a town such as Mallow is that we must help people. I am especially proud of the fact that one of our local primary schools now has at least 31 nationalities. It is in that spirit of generosity that we must continue to do everything we can, at community level, to help people who are coming to our shores.

There is a great example in the town of Fermoy, where people came to an old convent. I will not say where they came from, but they came from a region they had to flee. When I spoke to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and he informed me they were coming, that gave me time to reach out to community leaders who wished to mobilise, and they did. The community mobilised in a way that provided all the practical supports for the people who came, whether it was clothing, food, access to local community and sporting organisations or even participation in Tidy Towns. The people have become part of the fabric of the town of Fermoy and this is because there was a process of communication that allowed the local community to mobilise, because they are decent people.

When the far right came into Fermoy, those people mobilised. We stood against the far right, but we stood in solidarity with the people who had come in because they are decent people. It was decency that won the day, and it is that decency we must display and act out in our communities in that way for, as the expression goes, there but for the grace of God go I. We never know when we might find ourselves as people in a vulnerable position. The nature of Irish people is to be decent and welcoming. The word "consultation" has been used but that word, let us face it, is a byword for seeking to veto anybody coming in. Let us call a spade a spade. If, however, we communicate with people on the ground and if people such as the Minister continue to communicate proactively with public representatives and Deputies such as me, we can seek to mobilise people, with that voluntary effort, to assist those who are coming in. Nevertheless, while that model is a good one, it has not worked consistently. I am not criticising the Minister, but if there is a mechanism to ensure there is consistent communication with people such as me in order that we can talk to people on the ground, we can help mobilise.

I am immensely proud of the people of Fermoy. My mother came from Fermoy and I have a strong connection to the town. The decency they showed when people came from war-torn countries was astounding. I refer to people such as Kate O'Connell and Paul Kavanagh to name but two who mobilised people and the community effort. They wanted to reach out, give of their time to help people, recognise their vulnerabilities and integrate them in a way that would make them part of the fabric of the community that is Fermoy. That simple model of decency will always win the day.

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