The tide of troubles on Europe’s southern shore

Exactly how many refugees can Europe take?

Crew of the Irish naval vessel the LE Eithne involved in a recent rescue operation in the Mediterranean.

I doubt if the civil servants in the Department of Defence in Dublin ever dreamed that the day would dawn when they would have to dispatch an Irish naval vessel to the Mediterranean to rescue drowning illegal migrants en route from Africa to Europe.

Within days of arrival the LÉ Eithne has successfully begun its duties, which gives an indication of the urgency of the problem.

To date, the EU has been leaving ...