Cartoon depicting Irish nurses dancing alongside a leprechaun cases outcry online.
A cartoon published in The West Australian newspaper, depicting Irish nurses dancing alongside a leprechaun, has caused outcry online.
The satirical cartoon is related to the news that that St. John of Healthcare, a Western Australian hospital, plans to recruit 150 nurses, due to a predicted shortage of graduates. The hospital is seeking to hire Irish nurses. This move has been criticized in some quarters as an attempt to hire immigrants instead of hiring locals.
Visitors to the 'Irish People Living in Australia' Facebook page have vented their anger at the comic by cartoonist Dean Alston.
The 30,000-strong Facebook group requested an apology and threatened to contact the Australian Press Council.
In an email to the Irish Times Brett McCarthy, editor of The West Australian, said the cartoon was an “irreverent and a bit of fun”.
He wrote “As someone of Irish ancestry I’m totally baffled by the claim the cartoon was racist” said Mr McCarthy. “It is a light hearted portrayal of the nurses as fun loving Irish women (all of whom happen to be named Colleen) - how is that racist?
“They were not portrayed as incompetent or stupid.
Eoin Hahessy, an Irish emigration columnist working at University of Melbourne, spoke to IrishCentral about this case.
He continued “A lot of Australians don't realize it is offensive, but that is the problem, a joke like this would never be made about an Asian.
Earlier this year there was similar outcry in Australia led by the Irish Ambassador Noel White following the coverage surround the case of Padraig Gaffney, a man who pleaded guilty to causing $500,000 in damages to a Melbourne Hotel and was found dead just days later. The Age newspaper ran with the headline “Drunk Paddy in A$500k flood of tears”.
The Honorary Consulate of Ireland in Western Australia, Marty Kavanagh, has posted the article on their website, but as yet has not made a statement on the matter.
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