Résumé en anglais

The 1997 “refugee crisis” in Ireland is studied in this article as a way to measure changes in the Irish population. It has to be considered as part of a new phenomenon in Irish demography, that of immigration which remains difficult to evaluate precisely. The surge in asylum applications during the 1990’s seems to be largely due to the economic prosperity of the country. The government’s failure to implement the 1996 law drafted to accommodate asylum seekers has led to a crisis, in its turn causing political and social unrest. Ireland has not yet defined any clear immigration policy. Its reluctance to do so reflects contradicting perceptions on the questions of national identity and a multicultural society.