Gilmartin, Mary (2024) Migration to and from Ireland, 2011 to 2024: Known Facts and Data Gaps. (MUSSI Working Paper Series 23). Working Paper. MUSSI, Maynooth University.

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Abstract

In May and June 2024, election literature from people campaigning in the local and European elections was posted through letterboxes across Ireland. Some of this literature made reference to migration, with claims that "Ireland is Full" (from the Irish Freedom Party) and calls for "an immediate halt on mass immigration" (from the National Party), mass deportations, and the refusal of any more applications for asylum (from a variety of Independents). Underpinning all of these various assertions and claims was the belief that the level of immigration to Ireland was unacceptable. Yet, the election literature did not quantify the scale of immigration, preferring to focus on emotions rather than facts. This paper outlines the known facts about migration to and from Ireland in the period from 2011 to 2024 (see Gilmartin 2012, 2013 for overviews of the period from 2000-2012). The period covers the aftermath of the financial crash in Ireland and the subsequent (partial) financial recovery, broader geopolitical instability, and a widespread international cost of living crisis. The first section provides a brief overview of migrant stock – the numbers of people living in Ireland at the date of the last Census. However, the main focus of the paper is migration flows – the movements of people into and from Ireland. The second section details migration to Ireland in the period between 2011 and 2024, and highlights the continuation of more established migration patterns as well as the development of new patterns. The third section presents migration from Ireland in the same period. In both sections, sources of reliable information as well as the knowledge gaps that exist are discussed. The paper concludes with a reflection on the state of migration to and from Ireland today.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Additional Information:	MUSSI Working Paper Series 23
Keywords:	Migration; Ireland; 2011 to 2024; Facts and Data Gaps; MUSSI Working Paper Series;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, MUSSI
Item ID:	19155
Depositing User:	Dr. Mary Gilmartin
Date Deposited:	05 Nov 2024 14:59
Publisher:	MUSSI
Funders:	Irish Research Council Laureate Awards (grant number IRCLA/2023/1941).
URI:	Organisation
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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