Ambassador of Ireland to India Kevin Kelly (L) and screengrab of the viral video (R) |Photo: Irish Embassy in New Delhi/X
New Delhi: An intense discussion over immigration and identity has been triggered by a recent post shared on X, in a world where Indian communities are becoming more and more visible worldwide. The video, which shows an Indian family in Limerick, Ireland, happily attaching their nameplate to their just purchased house, quickly went viral, garnering over five million views.
An ‘X’ user Michael O’Keeffe, who is Irish, wrote the caption for the video, which said, “Another house bought up by Indians.”
“Our tiny island is being colonised by a country of 1.5 billion people,” the post further read.
Speaking to Times Now, Ambassador of Ireland to India Kevin Kelly, dismissed the post as Completely Inappropriate.
“You’ll always get these people who say things like that that are completely inappropriate,” Kelly told Times Now.
“What would we say if Irish people were treated like that? Now we recognise the importance of immigration,” he added.
“Unfortunately, you’re right to say that we are seeing a rise across Europe of some of these more right-wing voices. But I’m very happy to say that they do not represent the mainstream. Most certainly in Ireland, they have no political representation,” the Irish envoy further added during an exclusive interaction with Times Now.
Highlighting the importance of Indian diaspora in Ireland, Kelly says, “These people are contributing hugely to our society. It is remarkable.”
“Indians are making a huge and very, very positive impact to Irish society. And they’re very, very well integrated within our community,” the diplomat further added.
The event has sparked a wider discussion about how immigrants are viewed in different nations. This conversation is especially important because a lot of Indian families are relocating overseas in search of opportunities and a higher standard of living.