Political participation of immigrantsin Ireland: from integration toparticipation. A case-study of Cork

Ireland's foreign national population reached 550,000 in 2016, asignificant increase from 222,000 in 2002, reflecting a 15-year period of rapid demographic change. Traditionally a country of emigration, Ireland became a ountry of immigration during the economic boom of the mid-1990s, seeing asurge in asylum applications from 1994 to 2002 and a steady rise in labour iimmigration from 2004 onwards. This transformation of the population raisesimportant questions about political integration. Although Ireland ranks 3rdglobally on the MIPEX Policy Index for its progressive policies on the political participation of foreigners, this framework remains largely ineffective inpractice. While 12% of the country's residents are non-Irish, Irish politics remains predominantly white, Western, and Roman Catholic, not representative of the nation's growing diversity. Ethnic minorities in Ireland's lower house, theDáil, are represented at less than 1%, with only one minority member out of 160seats. At the local level, the representation is even lower, with only 9 out of 949councillors coming from immigrant backgrounds, accounting for less than 0.1%.This report, based on extensive empirical and bibliographical research, seeks toexplore the factors that hinder migrant political participation in Ireland, with aspecific focus on Cork City. Despite the existence of a supportive legislative framework, the representation of immigrants in Irish politics remains disproportionately low. The study also aims to capture the systemic and cross-dimensional nature of political integration by not only identifying the obstaclest hat prevent migrants from participating but also understanding the institutional barriers that impede improvement. Additionally, it places Ireland's situation in abroader European context, offering comparisons where relevant to highlight the distinctiveness of the Irish case