Mary Robinson has asked the public to “remember the famine” while condemning modern “racism towards migrants.”
The former President of Ireland, and the first woman to hold the role, describes migrants as “brave people” who come to Ireland because of conflict, poverty, or their sexual orientation.
A ‘warts and all’ documentary on her life, titled Mrs Robinson, is set to officially open at the Irish Film Institute on August 23rd.
On The Pat Kenny Show today, she said Irish society has become more “inclusive” for the most part but acknowledged a change in attitude towards migrants.
“We have problems, for example, the current racism against migrants, which we really need to address and talk about a lot, and talk about what is a migrant,” she said.
“A migrant is a brave person who leaves their country to try and make a better living abroad, partly because of conflict, maybe because of sexual orientation, poverty, whatever it is—and they send money home.
“We should welcome brave people who come to our country and remember our own history; remember the famine.”
US politics
Ms Robinson recalled visiting Harvard in her youth and comparing the liberalism on display to a more old-fashioned Ireland—something she says is now reversing.
“It’s really true that progress made by a country isn’t necessarily secure; you’ve got to keep being vigilant and keep working at it,” she said.
“We have seen in the United States, unfortunately, in a significant number of states and through the Supreme Court, that women’s rights are going backward, and it’s really serious.”
President Barack Obama presents a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. Image: Associated Press / Alamy Stock PhotoThe former president said all countries must be taken in their context.
“People used to ask me when I was high commissioner, ‘What’s the worst country in the world?’ And I would never answer,” she said.
“Every country has to be seen in its context; you have to see the good and the bad and speak out about the bad—but also value the good.
“That’s what I did in China, for example. I was by far the most outspoken voice on human rights in China, but I also gave them credit for lifting so much of their population out of poverty, which means education, health, and their human rights.”
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Environment
Ms Robinson said her advocacy for the environment began when she was honorary president of Oxfam in the early 2000s.
“Women in Africa would say to me, ‘Is God punishing us? We don't know what's happening,’” she said.
“They would say the rainy seasons aren’t coming, or they have long periods of drought they shouldn’t have, and it’s destroying their markets.
“The injustice struck me; that’s why I always talk about climate justice as it affects the poorest countries much more disproportionately, and they’re not responsible.”
After serving seven years as President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, Ms Robinson became the United Nation’s High Commissioner of Human Rights until 2022, which led to her receiving a US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
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Main image: Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson pictured at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Iveagh House Dublin in 2015. Image: Peter Cavanagh / Alamy Stock Photo
