In this interview, Andrew Montague, Lord Mayor of Dublin, explains how migrants have boosted the economic fortunes of the Irish capital.
He says: “We have the highest concentration of I.T companies outside Silicon Valley. These companies are providing jobs for Irish people but they also need people with language skills. They have to have staff coming from all around the world.
“There would be no jobs for Irish people if we didn’t have immigrants as well.”
The Lord Mayor also reveals how membership of the EU-Council of Europe Intercultural Cities network benefits his city. “Interculturalism seems to be the way to go now,” he adds. “We have dialogue between our cultures and we look for points of commonality.
“We have a large immigrant population. We’ve seen in other cities how this can be problematic and how other cities have turned that into a very positive thing. instead of going through the painful lessons that other cities have had to go through, why not learn those lessons directly and get best practice from other cities.”
Video: Interview with Dublin’s Lord Mayor Andrew Montague
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