Lucy Gaffney

WORDS: ROSEMARY DELANEY

Many people believe that there is no such thing as coincidence – that our lives are mapped out for us, carefully planned by a higher force or being. However,
as I sat speaking to Lucy Gaffney, I couldn’t help but think that there was a certain degree of being in the right place at the right time, mixed in with an innate abilty for this woman to see an opportunity and grab it with both hands!

Unless you have a particular interest in or are affected by racism, you might be forgiven if you were not too familiar with the workings of NPAR — the National Action Plan Against Racism. However, in recent months, the media has highlighted a number of research findings which reveal a lack of tolerance for diversity to a worrying degree. In the workplace, for instance, non-Irish nationals are twice as likely to report experiencing discrimination as Irish nationals. Looking at our schools, immigrant children suffer more bullying than their Irish classmates.

As Ireland becomes an increasingly multicultural society, Lucy Gaffney as Chairperson of the Strategic Monitoring Group (SMG) charged with overseeing implementation of the National Action Plan Against Racism (NPAR) has had her work cut out for her during the past four years and this is just one of her many missions.

“Discrimination, racism, the intolerance of others, is borne out of ignorance. Be it in our workplaces, our schools, our homes, a willingness to learn about others and to communicate with others is the key to a successful, fair and open society. That is both the challenge and the opportunity that we face”, admits Lucy.

NPAR was launched by Government in 2005. Lucy, who at that time was doing volunteer work in a refugee centre in Phibsboro, had a chance encounter with the then Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell who invited her to be involved in the initiative. ”I just heard the word ‘racism’ and that was it”. Four years on Lucy and her colleagues have completed most of the 250 items initially identified through the Plan — a great achievement by any measure. “Ireland in the last 10 years has seen unprecedent immigration and on balance we’ve faired very well as a nation. Always the test, as in other countries, is if there is an economic downturn. It’s then when the disadvantaged in society — whether it’s the homeless, people who are bordering on the poverty line, anyone that’s vulnerable — these are the people who are going to be even more vulnerable and under attack. As a result there could be an increase in racism”.

Read more about Lucy Gaffney in the December| January 2009 issue of WMB, on newsstands now.