Explaining EU migrant workers: Irish political interventions

Since the expansion of the European Union Ireland has experienced a significant increase in the proportion of immigrants from EU states (Quinn 2010). Between 2002 and 2006 the fastest growing category apart from Irish or UK nationals, were EU nationals (6.6% of the population). Polish nationals numbered 63,300 while the number of Lithuanian nationals was 24,600 (CSO Census 2006). This trend continued in the period to 2009: “Between 2005 and 2009 an average of 44 per cent of the immigration flow and 54 per cent of the non-Irish immigration flow has been made up of nationals of EU States that acceded in 2004 together with Romania and Bulgaria which acceded in 2006” (Quinn 2010, 3). The 2006 Census showed that Dublin South City had the highest concentration of foreign-nationals anywhere in the state, with the figure standing at 18.7% of the total population. Of this figure, 9.3% were EU citizens