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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Ah now, Barney. Your claim was: "a third of prison population is non national".

So, here's "hard evidence" from the Irish Prison Service, who should know best about this sort of thing. It's the most recent of the monthly publications they produce with figures for this sort of thing, covering February of this year:
https://www.irishprisons.ie/wp-content/uploads/documents_pdf/FEBRUARY-2026.pdf

Page 2 shows average daily prison population was 5,785.
Page 4 shows that 1,078 of them were non-nationals.
Simple maths shows that's 18.6%, not 33%.

Only mention of 33% I can find comes from gript.ie, which is not exactly renowned for accuracy, where the writer includes a significant estimate (rounding up from just under 25% to 33%), and where he refers to a figure for number of people committed to prison, which is a different thing from actual prison population."
The source you refer to links to official reports. If they were wrong they would have been challenged probably to Press Council.

Non national is only around 75 - 80% of those born overseas. An African born Irish passport holder was still.born in Africa..

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4220 - 20/04/2026 17:30:45    2667557

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Of the non nationals how many are Ukrainian? I would assume that caused a big sudden jump in figures? People on here claiming 1 in 3 people here are immigrants? Have a lie down lads.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8814 - 20/04/2026 18:18:37    2667570

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "Of the non nationals how many are Ukrainian? I would assume that caused a big sudden jump in figures? People on here claiming 1 in 3 people here are immigrants? Have a lie down lads."
There are a lot of different stats being floated from all sides, I'm not 100% on the actual correct stats (Maybe someone can share the correct stats). but regardless, anything over 5% influx of immigrants within a 20 year period could pose serious issues down the road and by the sounds of it, we are well past that threshold.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1765 - 20/04/2026 20:58:55    2667602

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "The source you refer to links to official reports. If they were wrong they would have been challenged probably to Press Council.

Non national is only around 75 - 80% of those born overseas. An African born Irish passport holder was still.born in Africa.."
I know loads of people born to Irish parents who are living here most of their lives but were born in England in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Dozens. In a small rural village with a population of only 400. And thats just the lads here who I know well enough to know where they were born. There are likely many more.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19267 - 20/04/2026 21:17:26    2667606

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "Of the non nationals how many are Ukrainian? I would assume that caused a big sudden jump in figures? People on here claiming 1 in 3 people here are immigrants? Have a lie down lads."
Around 10% of overseas born are Ukrainians now.

No one said one in three. In 2022 Census overseas born was 20%. Official estimates range from 23% up. Probably 25%.

These are all CSO figures. Not some fantasy or 'far right' misinformation.

If you think that's fine then grand. You are entitled to your opinion.

Don't deny the facts.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4220 - 20/04/2026 21:34:22    2667610

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Replying To Saynothing:  "18% of people in prison are non nationals, take into account that 23% of the population are non nationals and it doesn't make good reading for Ireland in years to come."
So, if your figures are correct (and I'm not disputing them). . .

23% of the overall population are non-national.

18% of prison population are non-national.

This would suggest that non-nationals are more law-abiding than the 'native' Irish. (Otherwise the non-national share of the prison population would be 23%+).

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5320 - 20/04/2026 22:01:28    2667613

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Replying To Viking66:  "I know loads of people born to Irish parents who are living here most of their lives but were born in England in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Dozens. In a small rural village with a population of only 400. And thats just the lads here who I know well enough to know where they were born. There are likely many more."
UK born is a surprisingly small %. Look up the Census 2022 tables yourself. You can find almost what people have for their dinner.

People born to Irish parents in UK are obviously Irish by the way. Just as people born here to non Irish parents are culturally and in other ways not Irish.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4220 - 21/04/2026 08:21:22    2667639

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Replying To cavanman47:  "So, if your figures are correct (and I'm not disputing them). . .

23% of the overall population are non-national.

18% of prison population are non-national.

This would suggest that non-nationals are more law-abiding than the 'native' Irish. (Otherwise the non-national share of the prison population would be 23%+)."
The % of prisoners born overseas was closer to one third. So opposite point applies.

You do not appear to grasp the difference between 'non national' and born overseas. There are several hundred thousand people with Irish passports who are Irish 'nationals' but born overseas.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4220 - 21/04/2026 09:24:18    2667652

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David McWilliams wrote a good piece in the Times recently.
The gist of it was that Ireland is a wealthy country, and we don't lack ambition when it comes to big infrastructure projects. But what we do lack is a very profound level of competence when it comes to public sector money and how it is spent.

"In the real world, Excel spreadhseets are deployed and hard budgets are normal"

If there was a lot more accountability and scrutiny over how public money was spent, maybe we'd get the required housing built.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10301 - 21/04/2026 09:56:07    2667660

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "David McWilliams wrote a good piece in the Times recently.
The gist of it was that Ireland is a wealthy country, and we don't lack ambition when it comes to big infrastructure projects. But what we do lack is a very profound level of competence when it comes to public sector money and how it is spent.

"In the real world, Excel spreadhseets are deployed and hard budgets are normal"

If there was a lot more accountability and scrutiny over how public money was spent, maybe we'd get the required housing built."
100% correct, Billions of taxpayers money wasted every year, bloated admin levels, overpaid roles and all inefficiencies are guarded by Trade Unions.

We need more front line workers, we need to take better care of our frontline workers. Modern apps and even AI would reduce admin levels significantly, but change is far too slow.

Now the flip side of this, is that half the Country probably wouldn't get mortgages without at least one person having a public sector permanent role.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1765 - 21/04/2026 11:02:56    2667675

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