From one point of view, there was nothing materially inaccurate in the Taoiseach’s declaration in New York on Tuesday evening that “Saint Patrick was a migrant to Ireland, a single, male, undocumented one”. One might quibble around the edges – Saint Patrick, by all accounts, was dragged here by slavers rather than coming voluntarily seeking work and shelter – but the ancient texts all agree that he was not Irish by birth, and that he arrived here from across the seas with an entirely different culture and religion to the native Irish. Most of us have agreed, for more than fourteen centuries, that Patrick’s influence upon us was a net positive.
The problem with the Taoiseach’s remarks is not primarily one of accuracy or inaccuracy, but as is often the case with Leo Varadkar, one of tone and attitude. As is too often the case, it has the smell of a bit of points scoring against his own electorate – a gotcha moment against the voters. Oh, complaining about undocumented migrants, are we? And you all about to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and him a migrant himself? Why not think for a moment about what hypocrites you all are.
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