OPINION: An Offaly councillor asked for €5 for Ukrainians - the response was disgusting

Very few things shock me in life anymore; so many appalling things happen everyday in our own communities and around the world, it is easy to become removed from it all. But I was shocked on Tuesday when I read the majority of responses to an Offaly county councillor's request for a €5 contribution towards welcome packs for Ukrainian refugees arriving to my hometown of Edenderry.

The old shoe factory in the town has been renovated to accommodate the families fleeing the Russian war in their home country and the first of around 50 people set to move in arrived this week. There had been flashes of potential protest some months ago when the plan to revamp the building was first mooted but they received little support and died out.

Cllr Noel Cribbin posted an update on Facebook that 23 people were arriving and said: "As we all know these unfortunate people are fleeing from their war torn country which is being bombarded on a daily basis for the last 18 months. I intend to give each family a small box of essential goodies; bread, milk, cheese, ham, tea, etc as a small gesture and a warm Edenderry welcome to these families who will be living amongst us for the foreseeable future."

He had arranged with a local shop to supply the goods and asked people, if they could or wanted, to drop as little as €5 into the shop or to him directly. It was a well-meaning post and one you might expect to get a favourable response in your hometown but what followed in the comments section was downright disgusting. It was also widely shared on other pages and platforms too as people labelled the request "a disgrace".

One sick comment suggested the shoe factory should have been "burnt to the ground" before the work was completed and people moved in. Another went along with this and said they'd supply the €5 for petrol. Another offered a lighter. This is well beyond opposition or opinion; it's incitement to violence and hatred and it's not the town I grew up in. It's truly disgusting behaviour from grown men and women from a country that celebrates its diaspora all over the world. We built a museum in Dublin to celebrate the people who emigrated from Ireland around the world.

Edenderry was once called the 'town of the stranger' due to the number of people from all nations who came to partake in work in the town's many industries, the shoe factory aptly being one of them. I never remember such vitriolic views when I was in school or in the 30 years I lived in the town. I went to school with lads from Africa and Brazil and everywhere in between and they were our mates, they played on our teams and were part of the town. I wouldn't like to think any one of them would have to read the likes of these comments.

Most of the comments suggested the council and the government raise funds or work to "help our own Irish first," and some shared their own stories of hardship. That's all well and good but it has very little to do with these Ukrainian people moving to our town. They don't make decisions over funding for anything or who gets accommodated and who doesn't. They are just human beings trying to live their lives like the millions of Irish who left these shores over the years, be they on planes to Australia in recent years, or on coffin ships to the US after the famine.

It's about time we woke up to our own hypocrisy on all of these issues. We glorify every Irish person who ever left this island. We say they built America and England's motorways and became politicians and business leaders all over the world. That's true but we don't mention the ones that ran criminal gangs in New York or ended up in prison for a variety of crimes and were a scourge on their new communities. They don't fit the narrative and don't have a section in the museum. Even at a lower level, we all know someone now living in America or Australia illegally; the visa ran out and they stayed. We all need to cop on and stop reading fake news on social media and believing every random post as if it was gospel. 

When did we all fill up with such hatred? Maybe it was always there and social media has given us all a platform to say what we wouldn't say in public. I'd be more worried about the people hinting at burning down buildings in my town than Ukrainians or anyone else moving into it. Live and let live is a cliche but it's never been more appropriate.

I should point out that there were positive comments on this call out for a fiver for Ukrainians but they were in the minority. One local said: "Fair play Noel, glad to do it. Important to remember that the majority of the people in Edenderry are caring and considerate to those who have experienced such horrendous trauma."

A number of others commented with their intention to contribute food and even toys too and I have no doubt a lot of people will. They are the people of Edenderry I grew up with. Honest and decent people who would help out anyone; family, friends, neighbours, strangers, anyone. Others could learn a lot from that humanity. 

I find on social media that the majority of fair-minded public opinion is drowned out in the wave of hateful comments. People with strong, and often unpalatable, views are always the loudest and God help the rest of us, we have to listen or look at them. They do not represent my views or the town as a whole - at least I hope they don't.