Research at ITB

Perceptions of Migrants and their Impact on the local Blanchardstown area: Local Views

Report Introduction: :

Migration is part of a global process and Ireland’s experience mirrors a pattern that is reflected across Europe and indeed the developed world. In the Irish case it is the pace and scale of the country’s transformation to one of net immigration that is striking. The Blanchardstown area, Dublin 15 - situated 10km northwest of Dublin city centre - constitutes one of the fastest changing parts of the country from a demographic point of view. The area has been a particularly high recipient of migrants - almost 22% of its population is non-Irish nationals, double the national average. An exploratory, small scale, qualitative study of Irish people’s views of migrants and their impact on the Blanchardstown area (Ní Chonaill, 2006) revealed the need for more in-depth research regarding the views of Irish people towards migrants. Researchers – with some exceptions (Feldman, 2006, Kelly, 2005, Meade and O’Connell, 2008) – have focused primarily on ethnic minority communities, largely overlooking the majority ethnic group.
Furthermore, the bulk of the studies investigating the views of Irish people towards
migrants are quantitative, with surveys constituting the main research method.

This research project thus intended to address the dearth of qualitative work on this topic, taking the views of both the majority and minority ethnic groups into consideration.
Funded by the Irish Research Council in Humanities and Social Science (IRCHSS), this is a qualitative study of the views of local people – both Irish people and migrants themselves – on migrants, their impact on the Blanchardstown area and their contribution to redefining Irish identity.

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