ABSTRACT
A century ago Ireland was a land of emigration, not immigration. And so it would continue to be until very recently. Today, however, foreign-born residents make up one-sixth of all inhabitants. Not only is the recent influx unprecedented; it is also massive by present-day European standards. The chapter begins with a comparative analysis of two tiny immigrant communities that settled in Ireland a century ago, and how they fared. It then shifts to the present and places the recent influx in comparative and historical perspective. Using a variety of attitudinal and other data, it addresses the native response to mass immigration.
